posted on March 27, 2001 10:00:20 PM new
My auction was completed on 3/20. On 3/21 I emailed and told the buyer I had not packaged and weighed the item but would get them the information the next evening which I did. I have not heard from the buyer yet. However, today (3/27) I got an email from Squaretrade saying they have been contacted by the winner about my auction and I should get in touch with them in order to resolve a dispute.
In their email they mention negative feedback (I don't have any) which they can help remove. To me it sounds sort of like a threat (blackmail), like maybe I'll soon have negative feedback. To find out what the complaint is I have to join Squaretrade.
Since I have not heard from the winner I can only speculate as to what the problem is. My guess is that it had to do with the terms of shipping. I state in the auction that buyer pays shipping and insurance if insurance is desired. I state clearly "There is no handling charge. However, in my auction I forgot to change the Auctionwatch default choice from "Buyer pays fixed amount" to "Buyer pays actual shipping cost." I consider the above point fairly minor and certainly not cause for a mediated settlement before emails are exchanged. Personally, under the above circumstances Squaretrade is an organization I don't care to deal with.
Now, is the email Squaretrade sent me a disguised threat and how do you feel about the way Squaretrade is used. Also any guesses as to how this will resolve itself. The winner has a feedback rating of two.
posted on March 27, 2001 10:11:21 PM new
Here's 2 threads you should check out.
The second one has a comment from a square trade rep who posted her square trade email addy. Good Luck!
posted on March 27, 2001 11:39:07 PM new
Ironic that you misspelled SquareTrade in your title. The way you spelled it, it sounds like "Scaretrade" which is exactly what this 'service' seems like.
I'd be tempted to write back "Piss off" to SquareTrade. The transaction is between me and the bidder. This third party has no business getting involved, and I sure as hell am not obligated to comply with their wishes, nor to participate in their "mediation."
The suggestion that you get a bad mark with SquareTrade if you refuse to deal wtih them strikes me as extortion.
To hell with them. I'll take my neg, thanks. I don't negotiate with terrorists.
posted on March 27, 2001 11:46:28 PM new
Hi Getalife,
Love the name, because I really need to!
I had one experience with SquareTrade for my one and only neg. The bidder had never contacted me and was an AOL user, which is what I use for sending my invoices. So, it was easily checkable that she had received my invoice. Before I had a chance to send a reminder, she negged me, saying that I had not contacted her. I wrote her back and told her exactly what date and time she had opened the email. She then became nasty and threatening. I basically told her I was not going to come down to her level and leave a retalitory negative, but would leave an explanatory neutral and reply to her negative. To make a long story short, in her rebuttal, it bacame evident that she was lying.
The next thing I know I have an email from Square Trade wanting to negotiate. I found the same thing that you did, that I had to become a member and fill in personal info. I decided to just ignore the whole thing. Then a few days letter, the REAL threat came! Square Trade told me that if I didn't comply with their request, that I would be placed on seller blacklist!!!!! I was furious! At the time I had 1800+ positives and her one, stupid, lying negative and THEY are going to place me on a Blacklist?????? NOT!! I wrote them back and told them that I would not be blackmailed into using their service and would see them in court if they tried to force the issue. I explained that I would rather keep my one negative and wear it like a badge, rather than have her lies changed. I got a very nice email back, apologizing and stating that they would close the matter and inform the requester that there would be no negotiation.
Bottom line: They are all threats and no clout. Just email them and tell them to go to ..............
posted on March 28, 2001 03:42:57 AM new
"Since I have not heard from the winner I can only speculate as to what the problem is. My guess is that it had to do with the terms of shipping. I state in the auction that buyer pays shipping and insurance if insurance is desired. I state clearly "There is no handling charge. However, in my auction I forgot to change the Auctionwatch default choice from "Buyer pays fixed amount" to "Buyer pays actual shipping cost." .... "
Well, did you have a fixed $ amount for shipping in the auction listing, or was there no mention of shipping cost?
If you had an amount, honor it. If you didn't, whatever the post office charges should be the "fixed amount".
