Luka Berkovic / Minerals_rsa – dishonest minerals seller

So, Luka, I wrote you again to both your @hotmail email and your FB. Also added shipping information
And I am waiting for answer.

Hi Debbie,

Thanks for the message......
Once i am issued a tracking number from the 'sapo' for some odd reason once the parcel leave south africa it is given a new tracking number and the buyer must then take the tracking number i have provided to their nearest post office to recieve the new tracking number. The tracking number i am issued with just basically provides the buyer with proof that the parcel has left south africa, the only other way to track it all the way to your door is with fedex and at 100usd for a 300gram parcel, it is not really worth it especially considering that the parcels are all over 500grams!

also i am on the road alot in namibia, zimbabwe and kuruman so my hotmail address is really the only email that i am using.
Cellphone number is 27727036664

I hold no brief for Luka Berkovic with whom I have had no dealings, but what he has written here about the South African Post Office is true. The break in the tracking happens to both incoming and outgoing mail, and provides the perfect opportunity for pilfering. I have had a specimen posted in the UK disappear at the point at which it was "handed over for delivery in SA". The local SA post office could track it only to that point through the UK tracking number and was totally unconcerned about the theft. Overseas parcels can be insured at 2% of value up to R5000 (about US$600) but that also doesn't ensure delivery, and the rigmarole to claim on the insurance is not worth it. Having said that, most overseas parcels I post or expect to receive do arrive.

Duncan Miller
Cape Town
South Africa

Have any of you got the missing specimens already?

Jorge

Stephen C. Blyskal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have also had a bad experience with this seller
> on E-Rocks, which is in my opinion a great site
> for rare and unusual minerals. Also Mark Wrigley
> of TVM Minerals is doing a great job running the
> site. That said, I won a mineral from Luka in an
> auction and promptly paid the invoice that
> arrived. A week later I won another specimen from
> him. The invoice I got following the second
> auction was for both minerals, and double the
> postage! All my attempts to get this corrected,
> including several long emails to Mark Wrigley
> pleading for help, failed, and I refused to pay
> double for the specimen. I wrote off my loss
> (<$25) as a learning experience and resolved never
> to buy from Luka B. again. That's my experience
> to add to what has been said previously on this
> thread.

I think that this thread is one where "me too" postings may serve a common good.

Sooo.... me too.

I bought from this man, last year, through Mark Wrigley's site, paid and received nothing. Apart from one apologetic 'bcc' mail I received no response to my e-mails. Though, by this point, Berkovic's seller details were no longer being carried on Mark's site, I let him (Mark) know what had gone on. I heard promptly from Mark who implied that I was not the only one Berkovic had bilked and that he (Berkovic) had promised to make good all such claims. The content of this thread strongly suggests that this is no simple 'business disaster', inefficiency or other accident. Rather, there is bilking being practiced by Berkovic through various selling channels and under different business names.

My couple of years of buying through net auctions have produced other experiences from the excellent (a lot) through to the mediocre. With the few poor experiences, there may have been some muddle involved but only in the case of Mr Berkovic has there been anything to show a dishonest intent. He has earned this reputation and now deserves to have it follow him whereever and whenever he shows himself.

My thanks to the others who have posted here their experiences of Berkovic's dishonesty.

I also bought items from Luka's e-rocks account and even bought batches of material from him. Most of his parcels was mistically rejected or failed to sent to me, while those parcels from other S.African dealers are normal. Why?

Like other peoples, I also tried to contact him via his email but receive no reply.

Could anybody offer help?

I succesfully received the parcel from Luka today. (bought in Juny 2011, resent to me by Luka in January 2012, after this topic) All specimen are as described.
Thanks to Luka, for finally solving my case.
Thanks also to Jorge Santos Garcia, the topicstarter, for this topic.

I must say that it is possible to comunicate with Luka, and I hope he will try to resolve your cases too.
So, my word, Luka is not very accurate, but honest person.
I'm going to continue buying from him from time to time, if Luka will not be against it.

That is good news !

I hope we hear similar from others.

Yea, verily!

Should I ever receive the goods/my money back (or has his paypal account 'gone sick/on holiday'?) I shall be pleased indeed to return here and say so. However, I am not holding my breath. And no, I am not chasing after LB; let him track and pay what he owes. If he can't/prefers not to he deserves to continue as a pariah. A first step would be to contact Mark Wrigley at e-Rocks, obtain (if he does not have already have it it) a list of e-Rocks users who he has bilked and settle with all in full. That at least would show a serious intent to make good.

I can write off my (small) loss.. The question is, whether he can permanently write off any reputation for honesty and as a reliable trader?. My congratulaltion to Pavel but 'one swallow does not make a Summer'.

I could see this possibly being a honest mistake on Minerals_rsa, but now that Steve and Scott have come forward, theres definitly something fishy going on here. If Scott is correct, he has been waiting for his minerals 10 months now, really? Ridiculous. This is the exact reason why buying minerals online leaves a bad taste in alot of buyers mouths! Sad.

jewels-fine-minerals

I started this thread just to advice others not to be cheated as I was, as I had lost all hope of getting my specimen. When Luka said he wanted to solve things, that were good and unexpected news. Good for Pavel, at least one of us got what had paied for. I must say that Luka send me one specimen and wrote me saying that it was not the specimen I've bought but if I want he would send me the real one. I reply to him saying I want the one I have paied for and that I will send the wrong one back to him. He kindly said to keep it he will send the other that same week (in january). I received nothing more nor he reply to my other mails. At least I don't losse everything but my business with him is not finished.

I agree with Owen. Luka has the opportunity, the means and the time to show us the bad times he say he had are over and that he wants to really solve things, but his acts don't go along with his words.

Jorge

I still do not have my minerals, despite the promise from this person that "your specimens will be posted next week thursday as soon as i am back from zimbabwe". That was January 13. More recent attempts failed to generate any further response. I suspect he prefers to draw the conversation away from this message board, read by most who love this hobby. Private attempts at a resolution are simply ignored.

This person is a fraud, a thief, and a liar. Do NOT deal with him.

Scott Duncan.

Well, I can only add my experience too, that I ordered a specimen from Luka Berkovic back in early 2011, and have yet to receive it as of August 2012. I got his invoice, paid it promptly and then..black hole. Nothing. He responds to no emails. I have to conclude that, just like in every business, there are a few pirates. He isn't to be trusted and i will never deal with him again.
On the positive side, Mark Wrigley is doing a great job of dealing with many people and is a good person having always dealt fairly and honestly with me. I love eRocks. But Luka in South Africa is a crook.

hi. i do business with Luka this month .i received my order in a week without problem .i think he try to regain the trust of his customers.the only thing i can say it's than he must more explain his combined shipping policy and anwser faster to his messages. i heard stories from ebay members this summer but personnaly nothing abnormal happens .i paid more for shipping than i first expected but my package was well packed and go with tracking and insurance .the specimens was as discribed .bye



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/2012 09:07PM by Yanick Beaudet.