Rivdee Tips for never having "deals gone wrong"
As the site has grown and we have better measures to protect our users from getting robbed on a deal, i still see problems on a daily basis with simple deals going south quickly. So here are some tips for new and old members alike to use to make sure they complete easy and fair transactions - some of this is obvious, some of this is advanced kung fu shit.
Note: If you are trading pts for money, never release until you receive your funds. PO has set it up that you CANNOT get screwed over if you follow the system
1) Background check is your friend: http://www.pokerowned.com/forums/bgcheck.php
If someone has a bad loan history, 17 screennames, or very little activity on their account compared to their signup date, instant red flag. Yes, we have loan insurance, but why wait days or weeks to get your pts when you can just avert disaster immediately
2) Search the forum for the person's username you're trading with
The forum has a lot of documented scams in it - take a look and see if you can find anything on the person matching up to either an old account or deals gone wrong.
3) Ask old members
While the forum has a LOT of scams listed, some have slipped through the cracks. If you aren't sure about a member, ask a mod or an old member here if they have any information - you'd be surprised how helpful they are.
4) Check out tournament history in a user's profile
This isn't foolproof, but this is an indicator of sketchy behavior; most of the people on here came to this site to build a bankroll through the freerolls. If you see someone that's been on a long time but has played virtually no events, it should raise a red flag with you. Again, this isn't 100% as we have a lot of people here who only focus on staking, but they are veteran members.
5) Stick with the same vendors
I personally buy BCP from 2-3 people tops, and if they are all out, I get it from Zab/Dalsue (Dal paid me to plug his store). If you find someone that always does good deals/loans, stick with em and build up trust - goes a long way here.
6) Actually read the feedback
I wont mention names, but i saw someone who had 10 positive feedbacks and they were all from another account of theirs. Take a look at the feedback and make sure it's authentic.
7) Use off-site trading http://www.pokerowned.com/forums/offsitetrading.php
This is one of the newest features here, but if you are trading paypal/amazon/bits of string/carpentry supplies, its a great way to have everything documented. Zab has made it a point to say he is hesitant to help people who do not use this, but if you DO use it he will do everything in his power to make sure you're refunded on a bad deal and the guilty party is flogged.
Follow these tips and you can't go wrong. Welcome.