"In their email they mention negative feedback (I don't have any) which they can help remove. To me it sounds sort of like a threat (blackmail), like maybe I'll soon have negative feedback. To find out what the complaint is I have to join Squaretrade."
Sounds like feedback extortion to me! Report them to SafeHarbor at eBay for it. If you have to join (do you have to pay them?) to find out what complaint the buyer has, and if they are promising that for this payment they will remove some as yet to be recieved negatives ... screw them!
I would send the buyer an email with the final bid and shipping (either the fixed price, if one was in your auction, or the actual price) and continue as usual. Let them know that you have received the SquareTrade email and have no plans for joining to resolve what is a minor misunderstanding about shipping terms. If the buyer doesn't respond, go through with the NPB and FVF procedures as usual ... no one can force you to do SquareTrade.
posted on March 28, 2001 08:15:22 AM new
This morning I got a polite email from the buyer asking what the cost was and saying he would pay by Paypal. Things are looking up from that front.
Abacaxi-No, there was no stated amount of shipping, just that buyer would pay actual shipping charges. These charges will come to $5.15. If the person were to question the shipping charge I would come down to $3.95 just for good customer relations. My main beef of course was contacting Squaretrade before I was contacted with the problem.
I basicly agree with what everyone has written here. Even in my emails to people like Squaretrade I try to keep my emails polite because you can never retract the written word. That means I'm not going to give Squaretrade any emails telling them where to go. I do think Squaretrade needs to lighten up in their initial emails, especially to people who aren't registered with them.
It looks like things are going to settle out alright. I'll keep you posted.
[ edited by getalife on Mar 28, 2001 08:17 AM ]
posted on March 28, 2001 09:23:48 AM new
These sorts of disputes are often the result of miscommunication, or misunderstanding. Best bet is to pull contact info, and get on the phone. Usually turns out that the other person is a decent, reasonable, human being.
posted on March 28, 2001 01:28:37 PM new
Odd thought: Is it possible your buyer got 'confused' and listed you with Squaretrade instead of a seller they really DID have a problem with?
posted on March 28, 2001 02:22:32 PM new
Sqaure Trade is just a third party mediator. They aren't involved in any feedback extortion LOL. Basically they try to help both sides out when neither can come to an agreement. They talk about removing negative feedback in their email because if it was just a simple misunderstanding between the two parties and negative feedback had been left, they can sometimes get ebay to remove it. They aren't threatening you at all. It sounds like the buyer either is getting you confused with someone else or they just want to cause trouble. I would request their contact info and give them a call and try to straighten things out. JMO.
posted on March 28, 2001 04:48:58 PM new
Hello All,
My name is Mae and I am an employee of SquareTrade. I'd like to provide more information on our service and hopefully clear up some confusion. I apologize in advance for the length of this posting.
SquareTrade is an independent company that provides a service to eBay users, making it easier for people to resolve problems, and taking the emotion out of issues that sometimes arise between buyers and sellers. (We encourage the two parties to work out the issue between themselves first.)
If you receive an email from SquareTrade saying someone has filed a case with you, this means that the other person is trying to resolve an issue by using SquareTrade's neutral, FREE, secure, dispute resolution service.
Our emails are designed to inform you that someone would like to resolve an issue. Our intent is NOT to threaten and your feedback about our inadvertent tone is appreciated.
By responding to the SquareTrade email, and registering to the case page you are not "joining" SquareTrade - you have NO obligation to us or the other party. You are simply gaining access to secure, encrypted technology that helps people work out their problems. However, we hope you will register, read about the issue of the other party and decide how YOU want to deal with it.
The reason we mention negative feedback in our email is that, as you all well know, people can be quick to leave negative feedback and by using SquareTrade (responding to the case) each party has a much better chance of avoiding negatives. As well, if feedback has already been left, eBay will accept mediated agreements between parties to remove negative feedback per eBay policy.
