In: , , ,
On: 2010 / 10 / 26
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This is a short PSA to warn potential buyers: don't buy The Internet is a Playground from David Thorne aka @27bslash6. It's a scam.

I've ordered the book on June 25th. On September 2, I started wondering why I hadn't received anything, and sent out an email to inquire about it. Then another email. Then another email. Then another one. One month later I eventually received a cut and paste response telling they could "file a refund request for me". Like, they have my money, but they cannot refund, they have to "file a request". Rrright. I'll remember to try this one next time I have to pay taxes.

So far, I've sent them 14 emails and a few tweets, without any luck and nothing more than identical proposals to "file a request for refund" (replying "yes please file a request" didn't do anything, of course). No book, no money back. I've eventually contacted Paypal and tried to file a dispute there, but they don't want to hear about failed transactions when they are too old.

Lesson learned: people who seem to be funny assholes are, well, assholes. Next time I'll spend the $28 on a tshirt or a donation.

Update: Related. This shows just how dishonest the guy is.

Another update: there has been some serious backlash on community site Reddit. Lies, fake replies from fake accounts, and replies deleted once proven false by another commentator. David Thorne at its finest.

Funnily enough, David Thorne somehow thinks I'm responsible for it :)

Final update: aaaaaaand I finally received the book, nearly 5 months after my ordering and after all that pathetic mess. Book is small, paper is so cheap that it's not even completely white and you can see through it. Didn't read it but trashcan seems to have liked it. End of this fucked up story.

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This entry "Don’t Buy “The Internet Is a Playground” Book from @27bslash6: It’s a Scam." was posted on 26/10/2010 at 7:11 pm and is tagged with , , ,

11 Blablas

  1. Rares says:

    Well done brother!

    I'm sorry you got scammed, but on the other hand, I'd like to see more posts like these from influential people with high ranking websites.

    It's essentially a foolproof method to shut down a scam scheme (assuming people will Google before spending).

    Cheers.

  2. Chris says:

    Sorry to read this. Having the same problem, ordered “The Internet Is a Playground” and had exactly the same problems(and emails) you have had. I was promised a refund too, after they admited in an email that they had not sent the book, however that refund has never arrived and all emails since have gone ignored.

    I can't see why David Thorne aka @27bslash6 would want to do this, I'm not interested in his writings anymore, I was happy before and bought the book to support them, only is not longer funny once you've been scammed for money by him.

  3. Sarah Moore says:

    I've had exactly the same problem – been trying to get my book since June. Had the same cut and pasted messages. Someone has started a facebook group – David Thorne Book Scam – need some more people to join to get traction. Don't give up until you get the book – or your money. It's not good enough!

  4. Adam says:

    I bought the book way back in March, from his website. It still hadn't arrived, so I emailed him in March. I got a response no longer than 30 minutes later, as follows:

    "Hello Adam,

    There was some issue when the distributor changed from CafePress to the publisher (Fontaine Press) and apparently a few books were not delivered. I had thought these were all sorted out. I will check on your order and if it was through CafePress, I will get a copy sent out Monday or Tuesday. My apologies for the delay.

    Regards, David."

    It still hasn't arrived, and any subsequent emails I've sent have not been responded to.

  5. Adam says:

    "It still hadn’t arrived, so I emailed him in March" – I meant to say "in May". Sorry.

  6. Peter says:

    I ordered his book from his website in July and I am still waiting. It appears many others are in the same situation (http://www.facebook.com/pages/27b6-David-Thornes-Book-scam/150215228347632). He has stolen our money and does not reply to any emails. Be careful before parting with your money for anything on his site. Buyer beware.

  7. Kimberly is an idiot says:

    You might like to know Olivier that Kim has now placed your new order along with your private adress and order infomation on the internet for all to see.

  8. Peter says:

    Hi everyone waiting for the book they paid for. The last site was taken down after it helped put pressure on David to send out some long overdue books. Here's another attempt http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Thorne-27b6-Book-Delivery-Trauma-Support-Group/115560958506762

  9. Ville M. says:

    Sorry to read this. The asshole scammed my money too, I ordered 2 books in June. Exactly the same procedure, except I got a few replies from David where he lied that the first print had sold out and that was the reason for the delay. Nice way to keep me waiting until I couldn't file a chargeback from Paypal anymore. They have a policy of 45 days for that, which I learned the hard way. Later that idiot Kimberly told me to contact Fontaine Press for a refund to be taken from Thorne's commission, and they replied that they have nothing to do with this self-published edition. The guy seriously pisses me off, I hope nobody will buy anything from that douchebag.

  10. Deb says:

    Add another one to the list. I purchased the book in July and still haven't received it. I've been emailing every month but haven't gotten a reply since October. Same problem with PayPal saying it's gone on too long.

    I'm certainly not directing anyone to his site any more, and will actively discourage it when I can. It may not make much difference in the grand scheme of things, but every little bit helps. It's unfortunate that someone that clever and funny would cheat people out of money – people who are actually opting to PAY him for his work instead of just print it off the website.

  11. Dex Barrett says:

    Damn! I'm semi-lucky as far as i can see. I ordered the book a few months ago and received it within the expected time frame. The problem? The book looks like a lot of people used it before me. It has no missing pages or anything but it definitely is an used item.

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