Category Archives: Trade Me

Trident Cycles & Tern Anchor permanently banned from Trade me (for the 3rd time) for breaching Terms & Conditons.

When will Trade Me ever learn?

It has just been confirmed that Trident Cycles and Tern Anchor have been banned from Trade Me (for the third time) for breaching the TM terms and conditions.

All Trident Cycles & Tern Anchor products have now disappeared from Trade Me.

But knowing Trade Me as we all do – it won’t be long before NZ’s most infamous three-times undischarged bankrupt, Grant Norman King, is welcomed again by Trade Me with open arms.

 

Grant King – Convicted Sex Offender.

Grant King Offender Timeline 1982 – present-day

Grant King Media Articles Library Summary

Trident Cycles Facebook Page

Trident Cycles Trade Me Page

Grant King High Court Public Examination 2014

NZ Gazette Notice of Grant King Public Examination

No Cowboys Rating for Trident Cycles

No Cowboys Rating for Tern Marine Ltd

“Trade Me” once more on track to be seen to be enabling criminal activity on their website.

See this?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Members/Listings.aspx?member=4768837

Trade Me have been sent some new information about Grant King, Trident Cycles, and Tern Anchor, information that would be in their best interests to act on, before this same information becomes prominent on both this website, and the mainstream media.

However, I suspect that Trade Me will once again dither, obfuscate, and ignore the evidence presented to them – which will make them a party to…………………….we’ll get to that later.

Grant King – Convicted Sex Offender.

Grant King Offender Timeline 1982 – present-day

Grant King Media Articles Library Summary

Trident Cycles Facebook Page

Trident Cycles Trade Me Page

Grant King High Court Public Examination 2014

NZ Gazette Notice of Grant King Public Examination

No Cowboys Rating for Trident Cycles

No Cowboys Rating for Tern Marine Ltd

Trade Me re-list Trident Cycles under false account name, despite Consumer advisory warning, and ADMIT that undischarged bankrupts are allowed to trade on the Trade Me site.

Grant King Offender Timeline 1982 – present-day

Grant King Media Articles Library Summary

Trade Me have re-listed Grant Kings account “Cycles2u”, and the Trident Bike products, despite being warned about Grant King, and despite Trident Cycles and Grant King being banned from a major cycling industry event this week.

It appears that Trade Me are going to choose ignorance over wisdom regarding this issue – and Trade Me consumers are going to be the victims.

When the future consumer victims find out that Trade Me knew about the Grant King & Trident Cycles listing fraud, and listed their product anyway…………

UPDATE 19/2/14:

I have had a response from Trade Me today:

Hi Steve,

Thanks for getting in touch again with your concerns.

Please be aware we’ve entered into lengthy discussions with the directors of Tern Marine and Trident Cycles, and their legal representation. They’re aware of Mr. King’s history on our site, and of the allegations made on your blog.

We take the complaints of this nature very seriously. As you are aware, we do not allow undischarged bankrupts to trade on the site in most circumstances.

To demonstrate the seriousness we take these matters, we suspended the cycles2u account while we investigated the matter. We have investigated the matter and have taken steps to ensure that Mr King is not operating the cycles2u account. I’m not able to discuss this in further depth with you due to our Privacy Act obligations, as outlined in our earlier correspondence.

Please also be aware that a number of the statements and allegations you make about Trident Cycles are inaccurate. Trident Cycles may have grounds for a defamation complaint in this instance. Should the company consider taking further legal action, Trade Me could be obligated under the Privacy Act to supply your correspondence with us to assist in any proceedings against you, as it constitutes their personal information.

Kind regards,

Trade Me Liaison

http://www.trademe.co.nz

I have replied as follows:

Hi,

At the risk of me sounding blunt, if “taking steps to ensure Mr King is not operating the Cycles2u account” is the best you have come up with, then Trade Me have been well and truly “played”.

Grant King IS Cycles2u – Grant King IS the NZ Manager for the company – unless you are sitting right next to him, there is nothing you can actually do to stop him operating the account.

You don’t allow undischarged bankrupts to operate on the Trade Me site in MOST cases?

Excuse me? So there ARE undischarged bankrupts operating accounts on Trade Me?

Is the general public aware of this?

I would be grateful if you could explain to me how you have come to believe that the statements I have made about Trident Cycles are inaccurate.

You seemed to have left our victims group right out of the investigation – did it occur to you that we might hold some evidence to back up our claims?

Yes, let Trident, Tern, or whatever they are calling themselves take defamation action against me – Truth and honest opinion are absolute defences to the tort of defamation, and we have both defences well covered.

When the bike frauds and worthless, unenforceable warranties start to pile up in the not-too-distant future, I will be sure to come back to you and see how those “steps” Trade Me took to protect New Zealand Consumers (and Trade Me account holders) worked out.

Steve Taylor,

Convenor,

www.grantnormanking.com

 Trident Cycles have given an undertaking to Trade Me that Grant King won’t be operating the “Cycles2U” Trade Me account.

Let’s all see how THAT all works out.

The main contact person at Trade Me for fraud – related issues and media is:

John Duffy – Head of Trust & Safety.

 

 

 

 

 

Trade Me FINALLY sees the light, suspends Grant Kings “Cycles2u” membership, and removes all 64 product listings totalling over $52,000 from Trade Me.

Grant King Offender Timeline 1982 – present-day

Grant King Media Articles Library Summary

It seems common sense has finally prevailed at “Trade Me”.

