Tuesday, January 13, 2009

FirstDibz is a scam - Fraud Alert

I received an email from FirstDibz today. I bought "dibz" for the Arizona Cardinals on January 3rd for $26 each. My order was placed and confirmed, and I had the "dibz" in my possession. Now that the Arizona Cardinals won their playoff game, "dibz" similar to the ones I bought are selling for over $1600!!! So my gamble paid off, right? WRONG!!! FIRST DIBZ IS A SCAM!

Dear ...,

FirstDIBZ is sending you this very important email because it has come to our attention that an individual uDIBZ seller has misused the FirstDIBZ website (in contravention and breach of the Sellers Agreement). As a result, this individual has had their account suspended to protect the integrity of the overall uDIBZ marketplace.

During the seller’s misuse of our website, our records confirm that you have purchased DIBZ from this individual and as a result we will be refunding you 100% of the amount you paid for these DIBZ plus 100% of the transaction fees that were incurred. In addition, if you have sold any of these subsequent DIBZ, the funds received from these sales will be reversed. Please allow 48 hours for the credits to be funded in your FirstDIBZ wallet. Your DIBZ holdings associated with this uDIBZ seller have been removed from your account.

To ensure the continuing customer satisfaction and positive user experience which you have become accustomed to, we have temporarily suspended the ability for any new seller markets to launch in the Super Bowl XLIII uDIBZ marketplace. Existing Super Bowl uDIBZ markets are unaffected and still open for trading.

Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to seeing you again soon at www.FirstDIBZ.com

Regards,

The FirstDIBZ Team

104 comments:

Unknown said...

The same thing just happened to me... can you imagine how many dibz this seller must have sold for First Dibz to attempt to circumvent section 8 of its own Seller's agreement? Section 8 indemnifies Dibz but also says they will obtain and charge back the cost of obtaining the tickets to the fraudulent seller. Worse for me, I bought dibz in teams like the Eagles and Cardinals to hedge my Giants dibz (which I paid a huge amount of money for). I'm sure you'll be shocked to hear the Giants dibz I purchased was considered "legitimate".. its only the ones I still had pending as fraudulent... unbelievable....

standupticketguy said...

What FirstDibz does not realize is that most people do hedge their bets so that they can guarantee super bowl tickets. I lost money on other Dibz because I thought I had the Cardinals Dibz that I thought I made money on. I know I am not the only one either, I have spoken to people who had more than 20 FirstDibz for the Cardinals and got scammed. FirstDibz = Fraud

jaybo said...

I also suffered the same fate. I purchased dibz from this seller for the Cardinals and the Steelers. To rebuy them at current prices, it'll cost me about an extra $1,000.

To make matters worse, their programming screwed up on the Steelers dibz. There were dibz available at the time for $175 and I was on the Marketplace screen (with both bids and offers shown simultaneously). I went and bought two. The site said it would automatically buy two dibz at the lowest available price ($175). Instead, it bought two at $195 apiece from the seller who turned out to be a fraud. I didn't call to complain because it was Sunday, and it subsequently slipped my mind. If the site did what it was supposed to do, I would have bought two legit dibz at $175. Instead, I wound up with two phony dibz at $195!!!

If FirstDIBZ fails to satisfactorily correct the situation, I'm all for a class action suit.

Unknown said...

Looks like uDibz is a bust. I purchased Cards lower level sideline for $17. Clearly, risk management isn't being handled well by the company. Also, watch out for the growing length of time on $ withdrawals. My last funds removal took nearly 30 days.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ctm said...

Likewise the same thing just happened with me with Steelers tickets. Of course, prices in general have doubled since then. What a joke.

Unknown said...

I got ripped off by First Dibz as well. Well I am sad that others were scammed by FirstDibz at least knowing that there are others out there, maybe we can do something about it.

kmmitchct said...

I was scammed by firstdibz.com also. What a horrible organization. I am a diehard eagles fan and purchased eagles options. Now they tell me they are not good but they still have options for sale on their site for $550+! I purchased mine for $90. If they were a legit company they would replace them and make up the difference. What a scam. I am so disappointed with them. I have nonrefundable hotel and air. Per their section 8 of their sellers agreement they should be fulfilling their orders. I also called them before placing my order and they said udibz are also guaranteed. Otherwise I would have purchased other dibz.

I am in for a class action law suit. Lets start sharing email addresses. Mine is delaware45@hotmail.com. Power in numbers. Send me your email address and scenario if you want in.

Thanks,
Kyle

sj1077 said...

This is absolutely ridiculous. I received the same email. Below is the part of the seller's agreement that seems to indicate that it is FIRSTDIBZ resposibility to recover the damages on the other users' behalf:

IMPORTANT—PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: This is a legally binding contract. By clicking on the "Accept" button below, you represent that you are authorized to accept these terms and conditions and you agree to be personally bound by the terms of this Agreement (defined below). If you do not agree to be bound by this Agreement in its entirety, please click the "Decline" button below and do not attempt to use any of the services or products accompanying this Agreement.

8. Indemnification - Ramifications of Failure by Seller to Ship Tickets. FAILURE BY THE SELLER TO SHIP THE TICKETS AS OUTLINED IN THE POLICIES & RULES OF EACH MARKET WILL REQUIRE SELLER TO INDEMNIFY FIRSTDIBZ FOR ALL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF SELLER'S FAILURE TO SHIP THE TICKETS. SUCH INDEMNIFICATION SHALL INCLUDE, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, THE COST OF REPLACEMENT TICKETS, THE FAIR MARKET VALUE OF THE TICKETS, THIRD PARTY CLAIMS, DAMAGES AND ANY LEGAL FEES (INCLUDING ANY LEGAL FEES INCURRED IN CONNECTION WITH COLLECTING SUMS OWED BY SELLER TO FIRSTDIBZ HEREUNDER). SELLER HEREBY AGREES THAT FIRSTDIBZ MAY RECOVER ANY AMOUNT OWED BY SELLER TO FIRSTDIBZ USING ALL LEGAL MEANS AVAILABLE, INCLUDING CHARGING SELLER'S CREDIT CARD, AND THAT FIRSTDIBZ SHALL BE ENTITLED TO PURSUE ALL LEGAL REMEDIES AVAILABLE TO IT FOR SELLER'S FAILURE TO SHIP THE TICKETS. SELLER ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT SELLER REMAINS PERSONALLY LIABLE FOR FULFILLING ITS ENTIRE INDEMNIFICATION OBLIGATIONS HEREUNDER WHETHER OR NOT FIRSTDIBZ CHOOSES TO SATISFY PART OF SELLER'S INDEMNIFICATION OBLIGATIONS BY CHARGING SELLER'S CREDIT CARD.

