Complaint Review: Coach's Corner

I won (8) listings in a Coach's Corner auction ending 12-3-11 for the total amount of $5300 including bidding and shipping fees. I provided my credit card information for an online bidding profile, but changed the credit card on my profile prior to the end of the auction when I realized that my bids could potentially exceed my credit limit on the first card. After the auction ended, Coach's Corner charged my first card without authorization, resulting in an over-the-limit charge.

When the credit card company contacted me the following week about this overage, I explained the situation and filed an affidavit of unauthorized use at their suggestion. This caused the $5300 charge to go into dispute, which meant that I still had to pay for the merchandise. So thinking that the dispute would certainly turn out favorably, I paid for those (8) listings with my second credit card on 1-19-12.

When the merchandise arrived I discovered that (5) of the items were obviously counterfeit, another item was stained (not as described), and a Tarheels basketball that was supposed to be signed by Michael Jordan was actually a Spalding basketball with no signature whatsoever! So I returned those (7) items and kept only one - a 1932 Yankees signed baseball. About a month after I paid for the merchandise Coach's Corner provided deceptive information informing the creditor that I received my merchandise for the $5300, knowing full well that I paid for it with another credit card as a completely separate transaction.

I got a letter from the credit card company in March stating that they believed the charge was authorized after all simply because I provided my credit card information to Coach's Corner, and that it was now up to me to get them to refund me the $5300. Well, good luck! I've been after them since March, but it is now June and no refund has been issued. I filed a local police report, but have been told it is not a criminal matter but a civil matter for an attorney to handle.

During the report a local officer called them up and spoke to a lady named Rosa who told her two lies: 1) that I had only been charged once for the transaction, and 2) that they had never received the returned merchandise. However, I have credit card statements and shipping receipt with tracking information to support my side of the story. Maybe this isn't a criminal matter after all, but it sure feels like one. If law enforcement won't get involved, maybe the Federal Trade Commission will. I really don't know who else to turn to at this point because of course I don't want to pay legal fees if I don't have to.