This says it all
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/*******/detail.html?source=lnta

BEWARE of penny auctions, especially WAVEE! Here's my story, my response to BBB... I signed on a website called WAVEE.COM. With so many advertisements (Time, ABC, CBS, BBC, Entrepreneur, Rolling Stone, Wired, Information Week, PC, USA Today, Fox, Technology Association of Georgia, and The New York Times) that were featured on the website, I trusted that this was a legitimate business for me to sign on. Little did I know that something like this would happen to me. On 12/6/10, I bid and won an auction for XBOX 360 4GB KINECT BUNDLE. According to WAVEE website statement: "How long will it take my order to arrive? - While most shipments arrive much quicker, please allow up to 2-3weeks to process your order. Once shipped, your order should arrive in 2-4 business days." My 1st request to WAVEE was on 12/27/10. WAVEE responded: "... We apologize for the inconvenience. Due to the holiday season, our shipping department has been experiencing a delay. An immediate shipping tag has been placed on your order and will be expedited to you as soon as possible..." and the status was deemed solved/resolved. I have made 8 complaints thereafter but WAVEE would always change the status to solved/resolved and would always respond with "your product will ship in due course..." and "... your product has experienced a short delay..." I've been waiting for my order, XBOX 360 4GB KINECT BUNDLE, from WAVEE.COM for over 8wks. WAVEE.COM has not shipped my order despite 8 complaints and filing a case with BBB. WAVEE has offered to give me a refund for my purchase of XBOX 360 4GB KINECT BUNDLE and did so as of 2/2/11. I DO NOT want a refund from WAVEE nor will I ever bid again on WAVEE, knowing the possibility of not winning a product again and spending more money, which I believe is the intent of WAVEE. I WANT my order for the XBOX 360 4GB KINECT BUNDLE delivered to me in NEW CONDITION ASAP and I will do whatever means necessary to receive my purchased product as promised to me on several days especially on 1/19/11 and 1/20/11 by WAVEE, noting that Section 14 of WAVEE Terms and Conditions was NOT at all cited. The fact that WAVEE doesn't follow through on their commitments is suspicious for scams and fraudulent activity. Moreover, the fact that WAVEE doesn't disclose consumer's dissatisfaction/complaints to the public concerns me that there might be many more people who are and will become victims of WAVEE scams and fraudulent activity. I will pursue this claim in WHATEVER means necessary and I have all documentations to do so.

My daughter bid on several items and had the same experiences as many of you. When she won a bid on an item and paid very little like a penny or two, she would get the error message that she was not signed in and she was. This happened every time. She won several items as follows:

Complete - Auction PurchaseWavee 10-credit Bid Bundle 01/04/2011 $0.76
Complete - Auction PurchaseWavee 15-credit Bid Bundle 01/04/2011 $1.23
Complete - Auction PurchaseWavee 5-credit Bid Bundle 01/04/2011 $0.60
Processing - won 11-19-10 Auction PurchaseElizabeth Arden Sunflowers est. Ship date 01/04/2011 $1.00
Processing - won 11-28-10 Auction PurchaseMicrosoft Wireless Comfort Desktop 50... estimated ship date 12/27/2010 $4.27
Complete - Auction PurchaseWavee 30-credit Bid Bundle 12/20/2010 $0.10
Complete - Auction PurchaseWavee 30-credit Bid Bundle 12/20/2010 $0.15
Complete - Auction PurchaseWavee 15-credit Bid Bundle 12/20/2010 $0.05
Complete - Auction PurchaseWavee 30-credit Bid Bundle 12/20/2010 $4.70
Processing - won 11-19-10 Auction PurchaseApple iPod shuffle 2 GB NEWEST MODEL... estimated ship date 12/20/2010 $2.94
Processing - won 11-19-10 Auction PurchaseFellowes Office Suites Adjustable Hei... estimated ship date 12/20/2010 $0.03
Processing - won 11-19-10 Auction PurchaseOlympus T-100 Point & Shoot Digital C... estimated ship date 12/20/2010 $14.91
Processing - won 11-19-10 Auction PurchaseApple iPod shuffle 2 GB NEWEST MODEL... estimated ship date 12/20/2010 $3.01
Complete - Auction PurchaseWavee 30-credit Bid Bundle 12/17/2010 $0.24
Complete - 120 Credits Purchase 12/17/2010 $75.00
I have copied this from my daughter's order history so you can see from the very beginning the only items that show completed today 12-29-10 are the transactions where they are COLLECTING MONEY. None of the items WON have been received and there has been no contact from this company explaining why they cannot provide the won merchandise. I called them and was told that the two Apple Ipod Nanos are there most poplar items and they are unable to get them even though they are ordering 20,000 daily. They are still putting this item up for bid even though their suppliers cannot fill their orders. Why would they allow people to bid on items that are non-existent. Think about it. They are scamming people. WARNING - DO NOT BID ON WAVEE.COM UNLESS YOU LIKE GIVING YOUR MONEY AWAY AND EXPECT NOTHING IN RETURN!