MOREOVER, SELLER HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THE FAIR MARKET VALUE OF TICKETS AT THE TIME OF DELIVERY TO A BUYER MAY GREATLY EXCEED THE FAIR MARKET VALUE OF THE TICKETS ON THE DATE BUYER SUBMITTED BUYER'S BID, BUT THAT SELLER SHALL NEVERTHELESS BE REQUIRED TO DELIVER SAID TICKETS TO SUCH BUYER. ACCORDINGLY, SELLER HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE COSTS OF INDEMNIFYING FIRSTDIBZ, IN THE EVENT THAT SELLER FAILS TO DELIVER SAID TICKETS, MAY BE SUBSTANTIAL, RANGING FROM A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS TO POTENTIALLY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS DEPENDING ON THE NATURE OF THE TICKETS AND THE FAIR MARKET VALUE THEREOF.

John McHugh said...

Class action anyone???

NYSEGUY said...

I got the e-mail too. I had 4 Pittsburgh & 2 Arizona dibz.
Their CEO needs to realize if they do not make good on these like Stubhubs guaranteed, the company is toast. They must realize, we'll make a press release to all media outlets warning of this company and it's fraudelent practices. If they are smart, they should indemnify us and take the hit and learn to improve security. This company has a great idea and product if they know how to grow it. Otherwise, they will have ruin a MULTI-MILLION dollar company over a minor financial hit. Remember, Stubhub sold for $310 million dollars. I would hate to see them ruin a great company over this incident.

NYSEGUY said...

Anyone tried contacting management yet? They took my number and said they will call me back, but have not heard from them all day.

Everyone, please post your details on this blog.

TBRAYS said...
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TBRAYS said...

THERE IS NO WAY THEY CAN NOT FIX IT AND TAKE THE HIT IF IT WAS A BAD SELLER BECAUSE THAT SELLER SOLD DIBZ FOR ALL TEAMS AND WHEN GIANTS AND TITANS WENT OUT AS WELL AS THE PATRIOTS CHARGERS BILLS WHEN THEY WERE 5-0 OR 5-1 JET WHEN THEY WERE HOT. THAT SELLER HAD LOTS OFF OUR MONEY IN HIS ACCOUNT THAT THEY FREEZE UNTIL THE TICKETS ARE RECIEVED THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH MONEY TO COVER THE COST OF THE TICKETS . MORE SO THAT WE PAY THE FACE VALUE AT A LATER TIME SO IT IS NOT THAT HARD TO GET US THE TICKETS THERE ARE PLENT OF TICKETS ON EBAY THEY CAN BUY UP AT RESONABLE PRICES. EVERY ONE PLEASE POST HOW MANY DIBZ THEY GOT SCREWED ON TO SEE THE MAGNITUDE OF THIS PROBLEM.

jtyke22 said...

I can't imagine them having more than a couple of thousand "fraudulent" Dibz transactions. The right thing, and only acceptable thing in my opinion for them to do would be to take money out of their own pocket to go out and buy comparable tickets from brokers to hand out to the individuals who would have had winning Dibz. I had 3 Steelers Dibz for Club Level seats that I bought for a total of $702.99 including the service fees. I am guessing the face value of Club Level seats will be $1000. If the Steelers beat the Ravens Sunday, they should charge me the face value for the tickets and eat the difference between face value and what they have to pay a ticket broker for a Club Level seat. The Club level seats I have seen on ebay are going for about $4000 each or a $3000 markup. First Dibz would lose $3000 x 3 Dibz = $9000 on my 3 Dibz. If they did this for everyone who bought fraudulent Dibz, assuming there were no more than 1000 of them total, their total loss would be about $3 million. That is a large amount of money, but compared to what the negative publicity of a class action lawsuit would cost them in the long run it would be nothing. Why should we be burdened with having to bring a class action lawsuit anyway? They should be the ones filing a lawsuit against the individual(s) that posted the fraudulent Dibz. The terms of the sale are clearly outlined as sj1077 pointed out earlier. Just my 2 cents.

BWKING said...

I got hit for 10 steelers. I was fully hedged (had an equal number of ravens) going into the game this weekend. I want my account credited with 10 actual dibz provided by FirstDibz at their expense. A "refund" is totally unacceptable.

TBRAYS said...
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Mrwiseace said...

Let me tell you about my experience with First Dibz.
I had "dibz" to all four teams remaining in the NFL. Yesterday
they canceled my dibz on Arizona,
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Could you believe that they cancelled the dibz on 3 of the 4 teams that I still have. Of course they charged me for all the teams that were eliminated! Either I am the unluckiest person in the World or they are a fraud!

So all of my losing dibz were charged and all of my winning dibz which are now extremely profitable were canceled.

FIRST DIBZ IS A SCAM and no one shoud ever use their services.

Unknown said...

Not only are they a scam. But many of us stand to lose thousands, and I for one plan to do something about it.

jtyke22 said...

Has anybody had any success yet with contacting any high ranking First Dibz employees? If someone does eventually get through to them I would threaten them with taking our story to the Chicago Tribune or better yet, I am sure ESPN would be more than happy to run an episode of Outside the Lines featuring the First Dibz scam. That would absolutely kill their company. What a joke! Hearing that Mr. Wiseace had all of his Dibz except the Ravens refunded makes me think that this was not an individual that scammed First Dibz, but First Dibz that scammed us!

Unknown said...

It was clearly an individual who scammed them. But the problem is that they were warned that it was way too easy for people to sell these options. They were not making sure the sellers could cover the product, and I feel that we should not be the ones who have to pay for their mistakes!

TBRAYS said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
jaybo said...

Apparently it was more than one individual. They voided two more Steelers dibz I bought last night and sent me a second e-mail similar to the first about ANOTHER fraudulent seller.

Of course, the Ravens dibz I bought as a hedge are apparently perfectly good. If I want to rebuy all my Steelers dibz, it'll cost me only a little over $2,000!!! That's not even including my Cardinals dibz! This is just not right. Rick Harmon has made a fortune off of people like us the past few years. It's their mistake. They should pay for it.

Mrwiseace said...

I DO HAVE THE DIBZ FOR THE RAVENS.
THEY DID NOT CANCEL THEM.....YET!!

Imagine having all four teams and getting canceled in all but one?

I have the proof necessary to sue the shit out of these guys!

jtyke22 said...

It seems odd too that this scammer only apparently was so good that he only offered Dibz on teams that ended up winning. Are you telling me that he didn't have any Titans or Giants or Panthers or Chargers Dibz for sale? If he did, all of those people should be refunded too.

Mrwiseace said...

