How to get ripped off on ebay and get told tough luck.

[greg long]

I bought this item from ebay

from sunglasses_warehouse. The lenses are actually blue, not yellow. I tried to come to some arrangement with the seller, even offering to buy the correct yellow lensed glasses and keep the wrong ones if they would do something on the high postage costs. They more or less told me to F off. I sought a refund through ebay's refund system, the cost of sending the glasses back, registered as they tell you to do it was £6.50. I was refunded £4.99. No refund on postage costs of £13.50, contrary to regulations.

I contacted ebay-paypal's buyer protection and just recieved a list of things to do....as per usual. After further emails I got this back:-

 

Hello Greg,

 

Thank you for writing back to us regarding the return postage costs for

the sunglasses (item 380098004324) which you'd like to request from your

seller "sunglasses_warehouse". I'm sorry that our previous explanation

of why we can't intervene wasn't sufficient to answer your query.

 

Please understand that situations such as these are considered by eBay

as a member-to-member conflict, which users should resolve between

themselves.

 

Let me explain that as a venue, eBay does not set the rules for postage

refunds, and leaves this up to the seller to outline directly. Sellers

should clearly state any policies related to refunds and returns in all

item listings, including related shipping charges and restocking fees.

In cases where this information is not clearly outlined in the item

listing, the responsibility falls on the buyer and seller to amicably

resolve the issues related to returning an item or issuing a refund.

 

I know this may not have been the answer you were hoping for, but I

trust I've at least been able to explain things clearly.

 

Kind regards,

 

Jenny Ericsson

eBay Trust & Safety

 

I have replied Jenny,

I am in a position where I have had to return an incorrectly described item, at my own inconvenience, after trying unsuccessfully to resolve the issue. I have gone through ebay's return item system for safety, and have spent more returning the item than I have recieved as a refund. I am out of pocket by about 17 euro, the seller has made a profit from their shipping charges and I have nothing at all. This does not make for ebay to be a good shopping experience.

 

I have questions,

Do I take it therefore that ebay/paypal's buyer protection is non-existent?

 

Can you suggest how I, as one buyer, have any comeback from a seller who ignores the stated consumer rights other than starting legal proceedings through a European court?

At the same time you say it is between the buyer and seller only, do you wish that as a buyer I no longer involve ebay in my purchasing?

I can buy direct online from many other companies and sources. ebay offers buyer protection to enhance customer safety, yet it seems it is not available when problems occur. What happens when the seller does not outline postage/refund terms? Do you not have guidelines which must be followed? Are sellers on ebay not required to abide by trading laws?

Do I have any way to retrieve my hard earned money from the seller without resorting to international court systems?

 

 

Regards,

Greg.

as expected I have not recieved any further communications....

 

So beware when buying from ebay, when a seller rips you off you have no comeback other than through court procedings..

 

and whatever else you do, don't buy polariods/glasses from sunglasses-warehouse. Incidently, those of you still selling on ebay, have you wondered why buyers are leaving in droves? I won't be buying again.

[chesters1]

you have his address and a box of matches surely?

or get satisfaction in a slightly more legal way by sending hundreds of unstamped envelopes to his address ,make sure you change postboxes or towns etc.

not only will he pay dearly he wont know which envelopes are kosher so will have to pay all the unpaid fees

if 4x2's dont work hitting the pocket will.

once you force him to pay everything you lost email him asking if he's sure he wont refund the postage with a wink ,and sit back ,if he refuses do it again and so on.

you wont get what you lost back but knowing he is losing will make your loss worth while.

he may get smart with the irish posting place so get relatives or mates to join in

hmmmmm very interesting this appears to be them as well???????? using "ME" on ebay brings up the same address for both sellers (unless i'm mistaken)

http://www.tapsuk.com/

so now you can flood them both with letters and double your fun ,dont get to adventurous sending road kill by post is naughty but a box full on the doorstep i guess is ok.

if you get slack with your dna and you get a visit just say you thought it was a taxidermist