Anything is a scam if there are chances that you may never win! I am hypothetically assuming that Wavee is a genuine website without any in house or dummy bidders from the company side for my analysis below. There following points (from the Terms and Conditions page) about this site suggest that the chances you win are meagre:

1.) Credits expire in 6 months of purchase. By that time if you don't figure out how to win or if there are too many people bidding then your money is gone even if you want to use it for a later time.
2.) Soon the situation will be that the site is so popular that you have very less chance on any auction and hence you don't bid and Wavee makes all the money (6 month time limit).
3.) Wavee can limit number of auctions you can take part, hence youre chances of winning are limited
4.) Wavee can limit the number of auctions you have won. Means if you win 20 auctions. Wavee can say hey you have won enough, stop!
5.) There are no instant auctions for big items. Auctions for big items are scheduled. You can't setup a auction at 2:30 am and have only yourself on a 500$ item auction.
6.) They may replace the item which was in the auction with a equivalent product, if they don't have the original item with them. If you put a Panasonic HDC-HS60 on auction and give a JVC as a replacement, why will I bid again?
7.) If you win a auction but don't pay up for the product, your account may be terminated or you may face legal action (this may apply to even Wavee Bid Bundles for new members)
8.) I cannot check Auctions ended before 7 days prior to today. If I don't find my product in those 7 day auctions then how will I build my strategy for the next auction of that product.
9.) There is no limit on how much you can bet for a auction. Today I saw a member who spent $668.25 on bids and has to pay an extra bid amount of $135.61 ($803.86 in total) for the item priced at $299.99!. See the details below. If there can maniacs like this who will go to any extent to win (maybe thinking they will win big in another auction or are downright dumb) then can me or you win?

XBox 360 4GB Kinect Bundle
Retail Value: $299.99

Final Bid: $135.61
Cost of Bids: $668.25
Total Cost: $803.86

10.) Last but the easiest point is that they don't have mazon.com or Macys gift cards. After all the members on the site are shoppers. Wavee has only a lousy $25 Starbucks gift card and a Wavee gift card. If Wavee doesnt have any products in its inventory as the order statusses on many winners suggest then we are buying fake stuff with real money!

On the other hand, I never put my CC details on the website still got the 5 free credits. Once you sign up with out giving your CC information anywhere, login and click on your user name at the top of the site. You will be taken to a web page to edit your profile. A link there will ask you your telephone numner and a verification code will be sent to your phone using which you can claim 5 free credits!

I agree with the point that this is nothing but gambling. If you want to play think a lot, watch for few days then take the stage.

Everything said here is absolutely 100% true. Wavee.com should be banned from the internet. Registering for an account is "free" on the first page of the registration process. The first page asks for you to enter a user name, password, first name, last name, and an e-mail address. You're asked to select a Wavee avatar and how you heard about Wavee.com. There's a box you're required to check which declares, "I have read, understood and accept the Wavee Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. (Required)" That's the part that's "free." Clicking the "Create My Account" button at the bottom of the first page will automatically take you to the page where the scam begins. At the top of the next page you're taken to, is a confusing list of bid packages which I didn't pay a lot of attention to because I wasn't planning to buy or bid on anything just yet. Below this offering is where you complete the registration with your address and payment information. Thinking Wavee.com needs this information for when you have a winning bid on an item, you complete it and click "Submit." This is the exact moment your credit card has just been charged for $179.00.

Going back a bit, remember the box from the first page that states, "I have read, understood and accept the Wavee Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy."?
Their terms state you "must purchase credits... in order to obtain bids. Credits are non-refundable." This is where they get your money.

The packages of "bids" on the second page of the registration have one package of bids automatically selected. You don't have to click on anything, it's already chosen for you. You are not expecting to make a purchase during the registration process but Wavee.com's deceptive practices make sure you do.