If they refund that money, first dibz loses commission on all the buys and sells so of course they state that those sales would have been good sales becuase they do not want to refund that money and because they are a fraud!

jaybo said...

I had dibz on all four teams; now I'm stuck with the Eagles and the Ravens (for now). If the Cardinals and Steelers win, I'm totally screwed.

How are we supposed to know which dibz are fraudulent and which weren't? For all we know, they could be arbitrarily voiding dibz at their own discretion. Zero accountability here.

TBRAYS said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
pawn-d said...

I bought 6 dibz each on all 4 AFC teams prior to the divisional playoffs. Yesterday I got the email that my 6 steelers dibz were no good (so far nothing bad about the ravens dibz). When I called and asked had the Steelers lost would I have gotten a refund, I was told probably not. So, it seems like they're only refunding the dibz for teams still alive and all of the dibz on the losing teams were valid?... that is virtually impossible. I don't know if they started the scam, but they should either replace the bad dibz or reimburse for the losing dibz sold by the scammer(s) - ie titans, charges, giants, panthers. My friend lost his Arizona dibz also. He was supposed to get a call back. A bunch of BS.

pawn-d said...

RODRIGUEZ0315 - I noticed you removed a post about maybe FirstDibz would make good on their screw-up. Did you get some (bad) news causing you to think that there's no way there going to compensate us?

TBRAYS said...

GUYS LETS LET THEM SORT THIS OUT. IM SURE THEY WILL DO US RIGHT AFTER THINKING IT OVER A MILLION TIMES AND TALKING WITH AN ATTORNEY . THERE IS NO WAY Rick Harmon (CEO of First Dibz) after all that I have read about him will let that Company fail. Maybe this is what they need an episode like this and they have the chance to come through for all the fans and it hits the media and people will trust them just like people trust the stubhub guys lets wait and see what they respond with. This was advise given to me by my attorney. that was Him thinking it out because I never thought of it .

TBRAYS said...

update so far i have been hit for 18 EAGLES LOWER LEVEL SIDE LINE 28 STEELERS AND 20 CARDINALS and no ravens these raven better win.

Mrwiseace said...

After I had numerous futures on all 4 surviving teams, yesterday I learned that they took away all my dibz except the Ravens.

I guess they are now banking on the Ravens losing. If the Ravens win, watch them try to refund our inital purchase price after the fact!

cjpink said...

I just spoke to firstdiz customer service (yes, I was surprised they answered immediately - called the 312 number). The guy I spoke with was actually very nice, quite detailed, and we spoke at length (20mins). Basically, they are claiming that this has never really happened before. There were 2 primarily sellers (who had established accounts - one was even a long-standing ticket brokerage company) that simply went bonkers over a 3-day span primarily selling lots of tickets on the underdogs thinking that they probably wouldnt win. As most of you know, firstdibz has refunded the money that was paid for fraudulent dibz. In addition to that they are going after the two sellers via litigation to recover the costs (tickets, expenses, etc) that were lost to those who bought the fradulent dibz. Therefore, there is a chance that those who were affected would share in a settlement (which I assume would be small, if any). I asked why does the site allow 1-2 sellers to sell thousands of dibz knowing that each super bowl ticket is at least $1,000 and there would be no way an individual could come up with those tickets - nor could the sellers credit card be charged that amount. The response was that these sellers were selling 4 to 5 tickets at a time at a price below what firstdibz was selling their guaranteed tickets for. Tip - if the Udibz (fan to fan) tickets are going for prices way below firstdibz own tickets,or selling lower levels below firstdibz upper level tickets, then you should know they are probably not legitimate. Also, the guy told me that every available staff person there is calling all sellers to verify that any remaining udibz still in user's accounts/holding are infact valid. They hope to send out a message to let those know whether the ones still in an account are valid. He also mentioned that due to this event, the website is undergoing magor changes. Personally, I don't know how anyone can have faith in this site anymore.

TBRAYS said...

no not thousands of dibz when i spoke to one of there guys they told me there was a total of only 13 sellers selling all the dibz and that there are 2 that had sold in the proximity nearing 200 dibz each so you might be looking at 400 dibz total come on that is nothing

ctm said...

What about this from the user agreement?:

Consumer-Supplied Marketplace:... Where delivery of a Listing is refused, prevented, hindered, delayed or otherwise made impractical beyond FirstDIBZ’s reasonable control and such occurrence cannot be overcome by reasonable diligence and without unusual expense, FirstDIBZ shall have the right, but not the obligation, to compensate the Buyer at the close of the market with a payment equal to 125% of the final trading price for that DIBZ marketplace. Moreover, FirstDIBZ has the right to charge Sellers’ credit card the Termination Fee as such term is defined within the Seller Agreement.

Guess they aren't sticking to the 125% of closing price.

Mrwiseace said...

Well if First Dibz had a problem and if they now know of the problem than riddle me this batman...How is it that there is ONE seller right now who has 50 Super Bowl Tickets to sell for the Steelers???

TBRAYS said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TBRAYS said...

i wonder who there right hand brokerage might be since for the 2009 Final Four market they joined forces with www.TicketCity.com

jaybo said...

I will also give FirstDIBZ every opportunity to make things right. They've done so in the past. I don't like the fact that our holdings were summarily voided. I understand if we weren't allowed to resell them until the situation was rectified, but just voiding the holdings wasn't justifiable.

They should limit the number of uDibz that can be sold from an individual account, as well as perhaps limiting the amount that can be bought by us. Regardless, the abuses of the system should have been flagged by the company. Someone should resign/be fired over this.

Unknown said...

Right hand broker?
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/08/olympic_tickets_scam2.html

I'm even less confident now. I understand they may have made things right in the past but that is a problem in itself. How do you offer tickets months in advance and then not deliver? This isn't an isolated case because it HAS happened in the past in non udibz markets...just not on this scale.

On EventExperts.net brokers have been talking about this potential problem for months. And it's not 400 dibz or tickets...it's thousands. This can't be resolved by the weekend.

I don't want a refund, I want my tickets. Or refund every transaction in all markets for every user.

NYSEGUY said...

I think at most, they have a couple of hundred of dibz exposure maybe even a huge gain if Arizona & Baltimore wins. Firstdibz needs to make things right or the national exposure will ruin this company. Their whole business model is based on guarantee these tickets would be delivered.

NYSEGUY said...

EVERYONE, KEEP CALLING MANAGEMENT & PUT PRESSURE ON THEM.

Can someone that is a good writer make a press release about this whole mess. Don't release it yet. Let's give Firstdibz management a chance to make things right like Stubhub's policy. If they do not fixed the situation, we will issue the press release to the 50 major market newspapers and news organization. These news organizations have run nice stories on this company in the past and have steered customers to them. I'm sure they would want to know about this mess.

sj1077 said...