Edited July 15, 2009 by chesters1

[greg long]

you have his address and a box of matches surely?

or get satisfaction in a slightly more legal way by sending hundreds of unstamped envelopes to his address ,make sure you change postboxes or towns etc.

not only will he pay dearly he wont know which envelopes are kosher so will have to pay all the unpaid fees

if 4x2's dont work hitting the pocket will.

once you force him to pay everything you lost email him asking if he's sure he wont refund the postage with a wink ,and sit back ,if he refuses do it again and so on.

you wont get what you lost back but knowing he is losing will make your loss worth while.

he may get smart with the irish posting place so get relatives or mates to join in

hmmmmm very interesting this appears to be them as well???????? using "ME" on ebay brings up the same address for both sellers (unless i'm mistaken)

http://www.tapsuk.com/

so now you can flood them both with letters and double your fun ,dont get to adventurous sending road kill by post is naughty but a box full on the doorstep i guess is ok.

if you get slack with your dna and you get a visit just say you thought it was a taxidermist

 

 

Chesters....you are wicked!

[chesters1]

the two different shops though are interesting though if they are the same people

[greg long]

I did get a reply....

 

Hello Greg,

 

Thank you for writing back to us regarding the transaction you had with

your seller "sunglasses_warehouse" for the sunglasses (item

380098004324) you've purchased. I understand you're concerned with the

return postage cost of this item and I'm very sorry that you're still

unhappy with our response. Please accept my sincere apology for the

delay in responding.

 

Our User Agreement states the following under the heading "Liability":

 

"(...) the Site is a venue to allow anyone to offer, sell, and buy just

about anything, at any time, from anywhere, in a variety of pricing

formats, which include auction-style and fixed price formats. At no

point do we have possession of anything listed or sold through the Site.

 

We do not review user's listings and we are not party to the actual

transactions between buyers and sellers. You will not hold eBay

responsible for the actions or inactions of buyers or sellers involved

in transactions (whether such transactions are carried out on or off

eBay) or for ensuring that they actually complete transactions.

 

We have no control over, do not guarantee and you will not hold us

responsible for:

- the quality, safety or legality of items advertised;

- the truth or accuracy of listings;

- the truth or accuracy of feedback or other content posted by users on

the Site;

- the ability of sellers to sell items;

- the ability of buyers to pay for items; or

- whether a buyer or seller will actually complete a transaction.

 

Please do not assume that the offer, sale, purchase, export or import of

any item is valid and legal simply because it is listed on the Site.

(...)"

 

Our Feedback system ensures buyers and sellers can go into transactions

with their eyes open. We provide a substantial amount of advice and

information on safe trading on the eBay website. However, as stated in

our User Agreement, we are not involved in transactions between buyers

and sellers.

 

If you haven't been able to resolve this issue by talking to your

buyer/seller, you might want to try eBay's chosen mediation service,

SquareTrade. For more information, copy the following link into a new

browser window:

 

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/services/buyandsell/disputeres.html

 

I trust this information helps you to resolve this situation with your

seller.

 

Kind regards,

 

Linda Apps

eBay Trust & Safety

____________________

 

once again, go round in circles chasing your tail..... but we are legally covered against any liability...

[chesters1]

i find this strange:

"However, as stated in

our User Agreement, we are not involved in transactions between buyers

and sellers."

 

yet expect a fee for facilitating just that?

have you tried trading standards?

Edited July 16, 2009 by chesters1

[Alan Stubbs]

How to get ripped off on e-bay... Try getting a refund from the seller of the ticket to one of Michael Jackson's gigs in London.

 

It hasn't happened to me, but I took a call from the parent of a child who'd got one on e-bay after they were unable to get one from the 'authorised' outlets.

 

Ermmmm, what the hell are we supposed to do?

[chesters1]

big mates and baseball bats

[Alan Stubbs]

big mates and baseball bats

 

 

As ever, the master of tact and diplomacy!

[chesters1]

or send letters