# Ebay "Points Of Light Foundation" alert



## Strong1 (Jul 6, 2008)

Just a heads up if anyone else out there uses ebay retailer "Points of Light Foundation" for flights - they have shut down their operations and are leaving anyone travelling after July 15th without travel arrangements.

This ebay retailer sold flight and/or vacation packages which were donated by the airlines and hotels to raise money for charity.  I have used them many times to fly to Hawaii, for a group of 8 to fly to Tortola last winter and, next week, for my husband and I to fly and stay in Europe.  On Friday I got the following message:

"We regret to inform you that we have had to close the Points of Light eStore, due to an unfortunate set of circumstances.  We want you to know that we are committed to doing everything possible to lessen the impact on customers, and we are profoundly sorry for the difficulties this will cause.

In recent days, Points of Light Institute management learned of significant financial and operational irregularities in connection with an initiative called the Points of Light eStore on eBay.

The eStore was operated by an independent contractor under contract since 2003. In addition to securing and selling donated goods online, this independent contractor also sold travel packages on a consignment basis. Based on our investigation to date, it appears that there have been major abnormalities in the contractor’s business practices. As soon as we learned of these irregularities, we severed our relationship with the independent contractor and immediately set to work to take all action within our power to attend to the interests of the store’s customers. We are deeply troubled that the actions of this individual could jeopardize the commitment and hard work of so many who support the Points of Light Institute. 

Based upon financial and legal findings, we must suspend fulfilling ticket bookings, purchased through the eStore, for travel originating after July 15th, 2008. 

We are currently contacting all affected customers directly, and working with them on an individual basis to lessen the impact and to ask them to apply for their refund. 

If you believe you are affected, please contact us 800-886-6304.   You may also find more information at www.pointsoflight.org/estore. 

Like other organizations, we are not immune to the injurious actions of a single individual. But it is all the more devastating when those actions affect an enterprise that is solely focused on transforming people and communities through volunteerism and civic participation. 

Since discovering the irregularities, we have taken a number of steps:

We immediately terminated the relationship with the independent contractor, closed the eStore and suspended all related business operations.

We have notified law enforcement authorities, and are cooperating with them.

We have engaged outside legal and accounting experts to unravel this complex operation. They are conducting a detailed investigation right now and we will pursue all available legal recourse.

We have dedicated enormous staff and volunteer energy to sort out issues associated with travel packages purchased by individual customers.

We have pro-actively contacted affected customers and created a customer care center to help customers apply for their refunds.
This incident stands in complete opposition to the millions of Points of Light volunteers, staff and donors who believe in the power of individuals to make a positive, meaningful difference.

Again, if you believe you are affected, please contact us at please contact us 800-886-6304 or visit www.pointsoflight.org/estore"

Just a heads up in case anyone else in Tug used them and hadn't been notified yet.

What a blow to the charity.  I personally will miss their service.

Colleen


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## rschallig (Jul 8, 2008)

Thanks for the heads up Colleen. Last December, I also had a successful bid for air to Europe and was about to start looking for my fall getaway to Rome. Darn! Oh well, I hope that their service will resume in the future when the investigation has been completed. They are a good outfit and a great service.

The Refund Application Form can be completed on-line with the refund processed within 30 days.
http://www.pointsoflight.org/estore/refund.html

Bob


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