Has anyone noticed their refund policy? It states:

Final Sales
All sales of DIBZ are final. No refunds shall be given by FirstDIBZ, the venue, the event sponsor or any other party for any amounts paid for DIBZ, including, without limitation, any service charges or fees. Further, you acknowledge and accept the risk that a purchased DIBZ may expire and never be converted into a ticket for the specified event. No refunds shall be given by FirstDIBZ, the venue, the event sponsor or any other party for expired DIBZ.

Perhaps it should read: "All sales of DIBZ are final, unless it's not in our best interest". Their lack of accountability in this matter is unbelievable.

TBRAYS said...

I CAN NOT BELIEVE THEY HAVE NOT CONTACTED ANYONE. THEY IGNORE ALL CALLS. THEY EVEN SHUT THERE CELLS OFF. HAS ANYONE RECIEVED ANY EMAILS FROM THEM TODAY

standupticketguy said...

I was talking with my friend who runs the popular blog, http://www.superbowlexperts.com

I alerted him to the situation so he could advise his readers not to count on firstdibz for Super Bowl tickets.

He has decided to use his blog as the headquarters for everyone to come together to let firstdibz know that their response to the situation is unacceptable. His blog has daily readers and allows anyone to comment, so everyone can join in

Power in numbers, right?

Go to..

SuperBowlExperts.com

respond to the top post with your current situation and feel free to respond to the topic below with any further comments, complaints, and everything else that is being talked about on my little blog here.

NYSEGUY said...

Has anyone gotten a call back from them yet?
They told me, they would call me back yesterday.

NYSEGUY said...

If Firstdibz does not make this right, it would be their biggest mistake ever.

We will make sure the internet and every media source know they are a fraud and never use their services.

jtyke22 said...

I wonder if this "Ticket City" company that Rodriguez refers to here...
RODRIGUEZ0315 said...
i wonder who there right hand brokerage might be since for the 2009 Final Four market they joined forces with www.TicketCity.com

...is the same Ticket City that is accused of fraud in this article...

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/08/olympic_tickets_scam2.html

If so, I think we know who the guilty "individuals" are that posted the fake Dibz.

jtyke22 said...

I encourage anyone who still plans on attending the Super Bowl to pass out leaflets the entire week of the game to anybody in Tampa explaining how First Dibz choses to do business. If First Dibz response to us is "tough luck" then let's put them out of business for good. I know fixing the problem for us will cost them a lot of money, but it is better than the alternative of going out of business for good.

NYSEGUY said...

link here:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/08/olympic_tickets_scam2.html

NYSEGUY said...

if arizona & baltimore wins,

they may even make money on this fiasco

sj1077 said...

Interesting article:

http://www.ticketnews.com/FirstDIBZ-forced-to-cancel-hundreds-of-Super-Bowl-orders-after-seller-fraud109145

Ending with:
"As they say, it's not what happens to you, but how you deal with it, and we will do whatever it takes to make this right," Harmon said.

jtyke22 said...

I have already sent an email to Chicago Tribune writer Melissa Isaacson. She wrote a story back in July spotlighting Cubs fans and First Dibz. I explained to her what happened to all of us and encouraged her to write an investigative article on the matter. All of you should encourage her to do the same. Her email is misaacson@tribune.com. If we can't apply enough pressure to First Dibz maybe she can.

jaybo said...

They refunded me money from dibz I bought on the Colts, apparently from one of the fraudulent sellers. This is relevant because I bought them on New Year's Day. So this activity didn't just happen overnight like the article seems to portray. This has been going on for quite awhile. It seems like they ignored the situation until it was time to put up the tickets. My confidence that FirstDIBZ will do what's right just took a nosedive.

Also, if it's only 250 dibz, what's the big deal to them?

jaybo said...

Oops, misread it. 250 orders.

NYSEGUY said...

We are still waiting for Firstdibz to make this right.

Why have they not contacted us?

jtyke22 said...

Here is a link to a case involving Chavet Sikes who was named in the ticketnews article.

http://www.kmtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6681082

jaybo said...

Still, of the 250 orders, quite a few must cancel each other out (Eagles/Cardinals). Apparently, none of the fraudulent orders involved the Ravens. I would still estimate the number of outstanding dibz would be less than a thousand. They would make a lot of money if the Steelers lose.

NYSEGUY said...

I think they only have about a few hundred dibz exposure.

A few scenarios may even have them making out like a bandit like Ariz & Baltimore winning

ctm said...

Different issue here - but putting the refund in my wallet (ie account on there) instead of reversing the charge on my credit card immediately is an even bigger joke.

They are failing to provide what I purchased - on now I have to wait 14 days for a check in the mail!

Unknown said...

Everyone who was wronged should file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, which can be done online. It appears they already have one or two.

You can do so online at:

https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/GetStarted.aspx

You can also call the office that will be handling this if you want:

BBB Chicago & N. Illinois
(Chicago, IL)
330 N. Wabash, Ste. 2006
Chicago, IL 60611-7621
Phone: (312)832-0500
Fax: (312)832-9985
Email: info@chicago.bbb.org
Web: http://www.chicago.bbb.org

Unknown said...

Putting together an E-mail list to begin the processes of a civil action case. Also I have been in contact with my lawyer and he said not to withdrawal money from the site as it may imply that you are accepting the terms of their refund process. Email your adress to firstdibzscam@gmail.com and I will begin to get the ball rolling. We can not sit and wait as I have spoken with Andrew Leach and he has stated that Firstdibz will make no effort to give market value on these options as they do not believe it was "their" mistake.

Send your E-mail Address and everyone just call one law firm to get them interested in the case. Make sure they will work off contingency and express the sheer numbers of people involved.

Unknown said...

My roommate and I were also scammed out of 26 Steelers and 4 Cardinals Dibz. We have been investigating lawyers. I believe we should start and e-mail list for the people who were scammed so we may begin civil action asap. Also I have been in contact with my lawyer and he said not to withdrawal money from the site as it may imply that you are accepting the terms of their refund process. Feel Free to post this with the e-mail address to begin assembling the masses of scammed individuals.

Email your contact address and call law firms and explain the nature of the case and the amount of people involved.

Unknown said...

Email Address is firstdibzscam@gmail

pawn-d said...

I got another credit last night - for my 6 San Diego dibz!. All told I got back a little over $2000 into my wallet (6 san diego, 6 pittsburgh, 4 arizona), but had to shell out approx $3500 to replace the 6 pittsburgh dibz I lost. So, my out of pocket expenses are up $1500, plus I never replaced my arizona dibz. So, if the Eagles win, the end result will be that I spent about $1500 more than I would have, and if the Cards win, I'm out 4 sb tix at face value plus the extra $1500.

