simont | (no subject)

It's very upsetting when someone you'd respected and trusted turns out to be unworthy of it.

Today someone did, and that someone was London Gold Exchange, who are an e-currency exchange company I've dealt with twice to change small PuTTY donations into sterling. They've been efficient and helpful both times, particularly last time when I fluffed the e-gold transfer and they still managed to find my money and get it to me in double-quick time. I would unhesitatingly have gone back for a third time, if it hadn't been for the e-mail I received today.

London Gold Exchange's monthly newsletter contained a section advertising an "investment scheme". On closer inspection, this had all the hallmarks of the standard pyramid scam - you send a small amount of money to the five names on the list, add your name to the bottom and remove the name at the top, and send it on to N friends. This means London Gold Exchange are either about to sucker some people or are about to be suckered, and no matter which - whether they're unscrupulous or just stupid - I suddenly don't want them handling any more of my money.

(I did check the mail to make sure it wasn't a forgery perpetrated in their name by someone else; not only do all the headers look identical to the last legitimate mail they sent me, but they point to a "further details" section on their web site, making it pretty much definite that it's the real company doing this.)

It seems odd, even to me, that a company I've only dealt with twice and never with anything more than tiny amounts of money involved should have managed to inspire enough respect and trust in me that I feel this upset and angry when I lose it. But I do. This has really shaken me.