posted on June 20, 2002 11:20:16 AM new
Got an email this morning from "[email protected]". Subject: eBay Feedback Reminder. Clearly came from an automated process, or someone trying to spoof an automated process.
It had all the details of the transaction, and stated (incorrectly) that, among other things, I as a seller have a "100% guarantee policy".
This is not an official eBay email. Any idea what cockamamie software is generating this dreck?
While it is true that I have not left feedback for this transaction, if this sort of thing becomes widespread I think it's just going to generate more seller hostility.
posted on June 20, 2002 11:41:49 AM new
From: "eBay Feedback" <[email protected]>
To: <fluffythewondercat>
Subject: eBay Feedback Reminder
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 08:26:08 -0700
X-Priority: 3
Hello fluffythewondercat. This e-mail has been sent to you as an eBay feedback reminder only.
Feedback has not yet been left for one of your buyers as of 6/20/02 - User ID: (omitted)
Auction Title: (omitted)
Auction Listing: (omitted)
Auction Close Date: 5/18/02
Winning Bid: $8.00
S & H: $2.50
Total (incl. 7.75% CA Tax): $11.31
Feedback left by (omitted) for fluffythewondercat on [feedback to be reciprocated]:
"*"
Steps:
1. Log on at <http://www.ebay.com>www.ebay.com
2. Click on "my eBay" link
3. Click on "Feedback" link
4. Click on "See all feedback I need to leave" link
5. Click on "Find all transactions in the past 90 days" link
6. Click "Positive" and Leave comment in space provided below (NOTE: If transaction was not a positive one, please refrain from leaving feedback at this time and contact the buyer/seller immediately so that problem can be fixed. This buyer/seller has a 100% guarantee policy.)
Please do not reply to this e-mail. It has been sent as a reminder only. If you need to contact (omitted), e-mail (omitted). Thank you.
posted on June 20, 2002 11:52:15 AM new
Before everyone jumps on you for not leaving your buyer feedback, especially since they have left feedback for you, let me just remind everyone that the eBay feedback system is VOLUNTARY.
That being said, this email makes it look as if eBay themselves sent the message. It is from "eBay Feedback", or so it purports. I think it is obnoxious, too.
A personal email from a buyer whom I might have overlooked is one thing. A dunning notice as if they were my creditors (or are officially from eBay) is another. I hope this is not a trend. I "guarantee 100%" that I won't react kindly to it.
posted on June 20, 2002 12:24:38 PM new
Your automated reminder is obnoxious, but I have to say that I am quite annoyed at how many people don't leave feedback these days.
To those people who say they don't bother because they don't pay attention to feedback, I say baloney. Almost everybody at least looks at the number of feedbacks by a user's name. The system will only work if most people contribute.
posted on June 20, 2002 03:01:04 PM new
Ihad just pulled up this thread when this e-mail came thru Is that timing or what??
Hello, I bought the wedding dress off of you Item # 8593##### and I absolutley love it but and I apreciate it but I noticed that I have left a great feedback for you . I don't know if you know how give good feedback or not but I'll tell you .. just go to your account and at the bottom you will see where it says feeback forum. just go there and you can leave feedback for everyone that you have made deals with. Thank you and I would really appreicate the feedback. As you know the number of positive feedback is really looked at and I would appriciate your help thanks. xxxxxxxxxx
ok...
posted on June 20, 2002 03:56:45 PM new
Just today I bought a retractable dog lead for the new puppy that will be at our house in 2 more weeks. Right after auction close I got my WBN and went and paid for my auction right away. Then got my notice that payment was made, and item would be shipped. Here is the last paragraph of said notice...
"•FEEDBACK GUARANTEE:
Our feedback department is well known for leaving feedback. In fact our full time staff guarantees feedback after it has been left for us…GUARANTEED or you get your money back and you keep the item!!!
sigh.....feedback should be left for ME right now, as I have already PAID for this item within 30 minutes of auction close. Now I feel as if I am being forced into leaving feedback for this seller..no matter HOW long it takes them to ship. Or how cruddy thier service is.
posted on June 20, 2002 04:38:58 PM new
Deals are a series of turns, starting when
the seller lists the item. As such, buyers
should leave feedback upon receipt of item.
Then seller, now knowing item arrived
safely, should follow. Of course, logic
has no place in the real world, and you
will all do as you wish.
Z
---
"Cannot say. Saying, I would know. Do not
know, so cannot say". -- Zathras (Babylon 5)
posted on June 20, 2002 04:40:14 PM new
Toptwo is 100% correct. This seller is obviously a feedback hostage holder. They do this to cover up bad service. One important step I see is missing from the seller in an actual item has been shipped notice. With this seller, I would say they don't do that which leaves them open for negs as the buyer has no idea when the item is on the way. That is most likely why the seller does not leave feedback when they should.
posted on June 20, 2002 04:48:37 PM new
I disagree zathras11 As a buyer I have done my part. I have won the auction, and paid for my item. Feedback should be left for me right NOW as I have done everything I am required to as a buyer.