I'm happy to see that I actually got a refund on a losing team, but as others have suggested, the company could/should compensate us some how for their lack of control over their site and also for positive pr.

pawn-d said...

my friend spoke to someone from the company (Paul?) and he was told that the web site would be updated with a message, and we should know whether our remaining dibz are valid.

I called a little while later and talked to the same guy I think. He told me there "should" be some update on the web site by tomorrow morning. I hope this info update doesn't keep getting pushed back... Next thing you know, we might not find out until right before the kickoff of the Superbowl.

sj1077 said...

Am I the only one who suddenly has more Available Funds now? I mean, my total funds hasn't changed today, but those available to "reinvest" in the website have increased by a couple of thousand.

pawn-d said...

sj1077:

The same thing happened to me. I figured out what it was - when I added my cancelled Pittsburgh dibz to the amount for my San Diego dibz, the total matched up. So, I guess they gave me money back on San Diego, although I didn't receive an email about the San Diego dibz like I did for the Pittsburgh ones. So, I'm guessing you're getting reimbursed for dibz on another team (hopefully for your sake on a team that already lost).

NYSEGUY said...

Dear ,

You are receiving this email because you have participated in our uDIBZ marketplace for Super Bowl XLIII tickets. Recently, a select few sellers created fraudulent offers to sell their tickets through our website. This fraudulent activity involves only uDIBZ transactions for Super Bowl XLIII; the majority occurring within a 36-hour period; there are no issues with DIBZ from FirstDIBZ or any other events.

You bought, in good faith, what turned out to be fraudulent DIBZ in our uDIBZ marketplace.

Here is what happened:

Late January 11, 2009, we recorded suspicious activity in the uDIBZ marketplace
We immediately froze the accounts that we determined to be fraudulent
We began a vetting process of all remaining uDIBZ sellers
Since then, we have determined that at least 2 individuals created 7 false accounts
We then reversed all fraudulent transactions including uDIBZ that were purchased for teams that had already been eliminated. All of these credits will be deposited into your FirstDIBZ wallet within the next 24 hours.

As a result of these individuals violation of our sellers’ agreement, it will take some time to determine the best course of action. We promise to be diligent in our efforts.

As a company, we will do everything we can to make sure that the experience you have come to know at FirstDIBZ is met or exceeded in this Super Bowl XLIII marketplace. We are looking into all remedies, but need to proceed carefully so that the people associated with the fraudulent accounts do not benefit, in any way from their actions. Please keep a watch on our website and an eye on your email. We will be communicating with you again as pertinent information becomes available.

Thanks,

The Team at FirstDIBZ

jaybo said...

They just voided my Eagles uDibz a little while ago. FOUR DAYS AFTER THE ISSUE WAS DISCOVERED! So now all I'm left with is Ravens uDibz. I can't sell them without taking a significant loss, and even if I could, no one wants to buy uDibz, and I can't blame them. This nightmare continues to get worse.

TBRAYS said...

ok guys we need to post the title of the dibz you have gotten canceld
exact spelling ex.. LOWER SIDELINE ROW TBD



WE NEED TO TYPE CAPITALS WHERE THERE ARE CAPITALS AND LOWERCASE WHERE THERE ARE LOWER CASE SO WE CAN SEE IF EVERY ONE IS GETTING THE SAME DIBZ CANCELED

pawn-d said...

Here's what my dibz said (in the history):

Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII
Section Lower Sideline, Row TBD

San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XLIII
Section Lower Sideline, Row TBD


same wording on both...

sj1077 said...

Looks like they've removed some more from the Ravens UDibz. I haven't had any money subtracted yet, but one set that I've bought and sold (for a little over $500 profit) has been marked as "(market closed)" in my history. I'm guessing they'll be taking more money out of my account now. When will this end?

sj1077 said...

And here are the dibz I've had cancelled:

Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XLIII Section Lower Sideline, Row TBD (market closed)

Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLIII Section Lower level 50 yard line, Row 13 (market closed)

Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLIII Section Lower Level, Row END ZONE (market closed)

Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XLIII Section Lower Sideline, Row TBD (market closed)

Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XLIII Section Lower Sideline, Row TBD (market closed)

Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XLIII Section Lower Sideline, Row TBD (market closed)

Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XLIII Section LOWER LEVEL SIDELINE, Row TBD (market closed)

Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XLIII Section CLUB LEVEL, Row TBD (market closed)

Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XLIII Section CLUB LEVEL, Row TBD (market closed)

San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XLIII Section Lower Sideline, Row TBD (market closed)

NYSEGUY said...

I think there are many more than 2 fraudsters. The company may be trying to save their business by downplaying everything. Look at all the different ways the tickets being canceled are listed:

Here are some of mine canceled:

Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII
Section Lower Endzone, Row TBD
(market closed)

Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII
Section Lower Level, Row End Zone
(market closed)

Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII
Section Lower Sideline, Row TBD
(market closed)

San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XLIII
Section Lower Sideline, Row TBD
(market closed)

sj1077 said...

New News story...with Harmon comments sure to piss you off:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-16-dibzjan16,0,971781.story

Cam911 said...

I sold almost all my idibz for about 3K in profit..For once i get lucky right? NOPE.. they took pretty much all of the money back and gave me what I paid.

I bought Carolina back on 12/08 for 67.00 and sold them before they lost for a huge gain. I also bought the eagles and pittsburg and the ravens for little money only to have my proceeds taken away.

FYI - The fraud idibz alteast goes back to 12/8 which should have been caught way before these late pittsburg/Arizona/Ravens and Philly scam run ups.

1. So now i have no chance at getting those cheap tickets back cuz everything is like 500-600 bucks.

2. I have spent money that i was guraranteed to win.

3. hedged many with cash bets that that I certainly cannot get back...you know the way FIRST DIBZ SCAMS TOOK my money back!!!!!!!!!!!

NYSEGUY said...

CBS has picked up our story:

http://cbs3.com/specialreports/Philadelphia.Eagles.NFL.2.910615.html

NYSEGUY said...

** AARP HAS WARNING BULLETIN OUT TOO!

http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourmoney/scamalert/articles/internet_ticket_broker_embroiled_in_super_bowl_scam_customers_furious_after_bidding_for_super_bowl_tickets_they_wont_get.html

pawn-d said...

email from FirstDibz:

FirstDIBZ Winner-

Congratulations! You are going to Super Bowl XLIII, and your DIBZ have secured you face-value tickets to the game!