I created what I thought was a free account with Wavee.com and did not know my credit card had been charged until I went to check my e-mail. When I saw the message from Wavee.com with the subject titled, "Wavee.com Customer Receipt/Purchase Confirmation," I thought it had to be a mistake. The first thing I did was phone my credit card company. When I first explained what happened, I was immediately transferred to the Fraud Department. I was then given a phone number for Wavee.com (different than the one listed in Wavee.com's website) and instructed to phone them and request a complete refund. I did but it took a lot of talking and begging to get a refund of the total amount. The woman I spoke with said her name was "Destiny." After I explained I never intended to make a purchase of packaged bids, she proceeded to tell me I should have read all the terms and conditions listed in the Wavee.com site. I told her I did read most of it but perhaps I didn't read every single word. I was then asked to hold. When she returned to the phone she said she spoke with her supervisor and he offered me a 25% refund. I said, "No, I need a 100% refund." "Destiny" said she would speak with her supervisor again. I was then offered a bit more of a refund but still not all of the $179.00 charge they had made. Throughout our conversation, I kept reminding her I did not choose any package of bids and that it had to have been automatically chosen when I was directed to the second page during the registration process. Again, I explained I needed all of the money returned to my credit card. I was put on hold again and this time "Destiny" said her supervisor told her to make the refund to my card and that in the future I "should carefully read all Terms and Conditions before signing up for anything." (His statement merely added insult to injury, which I let slide.) She said it would take one to four business days for the credit to show on my credit card account and she was correct, it did take four business days.

During the entire fiasco, I was in touch with my credit card company on a daily basis. My credit card company said they would terminate this account and re-issue me a new card with a different account number. Doing this would prevent anyone from making further charges to my account. I think if anyone expects to get their money refunded from Wavee.com, this will be the key. Contact your credit card company as soon as possible, talk with someone in the fraud department, and don't take "no" as an answer from Wavee.com. In addition, don't use those "bids" they say you purchased. No matter what the outcome, each individual should report Wavee.com to the Better Business Bureau on the internet and other consumer advocate websites.

My apologies for being so long-winded but I hope this helps at least one person.

One more note: I received an e-mail from Wavee.com today saying, "Hello. Thank you for contacting Wavee Support. There seems to be some confusion with they representation you have of Wavee. You can give us a call or live chat with us to see if there is any way we can make your experience more pleasurable. Please let us know if you have any additional questions. Thanks, Wavee Support"

(Grammatical errors in the above statement were made by Wavee.com, not me.)Needless to say, it made absolutely no sense and I did not respond.

Don't give out your credit card/debit card information. Period.

Lured into setting up an account actually ended up in a charge for $179.

This is the conversation trying to reverse that process, only minutes after it happened. Notice the same canned comments that another person posted.

Sharon: Unfortunately, due to the fact that this is a special promotional offer - 25% off (not available to our existing users) and we state clearly that the credits are non-refundable, there is nothing I can do.

Sharon: Everyone is a winner on Wavee. Every bid you place is a $0.60 discount against against items like MacBoook, Ipad, and iPhone. Even if you lose the auction, you can get the full value of your credits to apply as a discount.

Sharon: Is there anything else I can help you with?

You: Unfortunately, I would like to speak to someone who can refund this fee.

Sharon: Kindly hold for a moment.

Sharon: Hello. My name is Henry- I am a LiveChat Supervisor. I will be taking over this LiveChat. I have reviewed the LiveChat conversation. Is there something I can help you with?

You: Please cancel the account and refund the $179 fee.

Sharon: Unfortunately, due to the fact that this is a special promotional offer - 25% off (not available to our existing users) all payments are non-refundable.

You: Henry, do you really want someone completely unsatisfied with your business telling everyone they know to stay away? For a measly $179?

You: I can make it my mission in life to spread the word about how uncooperative your business is?

Sharon: David, unfortunately, it is the consumer's responsibility to review the payment page before making a purchase. The price was listed 4 times very clearly.

Sharon: We're so confident that you will win on Wavee, that if you use all of your credits, and you still don't win an item -- we would be happy to assist you further.

You: Yes, we have been over this. You folks are very clever. But how do you feel about it? I am not happy. Why should you want me to be unhappy?

Sharon: Certainly, I can help you with that. Typically we do not allow for refunds under these circumstances, as the price is very clearly disclosed. It is the consumer's responsibility to read the page carefully before entering credit card information. However, I will make a 1 time exception and offer you a 25% refund.

Sharon: I will begin processing this right away.

You: I do not want a 25% refund. I want a 100% refund.

Sharon: Unfortunately, this will not be possible. Would you like me to continue processing your 25% refund?

You: I did not authorize a 25% refund.