Read more about the eBay feedback removal process here:
The important things to remember are:
Responding to the SquareTrade email is just like responding directly to other party. You are not obligating yourself to anything. You are gaining access to technology that helps people work out problems and the communication is encrypted and secure.
The Direct Negotiation service (no mediator) is free of charge. If you and the other party cannot resolve a situation through SquareTrade Direct Negotiation, the option to bring in a professional mediator is available for a low fee. If the problem with the transaction occurred on eBay (as a private, independent company, SquareTrade also services other auction sites) the overall cost to “hire” a professional mediator is $15 (not per person).
All of the suggestions and thoughts you have about SquareTrade's services are greatly appreciated. We will use this to help make our service better for our users. (eg--> changing our language to seem less threatening.) In fact, we will be changing the language in the next few weeks.
If you have any questions about SquareTrade, please do not hesitate to contact me: [email protected]. or post on this thread. Happy Trading!
Mae
[ edited by SquareTradeMae on Mar 28, 2001 04:50 PM ]
[ edited by SquareTradeMae on Mar 28, 2001 04:51 PM ]
posted on March 28, 2001 04:56:15 PM new
Mae -
I wrote to SquareTrade MONTHS ago about a problem getting their emails ... and they never bothered to reply.
I did not get ANY SQTD emails because my spam trap nabbed them because they had an invalid something (DNS? I'd have to look) so I had no clue they were involved.
If your support isn't interested in solving problems, that doesn't give me good feelings about the mediators.
posted on March 28, 2001 05:16:54 PM new
Oh boy. It would be so easy if your bidder just talked to you in the first place. Geesh, Talk about jumping the gun. Now they want to pay with pay pal? Dont think so, I would feel better with a money order.
posted on March 28, 2001 05:25:22 PM new
I am very curious what information they wanted in order to proceed with the mediation. They already know your addy and the auction. What else is needed?
posted on March 28, 2001 08:22:09 PM new
I had one experience with Square Trade about a year ago, someone bought a piece of fabric from me, it was described correctly, it was vintage toile print fabric, when the buyer received it she emailed me that she was very dissatisfied with it and shouldn't have paid as much as she did for it, I responded that it was exactly as described, it had no defects, it was vintage and it was printed toile fabric. She asked me what I thought it was worth? I responded that it was an auction and the buyer set the price, which was her, not me. She proceeded to take her "case" to Square Trade. To make a long story short I agreed to give her a refund because the whole thing just was not worth the bother, but I could never understand how a "third party" no matter how neutral could possibly judge a piece of vintage fabric that they had never seen with their own eyes. Obviously this was a new inexperienced buyer who did not know what she was buying. I relisted the fabric and it brought more the second time than she paid and the 2nd buyer loved it. I can understand this service getting involved if the product is defective in some way or misrepresented but to get involved in something they know nothing about absolutely floors me. To me square trade is just another money making business to try and get rich off of the on line auction business. They have something called "The Better Business Bureau" that was around long before Square Trade ever existed.
posted on March 28, 2001 08:27:12 PM newTo me square trade is just another money making business to try and get rich off of the on line auction business
posted on March 29, 2001 05:24:53 AM new
Mae ..
Actually, looking at the threat in the one email I did see from SquareTrade, I'm surprised I was so polite in my letter to support. Are you still threatening that, like Joe McCarthy, you "have a list" that you will expose if the recipient doesn't toe the line, hustle their buns to your site and get with the program?
From the Square Trade "reminder": "SquareTrade maintains a list of non-respondents that may be made public. It is important to respond to this case or contact [email protected] so that your email address will not be considered for placement on this list."
And from your "confidentiality policy" about what you may or may not record: " Case Information (specifics about the problem being filed and responded to) Includes the transaction information submitted on the case/resolution filing form, the problem/possible solutions identified on the case filing/response forms, both parties' email addresses and marketplace identifications."
The day you publish that information is the day the FTC will be contacted about your publishing personal information collected at your web site without the INFORMED CONSENT of the person whose information was published. (FTC has strong feelings about internet privacy) You only have the right to publish what your visitors and registrants have consented to, not whatever you can scavenge about non-visitors who have never consented to anything.
posted on March 29, 2001 05:54:26 AM new
It sounds like the seller assumed why the buyer contacted Square Trade.