We appreciate your patience as we work with our partners to finalize the remaining details regarding fulfillment of your tickets; here's what you can expect moving forward over the course of the next two weeks:


* Today (Monday, January 19) we will process the face-value charges of
your tickets to your wallet or credit card on file. Face-value for this year's Super Bowl is $800 per ticket for Upper Level, and $800-$1000 per ticket for Lower Level seats.
* Tickets will be fulfilled via Will-Call in Tampa on Saturday
(1/31/09) or Sunday (2/1/09). No name transfers will be accepted.
Will-call location and hours of operation will be passed along to you as details are finalized.
* At this point, we do not anticipate being able to provide any
information regarding your seat locations prior to pick-up in Tampa; as such, a 'TBD' seat number will appear in your account.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at
callcenter @firstdibz.com if you have any questions. We trust you are looking forward to an exciting game!

Regards,

The FirstDIBZ Team

-------------------------------

my reply:

To Whom it May Concern:



I have three complaints/problems with your company:



1. I was told tickets would either be fedex-ed to my house the week leading upto the game and/or available via will-call thursday or friday. No one mentioned that saturday or sunday pick-up was a reality. This seriously affects my ability to sell these tickets, and may cause me to incur bigger losses.



2. I was a victim of the udibz scam. I was reimbursed approx $1550 for 6 steelers dibz and 6 chargers dibz. The value of the 6 steelers dibz is certainly greater than the money I was reimbursed. While I understand your company might not have been the scammer, I think you failed to provide any safeguards against this type of activity and ultimately cost your customers alot of money.



3. I was told that I could email your company with name(s) of people who would be able to pick up tickets. According to your email this is not possible?





I think your company was negligent, misleading, and lied to me throughout my transactions with you. I've seen talks on the internet about possible lawsuits against your company. Depending on how my issues above are resolved, I may or may not take part in any such actions against your company.

keith said...

i, like everyone else, was scammed by first dibz. had 6 lower level cardinals tickets---gone. had 4 lower level pitt tickets--gone. also hedge like some people and had 10 eagles and 6 baltimore. prior to yesterdays games(jan 18th)had 6 eagles tickets,yes of course-lower level-gone, and figured if the eagles and baltimore won i would have lost all ten eagles and 6 baltimore, but now know way of knowing. i am extrememly pissed like everyone else. also i was issued a e-mail today(monday jan 19th) stating my first dibz tickets are confirmewd and they will be charging my card and they also stated i am unable to pick my tickets up until the sat/sun of the superbowl, whereas before the scam started i was re-assured by paul(person working at dibz) that i was able to pick my tickets up thur/fri prior to the game. not only did we all get scammed with the tickets i/we also got f*** cause now we can't even get the tickets until at least sat.

Unknown said...

I feel for you guys. I placed Bidz in the First Dibz market because when I saw someone selling 20 or 30 tickets in the other market, I knew it was a scam. No one has that many Super Bowl tickets when they weren't even handed out yet. If I could tell it was a scam, then First Dibz had to know what was up. And I could tell that the security was very poor in regulating this market.

With that being said, here's my dilemma. I won 2 tickets in the Cardinals market. I was expecting the tickets to be Fed Ex'd. I received an e-mail saying that my credit card has been charged for the tickets, they will be at will call in Tampa the day of the game or one day earlier, and that no name changes can take place in picking them up. I don't plan on going to the Super Bowl, I was going to sell them on Stub Hub. Now I have to go to Tampa and pick up the tickets. Unbelievable! This should have been disclosed upfront. They knew how tickets were going to be fulfilled and that most of the people probably won't go to the game.

jaybo said...

They sent an e-mail detailing an offer of reparation for the fraudulent uDibz.

They offered refunding all costs and transaction fees for the fraudulent uDibz, most of which has already occurred. Next, they offered $250 cash for each fraudulent uDibz on the Steelers and Cardinals, with a maximum reparation of $1,000. Finally they offered a $100 credit to be used in any marketplace for each fraudulent uDibz on the Steelers and Cardinals, with no maximum limit.

That's not enough. I had uDibz on the Ravens that apparently weren't throught the fraudulent sellers, and they haven't been refunded yet. The $1,000 reparation limit needs to be doubled, at the very least. The credit should instead be another cash reparation.

I was out six tickets. Under this plan, I get $1,000 cash and $600 credit. If my Ravens uDibz aren't refunded, I'll net $400 for those six tickets. Plus I'm not sure if I'm willing to participate in any more markets after what happened here.

I'm disillusioned by this offer. However, I need all the cash I can muster at the moment. I don't want to accept, but I may have to.

NYSEGUY said...

I got same offer.

NYSEGUY said...

MORE DISCUSSIONS HERE:

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7157307049594345297&postID=1636689606166263570


http://www.ticketnews.com/FirstDIBZ-in-eye-of-the-storm-from-angry-NFL-fans109167

NYSEGUY said...

Lots of discussion from scammed customers here at this blog.

http://www.topix.com/forum/source/the-morning-call/T4OUDFII9SE8Q5FLF

firstdibzequalsnodibz said...

FIRST DIBZ = NO DIBZ!!!! I just heard from some people that they are making people sign a release form for $100 per dib!!! What a scam as that just waives them from your legal rights! Your a moron if you sign that and accept it cause the tickets would have been worth much more. Don't waste your time signing that cause that is there way of buying you out of your legal rights! Plus I heard a few people were offered $400 per dib. They are doing what ever they can to buy there way out of a class action law suit or from going out of business. Soon the AG will step in and slam them. Don't sign those contracts or you'll regret it when the rest of us are getting paid.

2nd big rumor I heard is that they are direct chargeback with AMEX. This means if you file a chargeback they have no chance of disbuting your claim and the money will automatically be returned to you and they can't do a thing about it. Not to mention if everybody does go file a charge back their merchant account will look at them as fraudulent and take the consumers side and will turn into a water fall affect of chargebacks and everybody will be getting the cards refunded.

So take these two rumors I heard and make the smart decision to better your stand against these clowns!!!! Its your choice its your freedom!!!!!

firstdibz is a scam said...

I spoke to an attorney today who will review all pertinent information regarding the fraudulent activity and the response by FirstDibz. He will then evaluate our case for a potential class action lawsuit. In an effort to expedite this lawsuit I have set up an e-mail address to gather all pertinent data by those affected.

If you can provide any information at all about how you were affected, your losses (including an estimated monetary figure), proposed settlement offers by FirstDibz, and proof that would support these claims I ask that you please e-mail me at firstdibzlawsuit@yahoo.com

I will gather this information and forward it to the attorney and then let you know their recommendations ASAP. In the meantime, everybody should refrain from accepting the settlement offers by FirstDibz because these are essentially legal releases that may exclude you from any potential lawsuit.

I am especially interested in proof of purchases and the different settlement letters that have been forwarded to different people. If you want to include your name and contact information I will attempt to contact you directly; however, if you would like to stay anonymous for now I completely understand.