Sharon: As I explained, this is the maximum refund and only given under special circumstances.

Sharon: Is there anything else I can help you with?

You: You can let me talk to your supervisor

Sharon: My name is Henry and I am the Supervisor.

You: Every supervisor has a boss

Sharon: Unfortunately, I am the boss of the customer service department. I am willing to give you the maximum refund of 25% and get it processed right away.

Sharon: Is there anything else I can help you with?

You: I am not willing to accept anything other than 100% of the money refunded, and account canceled. This was an accidental charge. Any legitimate business would be more than willing to comply with my request in the interest of customer satisfaction.

Sharon: Unfortunately, 25% is the maximum refund and there is nothing more I can do.

You: You can give me the name and phone number of your supervisor.

Sharon: I am the Supervisor. I am happy to offer you the max refund -- there is nobody here who is authorized to do more. Shall I get the processing started?

You: Everyone has a boss.

You: No, I am not authorizing a partial refund. I am requesting a complete refund. If you cannot do that, then I need to speak to someone above you. Do you own the company?

Sharon: As I've explained, I am the Supervisor. It appears that I have answered all of your questions. I will bring this chat to an end.

You: Your choice, albeit a bad one.

Sharon: I will gladly provide you with this simple refund form for you to complete as it is required by our bank in order for us to issue your refund. Please CLICK HERE to get a refund.

Sharon: Is there anything else I can help you with?

Sharon: It appears that I have answered all of your questions. I will bring this chat to an end. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to return to chat at any time, we are here to assist you. Goodbye, and have a nice day!
Chat session has been terminated by the site operator.

I got dupped into signing up for Wavee.com which I now believe is a scam.

I signed up at 632 AM. After spending 3 or 4 mins on the site and reviewing the news video clip that promoted the service, I decided to sign up. I filled out a form which asked for credit card information. There was no mention of a total and i expected to be taken to a confirmation page, but instead i was charged $179 dollars. On the thank-you page was a link to a chat service for billing. I started the chat. After a few mins of waiting, the chatter came on to say effectively–no refunds. She quickly sent me to a link that showed the supposed site I had just seen and agreed to…when clicking on the link it closed the chat session, so i began another. Here is that second chat which lasted over 20 mins:

