Hotmail, and other "anonymous" Email addresses

Just thought I would make a post about this, since I really havn't seen anyone else do it, at least in the near past.

Now that the internet has had time to trickle into almost every household in America, almost every household has either dial-up, or direct internet access. This allows the household to have specific email addresses.

It has been my experience, that the majority of "Great deals" that do not work out come from anonymous email accounts such as hotmail, yahoo, or some other provider.

I realize that some people still need these accounts, but if you are emailing back and forth, don't get lazy and use just email to converse with the other party.

Get off your but and USE THE PHONE! If we all just used the phone for a 5 minute conversation, a lot of the reason we have the BOI will be reduced.

Are we in an age when someone that is selling a product doesn't even have enough time to answer a few questions over the phone for a prospective customer? I know that I always answer my phone, and usually end up talking for quite a bit to customers, as well as just to BS with other herpers.

I know this post doesn't warn about anyone else in particular, however, look at the posts in the BOI and look at the relation between anonymous email accounts and scam artists. Hence the reason I posted this in here.

Anyways to sum it up, be a little more scrutinizing when doing business with someone that only offers an anonymous email.

Hope this post comes as help to someone
Tom
Zoological Supply
Tom@zoologicalsupply.com

I definitely agree. Myself, I refuse to do business with anyone who can't afford (or is too cheap to get) a 9 dollar a month dialup account email address. There are just way too many scammers, spammers, and general con artists that take advantage of the complete anonymity of hotmail.com, yahoo.com, excitemail.com, the list goes on, addresses. And most certainly not just in the commercial herp world, its anything potentially involving money. Really though, should you have a problem, try and get IP information out of hotmail.com in order to track a scam artist. Short of a court order, they won't do it. With the sheer volume of data and logs they have, it wouldn't surprise me if they couldn't do it. I just find the use of freebie email accounts very unprofessional and, to me, immediately cast a questionable light on anyone using them for business purposes.

Adam Dawson

I do not totally agree with this idea. I for one use a hotmail addy for my email simply because my wife uses our account email and I think my email randysherps@hotmail.com is a better description of me. And to say someone is too cheap to pay 9 bucks a month to have an email addy makes them worse then Joe Schmo who does have one, is classless and rude. I do eventually plan to set up a website and I will have a link on it for both the website email addy, along with my current hotmail addy. I do agree 100% with you that people should converse on the phone more with customers/potential customers/ or anyone who they might be able to help. I even would take calls from customers on my cell phone when I was at work just to give the info the person was asking for, and to "ease" the worry and tension involved in an online purchase.

Just my opinion on the subject.

Randall Turner aka Randy T. aka randysherps@hotmail.com

My e-mail addy is a yahoo.com address. Sorry you won't do business with me. Perhaps, rather than assuming everyone who uses a free e-mail account is a scammer, you should consider WHY someone might use one.

I got tired of changing my e-mail addy EVERY time I changed ISPs. (and I have never had a $9 per/month connection, Internet access must be cheap where you are) Well, why would someone change ISPs often enough for this to be a problem?

US Military. Air Force to be exact. (not me, my husband, but we moved with him) We have lived in Germany, Nebraska, Alaska, and California. There have been times when I have not had an "address" or a place to plug in my PC (which was in storage) for months at a time. You know, when you don't have a place to plug in your PC, you don't really keep paying for the ISP(and on US Military pay it's hard to justify paying for an ISP you can't use) ~ and they take away your e-mail addy if you stop paying.

But I could always go to a library and check my e-mail..........at my yahoo.com account. Now I could open an e-mail addy up with my current ISP, and I might do that if I ever try to sell anything, but it would really be no more reliable than my yahoo.com account...............changing ISPs is REALLY easy.

Maybe you should consider checking into someones reputation BEFORE you discount them based on the end of their e-mail addy. I can see where a hotmail or yahoo acount might make you look twice at the rep, well, you should look twice no matter the e-mail addy...............because it is incrediably easy to change ISPs and apparenty it is cheap too. ($9)

I like being able to access my email remotely, and I don't like Outlook viruses. My broadband account has also had a long history and has changed hands once and I frankly have no idea how to access the email that comes with it. But I am more than happy to give out my info and phone number to anyone who asks, and heck, I'll even give out my real IP address.
Hmm.. I was going to be pithy and post it up right now, but my ipconfig closes right away. Strange. Well, anyway, you get the idea. Be accepting of email preferences, but feel comfortable before you send money

Erin Benner

Get off your but and USE THE PHONE! If we all just used the phone for a 5 minute conversation, a lot of the reason we have the BOI will be reduced.

I kinda disagree.

While I do answer the phone....I prefer e-mail for a couple reasons

1. Everything is on record. It is right their in black and white. none of that he said she said stuff.

2. I can get to it when I want to get to it.


Also I have a friend who uses his yahoo. He just does not like the other e-mail. And I also know he won't cheat anyone. He won't let himself do it. His wife will not tolerate it. And I would fry him if he did.

I must just be having a bad day. I meant to comment on the phone thing too.

E-mail is better. Get it all in writing. We have seen it a hundred times here.

Another EXPENSIVE example. I tried to re-finance my house recently. The "Rate lock" I was given expired July 19. I was assured over the PHONE it would be extended. Last week when the loan was ready to close they informed me the lock will NOT be extended. If I had it in WRITING I might be able to prove it. However I do not........difference to my mortgage caused by this small discrepency?? $300 a month. Thats $3600 a year. That is $108000 over the life of the loan. (Yes, all those zero's belong there, it is One hundred and eight THOUSAND) Sure wish that jerk had assured me the rate lock would be extended in e-mail rather than verbally on the phone.

Everything in writing, from now on. EVERYTHING, I don't care if the agreement is just that you can't or won't agree...........put it in writing or it didn't happen.

I have to agree with Cheryl. I've changed ISPs several times in the past few months, and I'm very glad I have a yahoo account. I've had my yahoo email address for something like 5 years now, but my other email addresses keep changing. I, too, also like being able to check my email online from any computer.

While there's nothing wrong with getting phone calls, I'm on dialup at home, and most of the time when I'm home and not sleeping, I'm logged in online, so a phone call wouldn't reach me anyway. If I ever decided to make my hobby into a business, I'd consider a second phoneline or perhaps just DSL, but right now there's no real need.

Frankly, you can be scammed just as easily by someone with an ISP-provided email as you can by someone with a free email account, and likewise you can have just as good a transaction with someone on yahoo or hotmail as you can with someone who has an ISP-based account. There's no substitute for doing your homework and checking the BOI.

-Kat Hall

Wow Cheryl hat's a huge difference. We almost had the same thing happen on a home equity loan.
These days you need everything in writing. There are Scammers involved with all types of "businesses"
I like to talk to my customers or the people I'm buying from on the phone but I'll will send a follow up email and reiterate what the agreement was. Better safe than sorry.
Take Care, Rob

I think that talking on the phone and emails are both a good thing. For the most part I have done both. I have talked to the seller as well as emailed.
I have what I need in email in as much as what I am buying and how much ect... but I have also had the pleasure of talking by phone which gives me ease of a get to know and hear who I am buying from, something emails do not give. In most cases the seller has called me and discussed with me exactly what I am looking for and have answered any questions I may have.
For the most part, I have had very good experiences with whom I have gotten animals from, they have been willing to give some time to me which shows me they really care about their animals and customers.