Please help me spread the word ASAP.

firstdibzlawsuit@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

The same exact thing just happened to me. I bought dibz in Miami, Indianopolis, the Eagles and Cardinals to hedge my Giants dibz and my San Diego and Tennessee dibz. For the first time I did not sell off any of my Dibz in the playoffs because I should have been guaranted 2 Super Bowl tickets. I owned the Giants so I purchased Arizona and Philly options which were the only 3 remaining teams in the NFC. I also owned San Diego options which I did not sell because I thought I had my 2 tickets in the bag and possibly 4 if San Diego won. It is not as simple as refunding me my purchase price and fees for these fraudulent options but what about all the money I lost from not selling off the other options. These fraudulent transaction changed my entire mind set of how I was going to proceed this year. I have my whole trip planned and no tickets nor the money to purchase them because of this fiasco. Please let me know of any lawsuits. I have already contacted the Attorney Generals office and am consulting with an attorney. My email is vinny718@gmail.com I refuse to sign the seller agreement that they sent after the fact.

jaybo said...

At the very least, they should refund uDibz to customers that were used to offset positions. For example, I bought Cardinals to offset Eagles as well as Ravens to offset Steelers. Not to mention I had bought Chargers to offset the Steelers earlier!

My Cardinals, Eagles, Steelers and Chargers dibz were deemed fraudulent. However, my Ravens uDibz were apparently good. Is it coincidence that almost half the money I spent on all those uDibz were spent on the Ravens?! Once this situation arose, nobody wanted to touch uDibz, rightfully so.

Everyone who had positions on both sides of the market (e.g., Eagles and Cardinals) should be reimbursed for all uDibz bought, whether fraudulent or not. I never would have bought the Ravens uDibz if I didn't have Steelers uDibz in hand. How are we to know which uDibz were fraudulent and which weren't? We're taking their word for it and, frankly, I'm not sure how much they can be trusted.

If they were to refund me on my Ravens uDibz (that's the right thing to do!), I would accept their lowball agreement and walk away from this mess.

sj1077 said...

I just logged into my account this evening to find even more transactions had been reversed. Today, they took an addtional $3,851.00 from my account. This was after they went back the second time and "verified" the remaining uDibz.

Total loss to date: $4,697.60

jaybo said...

Does anyone know of ANYBODY who got tickets through uDibz? Also, were ALL the uDibz fraudulent? That is, except the ones they've yet to refund me on?!

I spoke with customer service reps last week and I was told to be patient. How long does this take?

Unknown said...

I have purchased options for several teams in the NFL for the past 4 years so that if that team made it to the Super Bowl according to their website I would be guaranteed the option to purchase a Super Bowl ticket at face value for every option I owned for those teams. This year alone I spent just about $1,300 in options for various tickets. The following week of playoffs I had options for the NY Giants, Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles which guaranteed me 2 Super Bowl tickets since they were the only remaining teams in the NFC. Since it looked like a lock I did not attempt to sell of any of my remaining options. If I did not have what appeared to be guaranteed Super Bowl tickets I would have sold off my remaining options and purchased tickets on my own. I still owned Giants options which were selling for approx $850 a piece and up and San Diego options which were going for around $350 each and up. Conservatively I could have sold them for around $2,400.00 total. But I did not because I thought I had my tickets guaranteed. The following Wednesday Jan 14th I received an email from First Dibz telling me the Arizona options I had were no good. Here is the jist of the email I received from them. " FirstDIBZ is sending you this very important email because it has come to our attention that an individual uDIBZ seller has misused the FirstDIBZ website (in contravention and breach of the Seller Agreement). As a result, this individual has had their account suspended to protect the integrity of the overall uDIBZ marketplace. FirstDIBZ has accelerated its activities in finding any sellers that are misusing the marketplace and will continue to do so until all sellers are 100% verified. During the seller's misuse of our website, our records confirm that you have purchased DIBZ from this individual and as a result we will be refunding you 100% of the amount you paid for these DIBZ plus 100% of the transaction fees that were incurred." Since then they said my Philadelphia, Arizona, Indianapolis and Miami options were no good. They only options that were still good were my Giants and San Diego options which I would have sold if I had known this sooner. Both of these teams were now out of the playoffs. I have written numerous emails and left a dozen voicemails with the company to explain my prediciment but all I recieved was a refund of my money plus fees for the bad options. I feel that there should be more of a compensation for all the money I lost because of their failure to properly screen sellers who are posting these options on their website. Super Bowl tickets face value are between $700 and $900 but if you try to buy them from anywhere you are going to spend at least $2,500 - $6,500 a piece depending where you are sitting. The options I had for Arizona were for lower level sideline seats which start at a minimum of $4,500 a piece. I would have had 2. Worst case scenario I should have had the $2,400 I lost by not selling the other options and I could have at least purchased 1 of my tickets when I got down to Tampa. Now I have no tickets and no money to even purchase tickets. I will most likely have to cancel my trip which is a story in itself. Since this whole thing started 2 weeks ago FirstDibz.com had changed it service agreement online and removed the word guarantee from everywhere. They use to say if you own the dibz you are guaranteed the right to purchase the tickets to that event at face value. They are asking everyone to agree to their new agreement by Jan 27th or you will not receive the credit they are offering ($250 per dibz for Arizona or Steelers options that were bad).

jaybo said...

standupticketguy, you're being awfully quiet about this. Did FirstDIBZ settle with you?!

Unknown said...

Anthing new with the class action lawsuit. Is there any contact info for the law firm?

Unknown said...

I have just started up a forum on my site www.thesupergiant.com Please post your stories there as well. We have to make as many people aware of the scandal as possible. I know many of my friends that use FirstDibz as well.

Unknown said...

FirstDibz using the word guaranteed in a news article on their site.

http://www.firstdibz.com/news.html?ugid=&contentId=700021203

Big Game? Invest for Tickets

08/28 03:49 PM

By: Andrew Buttaro

Loyal fans looking for tickets to the big game can forget about dealing with scalpers, thanks to a new company allowing them to bid on tickets for their favorite teams.

Ticket Reserve operates as a futures market, allowing fans to place a bid on their team's tickets for a big game on its Web site, www.FirstDIBZ.com. The market, operating on the basis of probability, determines the price of the bid. By purchasing this reservation, called a Fan Forward, passionate fans are guaranteed access to a ticket, at face value, if their team makes it to the Final Four.

"It's not some kind of shopping cart that we're manipulating," said Robert Hamilton, vice president of marketing for Ticket Reserve. "It's the market just doing what it does best."