I sell (or try to) about 80 items a week, as soon as I receive payment from my buyer I leave feedback, then send out a confirmation notice that I did in fact receive thier payment, Thank them for the sale, and tell them what day of the week I will be shipping my item (I ship 3 days a week). The buyer did thier part, they won the auction and they PAID me. It is now up to ME to do MY part and ship the item when I say I will. Once they receive thier item it is up to them to leave me feedback (good or bad) or to NOT leave me feedback as they see fit. I never send a followup letter begging for my feedback.
With all the deadbeats...or extreamly SLOW paying people out thier I make sure I leave feedback as soon as the item is paid for. If payment was made SUPER FAST...I want the buyer to know I appreciate it, so I leave them GREAT feedback right away.
posted on June 20, 2002 08:49:09 PM new
Fluffy. Did you look at the source of the email. If you notice they are only asking for positive feed back. I probably would ignore it and not leave a feedback for this transaction at all.
Was it actually mailed from ebay?
Why would ebay care if anyone would leave feedback, they have better things to do, like make money.
posted on June 20, 2002 09:44:11 PM new
I think you ought to post this persons reply address so those of us who are of a mind can drop him/her a friendly "howdy" and politely share our opinion of his chicken@#$% ways...
posted on June 21, 2002 08:31:38 AM new
mrspock said: "I would neg them ...
`spam after the sale ,wouldnt deal with again ' or something similar."
She doesn't have any negs, though that could change if she's going to use this email on every feedback-tardy seller she deals with. She may be in the eBay-honeymoon phase, where the bidder believes that eBay will solve all their transaction problems for them and any unjust negative feedback will be instantly removed.
Heh-heh.
I'm not going to neg her...yet.
Let's see how this plays out if I just do nothing.
posted on June 21, 2002 08:53:02 AM new
Look at the email headers to see who really sent the email.
As an experiment I looked atthe headers on one of my paypal payment emails. As you know these actually are sent by paypal, but show a from email address as the guy who paid you.
If you open the email header, you will see who it is really from in the case of a paypal email it said "Received: from web24.nix.paypal.com"
In outlook express, You can look at the header by right clicking on the message, then clickin properties, then clicking the tab "details"
posted on June 21, 2002 08:59:16 AM new
I think most of us have been at this too long, and have LONG forgotten how exciting those first few feedbacks were to us. I was just reminded, when recently, my husband opened his own eBay account and began selling.....6 years after I first started.
When he sold his first item, he packed it the next day, and hand carried it to the post office to have it shipped! It was a riot to me, because we have a 2 girls who do our packing, and go to the post office to handle the shipping, but he was so concerned about his first feedback that he did it all himself, as fast as he could, and was heart broken when it was over a week before the buyer left feedback!
*****
On the other hand, a seller who demands feedback BEFORE they will leave feedback is WAY out of line, and I would report such to Safe Harbor, (even if such report) doesn't get any action, perhaps a number of reports on "hostage feedback holders," might get eBay's attention.
****
"Wondercat" I would doubt the e-mail is from eBay - and that alone would annoy me, that the buyer/seller is FALSIFYING and misrepresenting such - and this too I would report to eBay.
posted on June 21, 2002 09:07:09 AM new
Nor would I consider the text of someone email address to be falsifying or misrepresenting anything. One of my email addresses is [email protected]. I am neither blue or a crayon.
posted on June 21, 2002 09:47:47 AM new
ebayseller1998: I use Eudora for the Mac, which (oddly enough) doesn't seem to have a method for seeing the full headers of a message.
It seems strange to me that a program crammed full of features like Eudora could not do something as simple as displaying full headers, so I'm checking into that further.
I don't own a single piece of Microsloth software, not even Excel or Word.
posted on June 21, 2002 11:50:37 AM new
I used to leave feedback as soon as the bidder paid, but that changed..
I have run into too many lunatics recently. They pay, I ship the next day, they complain until the package arrives. They threaten me with negs and sometimes the FBI (even when tracking info is sent).
Just because someone pays promptly does not make the entire transaction positive.
If they threaten me, report me to ebay, pull my contact info and call me at 3AM to check the status of an item... That is just not a positive experience to me.
All my items are shipped within 2 days of payment (Sunday my PO is closed) and I think that combined with a tracking number should be enough to sooth them. But some continue to spam, lie and even try to steal. How is this positive for me?
Is the fast $5.00 payment really positive when you have to take abuse from someone who is impatient, a bully or both?
Most of my bidders are fantastic, but there are a few who really know how to become a royal pain.. Their "fast payment" is not positive in and of itself. The patient, fast payer deserves kudos...The fast paying jerks do not.
Sadly we cannot always tell who those jerks are, until it is too late.
I don't want feedback first, I don't care if they leave it or not. I just want a note telling me the item has arrived...
