I bought a Halloween item on 10/17. Paid immediately with PayPal/cash. When I hadn't received an acknowledgement from the seller after 2 1/2 days, I emailed to confirm that the PayPal payment had been received and to ask when it would be shipped.
Email bounced - undeliverable, after 12 attempts. So I called and left a voicemail the following morning. When I didn't get a callback, I called again the same night. The seller is supposed to be a woman, but a guy answered and said that the PayPal payment had been received and the item would be shipped via UPS on Thursday or Friday. I noted that the TOS specified USPS, first class, and said that I preferred the PO - if I miss the delivery, easy to go and pick it up, but the UPS depot is a long subway trip from here. Then I emailed the seller again to re-iterate USPS - email bounced for the second time.
So I called the number again to tell them that they still had problems with their email. By now, this is the third call, and it's become noticeable that the seller is supposed to be female, but the same guy keeps answering the phone. He says that he spoke to the woman and she would send my item via USPS first class.
When it hadn't arrived by this Thursday, I emailed again - bounced again. So I called again - fourth call. Guy says it was shipped Priority Mail. I ask for the delivery confirmation number. He goes off the phone for a couple of minutes and then comes back and admits nothing was sent - they don't have the item. Says he'll issue a refund, and I ask when. He says "over the next couple of days." By now, it's 12 days, and I say, "Oh, no, I want an refund NOW, or I'll complain to eBay and PayPal." Boom - it's there. But unconfirmed, an e-check, won't clear until November 2nd. In the notes section, there was an apology - that she's moving her shop and thought she could get her Halloween items out on time, and is sorry for the failure.
I've already reported the seller for having an invalid email address, though the PayPal payment had that same address.
Somewhere in-between, the seller gave me a glowing pos - probably to ward off a neg.
She/he/it got 2 new neg's between the time I bought on Sunday and the first phone call.
In my own right, I'd be inclined to just write it off - if the e-check clears, that is. If it doesn't, then it's a different ball game, and I'll pursue it further with PayPal. Unfortunately, it was cash and not a credit card.
But I also feel that this seller deserves a neg or a neutral. If I had known - at the very least - about the bouncing emails, I would have bought this Halloween item from another seller, and now it's too late.
I work from home and have unlimited LD, so I'm not the least bit shy about calling people, but for most people, 4 LD calls over a low-ticket item would be out of the question.
I've never neg'd anybody, and my ID is both as a buyer and a seller. I'm not selling right now, but I will be shortly.
So ... what would you do?
Let it go? Neg? Issue a neutral? I wouldn't do anything at all until I see whether the e check clears, but then .. ?
I find it curious that the name on the account is female, but the same guy has answered the phone four times at all hours of the day.
The photo in the ad was a stock photo of a commonly available item.
Opinions? Is it fair to other buyers not to issue feedback? Also, if I had seen those two negs before I bought, it would have been easy to buy the same item from another seller - so my purchase could have been directed towards another, better seller.
posted on October 29, 2004 02:14:56 PM
i would be extremely pi**ed off about this ... YOU were the one bending over backwards (or forward: lol... sorry about that) ... and they did NOTHING.. got that? NOTHING to help you along through the 'non-transaction' ......... that beats 'em all, roz .... neg 'em consarnit!!!
posted on October 29, 2004 02:26:03 PM
Hard to call this one. First reaction would be a big, fat, red, neg. But then I think of the turmoil I went through 2 year ago when some lovely person threw rocks through the plate glass windows in my store. Spent weeks cleaning up glass and such and fell behind on everything else. At the very least, they are at fault because they knew it was a seasonal item and should have contacted you.
Back and forth, Back and forth. Oh well, I am no help at all!
Kevin
posted on October 29, 2004 02:27:50 PM
Hey, AintRich
Thanks for your input.
I was thinking of something along the lines of:
No product - received refund after 12 days, 3 bounced emails & 4 phone calls
Just the facts, ma'am ... and maybe as a neutral, in case there is some valid reason why this person's business has been disrupted. She claimed in the PayPal note that she had been in the process of moving her real-time store, which is indeed listed in the online phone directories.
But then why not suspend selling on eBay for a week or two while you're getting everything sorted out?
It's a small item - easy to pop it into a Priority Mail box. But they didn't even have it, apparently.
If the person listed as the seller had called me back with an explanation and an apology, I wouldn't have cared. I just would have bought it from someone else while there was still time to get it for Halloween.
But I don't appreciate being told it was sent PM - one minute - and then two minutes later - when I asked for the D/C - nope, it wasn't, and they don't have the item, either.
posted on October 29, 2004 02:47:00 PM
Like I said, first reaction... I like your solution. Facts and maybe, a neutral, maybe negative, depending on how you felt the tone of the phone calls were.
Kevin
posted on October 29, 2004 04:24:22 PM
And this person has gotten a couple of negs lately from others? I would NEG, for sure. If there ever were an instance of seller ineptitude, this qualifies. You've already gotten a positive FB from him/her, so you won't be retaliated against.
If the seller even had had a plausible excuse--like major illness, earthquake, and such, I wouldn't neg. But I think there's something very fishy going on in that household. If this were a TV drama, the woman seller would be held hostage in a dark room somewhere. . . .
posted on October 29, 2004 04:50:13 PM
The absolute first thing any businessperson does when contemplating a move is to make a decision on whether to shut down completely during the move, or develop a plan to continue operating smoothly during the move. When this is settled, then they worry about getting everything boxed up and moved from point a to point b. I've been involved in literally hundreds of these situations and I can tell you right now, your seller is using the move as an excuse to cover up for their incompetence. She/he sold you something in anticipation of receiving it from a supplier in time to ship, and her supplier let her down. Anyone who plays this game on Ebay can expect a few well deserved negs, and this is one instance where I would think a neg from you would serve its intended purpose, which is to warn other users of their substandard business practices. Do our good buyers a favor and go for it.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
