posted on October 11, 2001 08:24:43 PM
Spent a few frustrating days dealing with an obnoxious bidder who refused to pay stated in auction ad $3.95 priority mail shipping-- Go Figure. This person (who is also a seller under their same i.d.) then proceeded to email feedback extortion threats & attempted auction interference on my other listings after I reported him per ebay rules as a non-paying bidder. (guess he didn't think I should be refunded my $$)
I then emailed him per ebay's rules to refrain from bidding on my auctions and blocked his bidder i.d.
He then neg'd me but in the response he listed me as a "Fraudulent Seller". I have never committed fraud on this buyer or any other buyer. Especially since this transaction was never completed - he never sent payment. I only asked for the stated in auction listing amount for shipping, how is that fraud?
I've reported it to ebay's safeharbor, is it the impossible dream to expect this feedback to be removed????
posted on October 11, 2001 08:36:48 PM
Thanks Kiawok, I looked at that before I wrote safeharbor.
What about square trade?? As I understand square trade, both parties have to agree to a settlement, which I very much doubt will happen now. There is nothing to agree on he refused to pay what was stated in the auction listing.
posted on October 11, 2001 08:49:52 PM
I think at this point your best bet is to respond to his comment in your feedback with a calm, factual statement, and move on.
posted on October 12, 2001 04:44:00 AM
I seem to remember seeing a solution posted here a few times with a type of solution.
They say that if you respond to the negative and put the person's email address in your response that ebay will remove the response and everything related to it, even the original neg
Maybe one of the long timers here can tell you if this actually works. Fortunately I have never had this problem so never had to try it out.
posted on October 12, 2001 07:39:24 AM
My advice to you is forget about it and move on. Every one has a few negs. I would be sure that you will have many more positives with glowing comments, and everyone will realize the negs for what they are - false ravings of a kook.
And life's too short to dwell on the actions of kooks.
Leave 'em a neg back - suggest "Difficult bidder, refused to pay stated ship charge" - and leave the same back as a response to their neg.
posted on October 12, 2001 08:00:26 AM
I would love to hear if you are successful.
One of my negs is from someone who refused to pay a $3 shipping charge, the other is retailiatory from someone who didn't pay.
Mucking up otherwise perfect feedback.
If I am feeling philosophical I look at these negs as protection from bidders who might want to use negative feedback as extortion.
If my feedback were perfect it might be more interesting for a bidder to threaten to leave a neg in order to get me to agree to an unreasonable request.
Having lost my "virginity" with these 2 negs
makes it a lot less tempting to besmirch me.
On less philosophical days I think about going through the hassle of getting them removed.
The retaliatory neg said that I misrepresented my merchandise (interesting given that they didn't receive it because they DIDN'T PAY!! I think bidders are clever enough to look at feedback as a whole and understand that everyone has the bad luck to run into the occasional person who is a couple of pickles less a jar.
posted on October 12, 2001 01:20:34 PM
The corollary to Freedom of Speech is responsibility for our speech. It is surprising how often people don't understand that on the internet. If his feedback states false information (fraudulent seller) with intent to defame, that sounds like legally actionable slander (or would it be libel?) to me. I would think he would be very vulnerable to a small claims court suit.
That said, I personally have no enthusiasm for invoking the legal system. Personally I would submit his "feedback extortion threats & attempted auction interference" to get him removed from eBay.
