posted on April 28, 2001 10:48:32 PM new
I recently bought and item and have been having a terrible time getting it shipped to me. The seller's information was very descriptive and it did indicate that the item was going to be shipped directly from the manufacturer. This was ok with me. I've now been dealing with a whole lot of run-around for two weeks trying to get the item shipped. I wrote to the seller about getting information about shipping and he said to contact the company since they were the shippers and gave me the info. I sent the email below to the seller on Friday afternoon and haven't had anything in response yet. Any suggestions on how to get someone motivated would be appreciated.
This seller has approximately 30 feedback, all positive. This item is on the rather expensive side for your typical ebay item and isn't custom at all. This is a standard item this company manufactures. The item was paid with PayPal with funds existing in the PayPal account and not drawn from a card.
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SHIPMENT FAILURE Ebay #xxxxxxxxxxxx, xx item description xx
I wanted to let you know that I am extremely displeased with this
transaction for Ebay #xxxxxxx, xxxxxxxx.
I am still waiting for xxxxxxxxx to ship the xxxxx. I have got the
run-around from three different people there over the status of the xxxxxx.
On April 19 I contacted you because I hadn't heard anything from you after
making the payment for the auction. You provided me with the telephone
number for xxxxx and told me to contact them about shipping
information. Your statement was "The xxxx are usually shipped no later than
Thursday following the receipt of the order." The day I contacted you was
the day the item should have been shipped. I called on Friday and was asked
what the item was that was ordered. I discovered that nobody seemed to have
any record of the item and I was told to call back on Monday when somebody
was around who could track the information down but since the order was
placed before Thursday it probably went out the day before.
On Monday I talked to "Joe" and was told that there were no xxxxx for the xxxxxx but they would be coming in at any time and to try again the next day. This would be the same item I told them three days earlier and
they said it probably shipped the day before. How could they have shipped an item they knew they didn't have parts for? I called again on Tuesday and got someone else this time. This person said the xxxxxxx were scheduled to be delivered that day and they had a back order of 64 xxxxxx and would be
getting them right out. Once again, 64 backordered on that item but the first person I talked to said it probably shipped the week before.
I then called back on Thurday at Noon (eastern) and got a woman this time. She said nobody was around and I would have to call back later. At 3pm (eastern) I called again and Joe told me the xxxxx was shipping out that day and I would have to call back the next day for a tracking number when he had the shipping log back.
On Friday at 11:30 am I called back once again and got the same woman. I requested the tracking number for the shipment and she said nobody was around but would take my name and number and someone would get back to me. Three hours later, and no return phone call, I called again. This time I got
what sounded like Joe. I asked to be given my tracking number for the shipment. He then transferred me to someone else. This person stated that the xxxx had not shipped because they were still waiting for xxxxx to be
delivered.
I expressed my extreme displeasure over this whole matter when I was told the item had been shipped the day before and now I'm getting the same excuse as Monday. He said that the xxxx were not finished and couldn't be shipped. I asked why Joe stated they were finished and had been shipped yesterday
because they had received the xxxx on Tuesday. He said he didn't know. He then told me to hold while he went to the warehouse. He then got back on the phone and said there was a xxxxx sitting in the warehouse and would be shipped today. (Like I haven't heard that one before.) My comment was... this would be the xxxx that you don't have because you don't have the parts
to complete any. I then asked if they have email and could send me the tracking number when they generate one for the shipment. He said no but someone would call with it and he took my number... again. I said I hope this doesn't turn into another callback like the one I hadn't received earlier today when I was told someone would call back.
I've had to deal with three buffoons with three different stories, none which match. If these people handle their daily business this way I'm surprised they are still in business. It has now been 11 days since you
faxed the order to them and I doubt we're any closer to getting this item shipped than we were at the beginning AND I'm betting that it arrives without the upgraded xxxxx I paid for. This has become very aggravating.
If their claims are true then, most likely, everyone who has ordered a xxxx or xxxx from you is in the same situation as they probably use the same xxxxxx. I would appreciate if you, as the retailer involved, would have a word with the people and tell them to get their stories straight and get the
items out the door.
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Several hours later I sent the seller and email informing him that these people never called back with any shipment information and I am quite sure they are living up to their previous example and didn't ship anything.
[ edited by avaloncourt on Apr 28, 2001 10:54 PM ]
posted on April 28, 2001 11:34:29 PM new
The manufacturer is messing the deal up.
Remember when, I believe it was etoys who used Fingerhut as its fullfillment center, and Fingerhut majorally screwed up orders? It happens to the big guys too! Etoys ended up doing their own fullfillment after that.
It's likely he doesn't know what's going on anymore than the manufacturer does. If you don't receive the item within one month of payment, demand a full refund immediately, which the seller is legally required to oblige. If he doesn't, do a chargeback.
posted on April 29, 2001 08:38:35 AM new
Yes, the manufacture screwed up, but the seller screwed up bigtime.
If I won an auction and the product did not arrive and the seller told me to contact the manufacture, my first response would have been to tell the seller to deal with their problem. I would let the seller know the product better be shipped ten days after the payment cleared or I would expect a full refund. If this did not happen the seller would be getting a big fat NEG.
This is NOT a bidders problem, this is the sellers problem. Until I recieve the product (or at least there is positive confirmation of shipping), the seller should deal with their suppliers.
posted on April 29, 2001 09:23:50 AM new
There's a couple things above I've been rattling around in my head before they were posted.
Does this constitute falling under the Ebay "pre-sale" rules? If so, I have to wait the 30 days for shipment before recourse.
The second was the issue of chargeback. As gs4 stated, this was out of account funds and wouldn't be subject to chargeback rules. I've seen some stories on problems in the past that I didn't like regarding paypal. The last one I remember said paypal dumps it on ebay's fraud investigation process for a decision to be made and paid before they will give an answer.
posted on April 29, 2001 10:18:35 AM new
This problem sounds like one good reason for not maintaining a balance in your PayPal account. If you keep your balance at $0.00, at least you'd have the option of a chargeback on your cc. Of course, since PayPal probably would prefer that you not do this, you could try contacting them to see what kind of help they are willing to offer.
posted on April 29, 2001 10:24:42 AM new
Hi. Your best bet would be to keep in contact with your seller as they are the only ones who should be able to tell you when your item is back in stock.
Ebay, paypal all can take time for them to look into this. I would not jump the gun by thinking that there is fraud in your case.
posted on April 29, 2001 11:49:18 AM new
Even if you paid with funds in your account, you can still file for the buyer's protection. Paypal will freeze that amount in the seller's account. If seller's account is empty, PP will freeze the next payments he gets until that amount is met. But before you do that, I suggest you email the seller and tell him that you want a refund. That would be a simpler way to handle it.