For example, if a Duke fan wanted to reserve tickets at the beginning of March Madness in the event of the Blue Devils going to the Final Four, they could place a bid. A fan from George Mason University could do the same. Since Duke was a heavily favored team, the market may have valued the Duke Fan Forward more than the GMU one. But if a dedicated Patriot fan placed a bid early on, he could now redeem it for the option to buy Final Four tickets at face value - likely at a much lower cost than trying to buy tickets from a third party.

"We have some people this year who bought a Fan Forward for George Mason," said Hamilton. "They may have bought ticket rights for $5, thinking that this was the year the stars were aligned in their favor. By purchasing this reservation early, they now have the chance to buy Final Four tickets to see their team at face value."

Of course, the system can be used by more than just devout fans. At any point in the process, a Fan Forward holder can option out and sell the ticket.

"To stick with the George Mason case, this guy who bought the fan forward for $5 now might say, 'I want to let go of it for, say, $75,'" said Hamilton. "Someone else out there might determine that they're willing to pay $75 for a chance at tickets. So the original holder could sell it at a substantial profit."

The company can offer ticket opportunities because it has worked out individual deals with distributors who promise to share the revenue from the tickets. Hamilton sees this as "the model of the future."

"In the revenue sharing deal, everyone's a winner," he said. "Fans win, because they get to see their favorite teams. We win, because we earn money off the tickets. And the rights owners win, because they can charge a fee for each ticket sold."

In an era when a Super Bowl ticket can fetch thousands of dollars, Ticket Reserve believes it can not only offer fans a better deal, but help cure some of the corruption involved.

"Everyone stands to benefit when we can take back sports from a lot of the greedy forces that have overtaken them," said Hamilton. "We're not trying to be overly rebellious here, but we do feel like we offer a much better alternative."

Ticket Reserve was founded in 2001 by Rick Harmon and Herb Rudoy and originally just offered the futures market model for Super Bowl tickets. Since then, it has grown to include everything from Indy car racing to the NHL - and yes, it must be said in March - college basketball.

"George Mason was definitely the big story this year," said Hamilton.

Ticket Reserve also touts as one of its advantages its high security. Unlike scalpers, who can easily scam unknowing victims, Ticket Reserve is fully legal and guaranteed.

Hamilton won't say exactly where Ticket Reserve is looking next, but he sees a lot of potential in the model.

"The model for how seats could be allocated plays very well where there's other sports with very high demand," he said.

www.bcheights.com/home

Unknown said...

Does anybody know where the pickup location is in Tampa? They aren't telling the general public cause they dont' want the press showing up. We need all these angry fans down there protesting them with signs!!! We'd cause a huge publicity nightmare for them! Please provide me the location if anybody has it. Reply to this post. Thanks

Unknown said...

Due to a variety of issues at play in the FirstDIBZ world, such as the need for funds to cover the unexpected losses incurred as a result of the fraudulent activities perpetuated in our markets in early January, we have been unable to honor all withdrawals in a timely manner. Because of this, we have had to enter a recapitalization period from which we expect to emerge in 45 days. In short this means that we are asking for your continued patience and understanding over the next 1.5 months as we continue to raise capital and generate enough revenue to process our payment obligations to you.

We ask that you understand that without the time to recapitalize, honoring your requests will take a great deal longer than 45 days. We have considered all options and feel that this is the fastest and safest route to meeting our commitments.

We will continue to operate FirstDIBZ with the singular purpose of honoring your withdrawal requests as fast as we can. We have also taken additional and necessary steps to ensure the validity and safety of all markets going forward. Also during this 45 day period there will be ZERO TRANSACTION FEES as a special benefit to all of our customers.

These are very difficult times for many companies, large and small. In response, we at FirstDIBZ have decided to fight back and rebuild rather than capitulate to market insecurities and negative economic factors. We understand that we can only do this with your continued patience and understanding. As we move forward we will keep you informed.

The FirstDIBZ Team

firstdibz is a scam said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
firstdibz is a scam said...

I think a lot of people seem to be getting off track...

Right now there is serious concern that FirstDIBZ is not going to be able to meet its financial obligations. This will ultimately affect everybody involved!! It is obvious that this 45 day “recapitalization period” is their way of extending any payouts until the end of March Madness in hopes of increasing their cash flow through their Final Four marketplace. However, this may just be a vicious cycle that ultimately may not lead to enough revenue for FirstDIBZ because of the skepticism involved in all of their markets. This ultimately may lead to bankruptcy!! If so, everyone will be affected… those that accepted the “customer satisfaction agreement” may never see their refund, cash compensation, or their account credits; those that did not accept the offer, and instead pursued a lawsuit on their own or the class action lawsuit may never get compensated, either!!

We MUST prepare ourselves for this kind of situation (albeit a worse case scenario)!! I am reading a lot about pursuing the people that posted the fraudulent uDIBZ; however, you have to think realistically. This is going to be a daunting task that may require a significant commitment of time, resources, and money (and may still never pan out). Instead I believe our time and effort would be better spent in submitting complaints to the appropriate authorities that can follow-through with potential criminal and civil litigation. You should do this even if you are planning your own lawsuit or involved with the class action lawsuit.

I strongly encourage everyone to submit a complaint through their state Attorney General’s office AND the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. These state officials are there to protect consumers like us from fraud, deception, and unfair business practices!! They have the time and resources to pursue criminal charges (even potentially against FirstDIBZ executives) and to potentially collect financial restitution. Even if the company files for bankruptcy they could potentially go after FirstDIBZ executives and ensure they are brought up on criminal charges if they were involved in any wrongdoing in this fraud.

I also encourage you to submit a similar complaint through the Better Business Bureau. This could also pay off for all of us in the future (not to mention it may warn others about getting involved with FirstDIBZ).

Each complaint through these agencies takes about 10 minutes; however, in the long run this will be time well spent. The more complaints submitted by those affected, the greater chance we will have in a potential favorable outcome.

I have already filed these complaints and encourage all of you to do the same.

I have included the links below to make things easier…

1. File a complaint with your state’s Attorney General (easy to find through a Google search).

2. Office of the Illinois Attorney General - http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumers/index.html


3. Better Business Bureau - https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/getstarted.aspx

Mrwiseace said...

As an attorney, I always knew that regardless of the path you take to get your money back that it would be very difficult to collect. So I took my own path. I called 4-6 times a day. Day in and day out. I harassed the shit out of every employee and every executive I got on the phone until I made them so sick of hearing from me that I received a bank check from them for over $7,000. FIRSTDIBZ then cancelled my credit and issued me a check instead of the credit just to make me go away.

Charlie said...

what's their phone #? i tried to call their 888 number but they never answer that phone and asked us to email them. no responses to email either.

thanks!