This is one of 64 emails I have received today from “Trade Me”, one for each of the 64 products listed by Grant King, posing as”‘Micheal Wei” and using the account name “Cycles2u”:

Dear Steve,

Thanks for reporting the listing # 686745767, TRIDENT: COROMANDEL 27.5″ 650B XMAS SPECIAL OFFER.

The Trade Me Customer Support Team have reviewed the listing and has deemed that it is in breach of our terms and conditions. As a result the listing has been removed from the site.

Thank you for bringing this listing to our attention and making Trade Me a better place to buy and sell.

Happy trading!

Trade Me Customer Support

Keep an eye on the media over the next few days – I suspect that this story has been picked up.

There is a Facebook Page for Trident Cycles as well, which is still live.

 

 

“Cycles2u” the latest “Trade Me” business scam being operated by Grant Norman King (and despite being given the evidence, Trade Me confirms a “do nothing” response, and throws future fraud victims under the bus).

Grant King Offender Timeline 1982 – present-day

Grant King Media Articles Library Summary

An eagle-eyed member of the “GNKASS Network” has discovered that Grant King is illegally operating a “Trade Me” account under the user name “Cycles2U”, and under the false name of “Micheal Wei”.

And Trade Me, despite being given the evidence that an undischarged, currently opposed bankrupt with a 30-year fraud history clocking up over 70 fraud victims and nearly $3 million dollars in fraud, who was permanently banned from “Trade Me” in 2011, and is now illegally trading over $52,000 worth of warranty-worthless product on the “Trade Me” website, risking still more fraud victims, chooses a “do nothing” response.

First things first:

Here is a copy of Grant Kings “Trident Cycles” business card:

Trident Cycles Business Cards

Here is a screen capture of one of Grant Kings products being sold on “Trade Me”:

Screenshot 2014-01-21 20.14.20

(Click on image to enlarge)

Here is the “Trade Me” link to the same ad:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/horse-floats/auction-685120239.htm

cycles2u (33 Address Verified Oct 2013
  • 97.1% positive feedback
  • Member since Sep 2013
  • 09 4208836
  • 027 5228664
  • Best contact time: Any time

Compare the phone numbers: they match perfectly.

Here is the “Trade Me” profile of “Cycles2u:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Members/Profile.aspx?member=4768837

Newsflash for “Trade Me”: King’s name ain’t Michael, and King’s not Chinese!

Now to the correspondence to Trade Me, and their response to me:

Email sent to “Trade Me” Investigations by me, with attachment of Trident Cycle Business card:

Greetings,

Trade Me has previously banned Grant Norman King from Trade Me for dishonest and unethical practice.

I note that Grant King is back trading on Trade me selling a Horse float under the name cycles2u:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/horse-floats/auction-682809120.htm

If you read the attachment to this email, and compare the phone numbers on the business card, with the phone numbers on the Trade Me ad, it will quickly become clear that Grant King is illegally conducting business on Trade Me, whilst being banned from Trade me.

When you check “sellers other listings” under cycles2u, you will note that Grant King is illegally selling bikes under the banner of Trident Cycles using the user name cycles2u, and the name of “Michael Wei” all whilst an undischarged bankrupt, and without the permission of the Official Assignee to trade.

This email has been copied to the Official Assignee at the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Enterprise.

Please advise as to what Trade me’s response to this advisory will be?

I also flagged each product listed under “Cycles2u” via filing 64 “Report this listing” reports – I figured that Trade Me would realise the seriousness of the matter at hand – however, this was not to be:

Email response to me from “Trade Me” Investigation representative:

Hi Steve,

Thanks for getting in touch with your concerns through the following listing:

2 Horse Angle Loader Float – 682809120

If we’re able to link this membership to Mr King’s previous ones, we’ll take the necessary action. Otherwise, we’ll wait for the Official Assignee to get in touch with any concerns.

We appreciate you bringing this issue to our attention.

Cheers,

http://www.trademe.co.nz

(NB: I actually advised them of all 64 of the illegal “Cycles2u” listings, but whose counting?)

This is an unacceptable response from “Trade Me”: we have just gift-wrapped 30-plus year criminal fraudster Grant King for them, and provided them with evidence of yet another significant “Trade Me” commercial fraud, and their response is “Yeah, Nah”.

When I queried “Trade Me” as to why they were not being more pro-active in this matter, the Customer Service staff member replied “Oh, because everyone goes home at 5 pm, and it’s 3 minutes past 5”.

“Trade Me” markets itself as a trusted place to do business, yet their laissez-faire attitude pretty much easily exposes every single one of their 1 million-plus subscribers to fraud – even when they are given the heads-up, “Trade Me’s” response, rather than acting swiftly to protect their subscribers, is to wait for someone else to do something about it, and bugger their subscribers.

It was through “Trade Me” that our initial contact with Grant King began, and we all know how THAT turned out – again, Grant King was hiding his real identity, just as he is now, illegally trading, just as he is now, and in the process created a victim, just as he will continue to do now, unless “Trade Me” wake up to what Grant King is actually doing on their website, and take some meaningful action around consumer protection and safe commercial trading practices.

As I said, absolutely unacceptable.

UPDATE 22/1/14:

The “Cycles2u” membership of Grant King posing as ‘Michael Wei” has been suspended pending further investigation, and all 64 products totalling $52,000 have now been removed from Trade Me.

Gotcha again, GNK: chalk up yet ANOTHER victory for the “GNKASS” Network 🙂