Have seen this thread before under another ID ( don't worry, I won't out you )...in another Forum and to escalate it to this one speaks volumes to me. There are a number of recourses that one can take and you sir, have taken the worst one possible by peddling your story to anybody who will listen. I've used CBID and always have had a positive experience...even when they screwed up and they have a few times. I talked with a Supervisor instead of the person at the other end of the line...sometimes you have to go over somebodys head to get something fixed. If you still feel that you were treated badly then dispute the charge on your Card....you'll get instant credit back but you will have to prove to your Card Member Services that you made attempts to fix the issue...that means emails and calls...document who you talked with and what days you called.
Let's say that where you do business that somebody feels they have been cheated and you are being accused....do you want them to resolve the issue or are you ok with them running up and down the street telling anybody who will listen that you screwed them over? From what I gather you think that they should be open 24/7 and get back to you immediately....where you work are they staffed with that same kind of business model? Try to be fair and once you have exhausted all that you can do and have documentation to prove your claim....then that's another story. It takes years to develop a reputable name and seconds to destroy one....treat others as you'd want to be treated....just sayin.
An afterthought just hit me....you talked about talking in the CBID Forum about this incident...I'd be interested in what you said on that Forum...it must have been pretty "raw" in order for you to be banned so quickly. It's easy to come here and "clean it up" w/o really posting what you said on that Forum. As far as you saying "it appears as if you've been scammed" is pretty damning esp. since you don't know if you were and I'd have to say at this point you haven't been scammed. It's Sunday....Monday will be here soon enough and I'd encourage you to make a call to the Supervisor and get to the bottom of it. You don't have to go Small Claims Court....this is another naive' statement that tells me that you aren't versed in disputes nor how to handle them. CBID demands a current credit card to bill you for items won in auctions....it's easy to dispute a purchase and 9 times out of 10 your purchase will be credited to your account within 24 hours. We'd all be interested in how things turn out after you make the call on Monday...who you talked to...how it was resolved....etc. Sometimes the walk of shame starts with somebody jumping the gun way before it was necessary and words don't taste very good when you have to eat them because you didn't learn a lesson beforehand....this may be an invaluable lesson for you.
You know, I just read Time magazine's most recent cover story on the horrible dangers of 'trolling' and 'trolls' on the internet. Now I'm not calling anyone anything, or trying to light up a firestorm. But let me say this. As I was reading the Time article and hearing all the on-line horror stories, I thought to myself: God Bless BOTL! Never in all my time here has there been really awful nasty trolls as in other forums. I've tried other cigar forums, tech forums, car forums, sports betting forums, etc. And inevitably some thread will get hijacked by some nasty person and ruin it for everyone. Now I don't know if original OP is trolling, but coming here and using a word as heavy-handed as 'scam' seems to me to be an instance pretty close to 'trolling' and 'troll' like behavior.
Let's keep in my mind that people have jobs and livelihoods at stake at some of these companies. CBID did not get to where it is now without making people happy. You had a bad experience, it sounds like. But to outright say the word 'scam' seems a little extreme. Then to post at other forums seems like a form of trolling. What are we really talking about here. Less than $150. My buddy was owed $50,000 by a bookie. Guess what? Not only did he not see dollar one, but the bookie put the word on the street that my buddy was a welshing scumbag. Now that's a scam.
@Cigary43 has made a great point which I just wanted to re-enforce. BOTL has always been a great experience for enthusiasts of this hobby. It has never been a place for disgruntled people to vent their anger and frustration. You were 'scammed', well then write a letter to the owner of CBID. And prove it. Why should we even believe you were 'scammed'? How do we know the fault is not on your end? How do we know you are not some disgruntled former CBID employee? And frankly, everyone that's ever walked the earth has been scammed at one time or another. So what makes you so special? It's like the old saying at the poker table, "Nobody wants to hear your bad-beat story, cause we've all got 'em. Maybe tell your mommy, but not even she gives a shit."