Please help! Has anyone ever filed a complaint with Ebay and PayPal against a dishonest seller

[AnyMal]

So I buy this item that is described as "very clean" which arrives all scratched up and with glue (or something else?) residues all over, just plain nasty. I email the guy asking for a refund and return and he basically tells me off. I decided not to drag it out and take action. I gave him until noon tomorrow to comply with my request or "face the music". First, I will post a negative and I don't give a sh!t if he retaliates. Second, I want PayPal and Ebay to step in but not sure who to call/email first and what to say. It's been only 10 days since the sale took place so I think I'm good there. I don't think he can alter the auction which has been closed now, so that will help my case as well.

Anyhow, any suggestions? Anyone done it before?

 

[Grunt03]

Yes I have once before and ended up taking the loss because by the time they do anything to help you
it will be long gone from your memmory....

 

[AnyMal]

Originally posted by: Grunt03
Yes I have once before and ended up taking the loss because by the time they do anything to help you
it will be long gone from your memmory....

I guess if it was a $10 item, I'd just leave a negative and write it off as a "stupid tax", but I am $140.00 out, so I don't want to just let it go. Amazing thing is, the seller has like 90 feedbacks with 100% positive, go figure....

 

[xchangx]

From what I remember, paypal has a fraud protection. start with that, they'll investigate and refund your money, taking it from his account and depositing it in yours.

Go by the book, contact ebay, paypal, and KEEP EVERYTHING!

MIchael CHang

 

[AnyMal]

Originally posted by: xchangx
From what I remember, paypal has a fraud protection. start with that, they'll investigate and refund your money, taking it from his account and depositing it in yours.

Go by the book, contact ebay, paypal, and KEEP EVERYTHING!

MIchael CHang

Michael - what do you mean by KEEP EVERYTHING? Do you mean copies of email communications? I got those. Or where you talking about something else?

 

[ManSnake]

Originally posted by: AnyMal

Originally posted by: xchangx
From what I remember, paypal has a fraud protection. start with that, they'll investigate and refund your money, taking it from his account and depositing it in yours.

Go by the book, contact ebay, paypal, and KEEP EVERYTHING!

MIchael CHang

Michael - what do you mean by KEEP EVERYTHING? Do you mean copies of email communications? I got those. Or where you talking about something else?

It means you keep the item and get your money back!

 

[Entity]

PayPal doesn't have protection against "quality" of item, only if you did/didn't receive it. I had a similar problem, and was SOL.

Rob

 

[AnyMal]

Originally posted by: ManSnake

Originally posted by: AnyMal

Originally posted by: xchangx
From what I remember, paypal has a fraud protection. start with that, they'll investigate and refund your money, taking it from his account and depositing it in yours.

Go by the book, contact ebay, paypal, and KEEP EVERYTHING!

MIchael CHang

Michael - what do you mean by KEEP EVERYTHING? Do you mean copies of email communications? I got those. Or where you talking about something else?

It means you keep the item and get your money back!

I see.. Frankly, I don't want it and will be more then happy to send it back.. I am not trying to rip someone of, I just want the seller to fess-up.

Entity - I think that if item is advertised to be in one condition and I receive a totally different condition item, there's room for a claim. I may be wrong, but I will give it a try.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I had a problem with a notebook I sold recently, good luck.

eBay was useless, PayPal not much better...

How was the seller's feedback?

 

[Javin]

Have you taken pictures of the item in the condition it's currently in? I'd make sure its original packaging is also in the pictures.

 

[Entity]

Entity - I think that if item is advertised to be in one condition and I receive a totally different condition item, there's room for a claim. I may be wrong, but I will give it a try.

While that would be ideal, it's not covered in PayPal's agreements.

I had something similar, where I got a MiniPCI card that was not in working order (did not work with Windows XP, as advertised). PayPal did nothing. Good luck.

Rob

 

[Damon]

Hi AnyMal,


Our Buyer Complaint Process does not get involved in merchandise quality disputes. I would highly recommend pulling the seller's contact information to give them a call.

 

[NogginBoink]

Did he ship it U.S. mail? Contact the post office; you might be able to get him on mail fraud.

 

[DiZASTiX]

drive to his house and beat the sh!t out of him...then squeeze glue on him...finally ask for a refund, kindly. 😀

 

[Hossenfeffer]

Haven't dealt with it, but you might look into SquareTrade. Also, check the ebay community forums. They'll be much more apt to give you relevant info.

Ebay's "Resolving Concerns" page

If you paid via paypal with a CC, you might also be able to go through them for a chargeback. I'm guessing paypal would, in turn, close/freeze your account, but it might be worth it.



Also, things to keep in mind:

1 - Threats will most likely backfire. 99% of the time, you'll catch more bees with honey (or however that goes)
2 - While it sounds like the seller misrepresented the item, the easier (more attractive) you can make the resolution, the easier (less hassle) it will be for you.
3 - If you do leave a negative feedback, use every last character and be very clear as to your experience. Don't waste space by throwing in multiple exclamation points (pet peeve of mine) or the like.

I'll poke around and see if anything else comes to mind.

 

[yukichigai]

If you can provide credible evidence to eBay you may at least be able to independantly sue for false advertising. Assuming the eBay ad wasn't too vague on the condition of the camera. I don't forsee you getting your money back unfortunately.