Did you e-mail the buyer after Square Trade contacted you and ask them what was up? Asking a direct question is a whole lot better than playing a guessing game.
posted on March 29, 2001 03:23:24 PM new
Hi abacaxi,
I can understand why you are concerned about the non-responding party list mentioned in our automatic notice to you encouraging you to respond to the case filed with SquareTrade. Please note that the notice you received states that if you do not respond to the case, you are only 'eligible' for placement on a non-responding party list. We did not intend to threaten and your feedback about our inadvertent tone is appreciated. We will be making changes in our email language over the next few weeks.
For your information, our non-responding party list was based on the premise that if someone is willing to work out service problems and strives for excellent customer service, s/he will respond to a request from a buyer to try to settle the issue. Ideally this would be done independently between both parties, however it does happen that sometimes one party feels as if they would like a neutral third party involved, and requests the help of SquareTrade. If the other party does not respond to the request to negotiate, this person does not give buyers a safety net to fall back on in the instance that something goes wrong.
Please also be assured that if a respondent notifies us in any manner that they do not wish to participate in SquareTrade's dispute resolution system, they are not eligible for placement on the list.
Also, please note that SquareTrade, in eBay cases, does not judge the situation or the product involved. If a SquareTrade Mediator is assigned to the case, the Mediator's role is to help the parties reach a mutually agreeable solution.
I hope that helps clarify your concerns. Again, if you have any questions about SquareTrade, please do not hesitate to contact me or post on this thread. Happy Trading!
posted on March 29, 2001 09:03:58 PM new
Kerryann: After receiving the letter from Squaretrade I emailed the buyer and said, "If there are any problems please email me so that I may resolve them". I made no assumptions as to why the buyer had contacted SQ, but I certainly did speculate about why he might have. The next day the buyer contacted me and said he would pay by Paypal which he did almost immediately (gs4: in my auction I state that I take Paypal). I sent the package yesterday and am satisfied at this point that things will work out OK.
gravid: They send you to the registration page where they ask you for your title, first name, last name, email address, and daytime telephone number. They should grant me the honor of reading the complaint with just my email address, not upon joining the club. Basically they have no business asking for that information. It's a different story if I go there to join on my own.
posted on March 30, 2001 03:53:05 AM new
Mae -
"We did not intend to threaten"
Oh yes you did, because I'm certain the wording was discussed and approved by SQT staff and probably legal counsel before it hit the mailing machine ...... and no matter how SQT pussy-foots around it, your "non-responder list" and any hints that failing to jump through your hoops may result in the non-responder's being posted as a person to avoid, are threats. It doesn't matter how delicately you word them ... "I have a list of bad guys, and if you don't shape up I'm gonna post it with your name on it" is the meaning behind it.
"Please also be assured that if a respondent notifies us in any manner that they do not wish to participate in SquareTrade's dispute resolution system, they are not eligible for placement on the list."
Failure to respond may mean the seller did not get the email, or muttered "bugger off" under their breaths and hit the delete key. And you think that gives you permission to use their information?
Failure to respond to a third-party meddling in my auctions does NOT CONSTITUTE permission for SQT to publicize my personal information. The only terms under which a commercial website can use my information is IF I GO TO THE SITE AND GIVE MY CONSENT ... period. If you do it without my consent, you run afoul of the FTC's rulings on what commercial sites can do with personal information (you charge money, you are commercial). If all it takes for a site to publicise one person's information is for a second person to hand it over, please send me your full name, daytome phone number and personal email address. I have some interesting sites that I'd like to post that info on to test how you feel about disclosure by third parties.
"If the other party does not respond to the request to negotiate, this person does not give buyers a safety net to fall back on in the instance that something goes wrong."
There are plenty of "safety nets" for the seller and buyer to use, starting with the USPS and the mail fraud warning form.