You are now chatting with 'Dorothy at Wavee.com'
You: i was just chatting with someone and my window accidentally closed when i opened the link she sent me
You: should i begin again?
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Kindly hold for a moment.
Dorothy at Wavee.com: The price is listed in 4 different locations (including underlined and bold) as well as the Order Summary. It is the consumer's responsibility to read the page carefully before entering credit card information.
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Unfortunately, due to the fact that this is a special promotional offer and we state clearly that the credits are non-refundable, there is nothing I can do.
You: are you saying that i need to charge back?
Dorothy at Wavee.com: We invite you to take just a few minutes to watch this short DEMO video. Please CLICK HERE to familiarize yourself with our patent-pending technology and cutting-edge platform which will enable you to save up to 98% off on the hottest products.
Dorothy at Wavee.com: However, since you are a valued customer, we can make a 1 time exception. We're so confident that you will win on Wavee, that if you use all of your credits, and you still don't win an item — we would be happy to grant a partial refund.
You: i'll wait for you to respond while i blog about this
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Certainly, I can help you with that. Typically we do not allow for refunds under these circumstances, as the price is very clearly disclosed. It is the consumer's responsibility to read the page carefully before entering credit card information. However, I will see if I can get Manager approval to make a 1 time exception and offer you a 25% refund.
You: LOL. I'm not interested in 25%. I'll charge back
You: i do not believe that you disclosed this amount and there was no meeting of the minds making this as invalid contract. I want 100% of my money back or i'll charge back and file public and administrative complaints
Dorothy at Wavee.com: I will gladly provide you with this simple refund form for you to complete as it is required by our bank in order for us to issue your refund. Please CLICK HERE to get a refund.
You: MAIL! MAIL IT IN! WHAT A SCAM. YOU DON'T NEED ME TO MAIL THE FORM. STOP TRYING TO AVOID THE REFUND!
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Kindly hold for a moment.
You: MY INFO IS xxxxxxxx. YOU DON'T NEED MORE THAN THAT TO ISSUE A REFUND
You: still there? This can't be difficult i'm sure you get this complaints all the time.
Dorothy at Wavee.com: No, we actually don't.
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Is there anything else I can help you with?
You: what was i hold for?
You: YES! I WOULD LIKE A REFUND NOW!
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Like most Retail Stores, we too require your original signature in order to process any refund through our Bank. As I have previously stated, the price is very clearly disclosed and we typically do not allow for refunds under these circumstances. Once again, please CLICK HERE to follow the easy steps necessary to ensure you receive your refund.
You: WHAT!
Dorothy at Wavee.com: www.wavee.com/access/refund
You: REFUNDS ARE ISSUE ALL THE TIME ON THE INTERNET WITHOUT ORGINAL RECEIPTS
You: THIS IS A SCAM
You: THE PRICE WAS NOT CLEARLY STATED
Dorothy at Wavee.com: To skip filling out the entire form, please write BR894 at the top and sign the form. This will allow us to process your refund faster.
Dorothy at Wavee.com: The price was clearly listed four times sir.
You: HOW DO I AVOID FILLING OUT THE FORM AND MAILING. I WANT A REFUND TODAY!
Dorothy at Wavee.com: http://www.wavee.com/access/screenshot
You: GIVEN THAT MY "PURCHASE" WAS LESS THAN 10 MINS AGO THAT SEEMS REASONABLE
You: YOU HAVE THAT HANDY BECAUSE PEOPLE SAY THIS ALL THE TIME. I DON'T BELEIVE THAT IS THE SAME SCREEN THAT I SAW AND WITH DYNAMIC LANDING PAGES YOU DON'T KNOW THAT EITHER
You: I WANT MY MONEY BACK NOW
Dorothy at Wavee.com: I assure you that you will get a 100% refund. The form will take you less than one minute to fill out. Once you have done so, your refund will be processed right away. It is the same payment page you saw but we want all customers to be happy.
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Is there anything else I can help you with?
You: so there is an online form?
You: not the orignal that called for MAILING IT IN, which wouldn't provide a refund "once i've done so."
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Unfortunately, like most Retail Stores, without this form and an original signature, I am unable to refund you.
Dorothy at Wavee.com: To skip filling out the entire form, please write this code xxxxx at the top and sign the form. This will allow us to process your refund faster.
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Is there anything else I can help you with?
You: this is a joke, a scam, a deception, and a lie.
You: i'll send it in a start filing the complaints.
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Please sir, it will take you less time than it took you to register for the site. To skip filling out the entire form, please write xxxx at the top and sign the form. This will allow us to process your refund faster.
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Is there anything else I can help you with?
You: I'LL KEEP SAYING IT. I WANT MY MONEY BACK NOW!
Dorothy at Wavee.com: If it is easier for you, I will send you the PDF refund right now to *******@gmail.com.
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Are you there?
You: yes
You: OK
You: sorry i was blogging
You: please send it to my gmail and i'll return it now
You: where would you like me to email it?
Dorothy at Wavee.com: One moment while I send the form. You can return it to *******@wavee.com.
You: ok
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Is there anything else I can help you with?
You: LOL. THE PDF IS THE SAME AS ON YOUR WEB SITE AND THE FIELDS ARE NOT EDITABLE. YOU MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DO WITHOUT IMAGE EDITING OR ADDING LAYERS.
You: maybe you sent the wrong one?
You: or maybe since you're asking for all the same info you can just issue a refund.
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Please print the form, fill it out, scan the form, and send it to us.
You: go straight into the merchant account terminal and void the transaction…
You: SCAN? MAIL? HOW MUCH MORE DIFFICULT CAN YOU MAKE IT. JUST ISSUE THE REFUND!
Dorothy at Wavee.com: We apologize for the inconvenience. There was clearly some confusion with this purchase. We do not want to see our customers unhappy. We will issue a refund to the credit card it was purchased from. The refund will be processed and you can expect to see your credit within 5-7 business days.
You: judging by the evolution of this chat session and deceptive nature of your website my happiness is not on your priorities. Don't add to the lies. At least the first few lies make you money.
You: btw, do you have a name or number i can reference in the future?
You: still there?
Dorothy at Wavee.com: You can call customer support at 1-888-98Wavee ask for Dorthy.
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Is there anything else I can help you with?
You: i meant to reference in my credit card charge back and bbb reports in "off chance" that you don't refund my money as promised through the convenient means of mailing and scanning?
You: you personally don't have anything other than "Dorthy"? Or did you mean "Dorothy"?
Dorothy at Wavee.com: You do not need to scan in the form. We are processing your refund. You can call 1-888-98-Wavee if you do not get the refund within 5-7 Business days.
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Is there anything else I can help you with?
You: that will do.
Dorothy at Wavee.com: Thank you for contacting Wavee LiveChat. Good-bye.

customerreviews.org