posted on January 3, 2002 12:16:34 PM new
Hi, After getting through the holidays, I started paying more attention to my Yahoo billing summary. I'm selling products that will typically go for $100-$300. I get my fair share of reneges. When a winning bidder reneges, I file a complaint for non-paying bidders and ofcourse, escalate the complaint after 10 days. I've noticed that I'm getting my listing fee back (as before), but am not getting Yahoo's "revenue share" back. For me, this adds up to quite abit. I've written Yahoo with no response. I've looked all over the site for a phone number to call and nothing. I would appreciate any help anyone can give me on this. I feel that Yahoo should refund their "revenue share" when their bidders don't follow through! Ebay refunds their share, but Yahoo doesn't feel they need to???
posted on January 3, 2002 01:49:53 PM new
If I understand the new listing fee policy correctly, what Yahoo should be refunding is the revenue share fee and not the listing fee. That is the way that it is stated in the TOS. You might want to check to make sure you aren't looking at closed auctions that were submitted prior to the listing fee change. Successful auctions that were listed before the change (even if they closed after the change) should not have been charged a revenue share fee. Therefore your refund for these auctions would be just the listing fee since that was all that you paid.
posted on January 3, 2002 04:57:10 PM new
Hi, Thanks for your post. I just got done going through my billing summary from 11/20 to present (I figured I better check into this better before I stick my foot in my mouth!). Once I got the billing summary on my computer on a spreadsheet I use for weekly auction fee totals, I sorted them by auction number. I'm definitely not getting the "revenue share" back for non paying bidders. As an example, I paid $5.50 revenue share and got $.75 back for "refund non paying bidder". The $.75 was the insertion fee and that's what we used to get back for filing non paying bidder complaints prior to 11/20. Another example, $1.10 revenue share; got $.05 back for non paying bidder. The $.05 was a no reserve insertion fee. I somehow don't think I'm an isolated case. If you or anyone else can check your billing summary, I would be interested to know what you find. Thanks! Jan
posted on January 3, 2002 06:48:17 PM new
Can't help you with any example of the new revenue fee. So far, I haven't had to claim a refund for an auction with the new revenue fee. All of mine are still auctions with listing fees only.
posted on January 3, 2002 09:08:14 PM new
Jan,
I just checked my billing summary because I also had one deadbeat. (First since I came back in October by the way) And you are correct. It is only refunding the listing fee. I am going to write to yahoo and let them know. I have had some luck getting a reply from them in the past. At first there wasn't going to be a refund at all and I was in communication with them to at least get the program started, so I will give it a try. It will also help for anyone else reading to e-mail yahoo also on this one so they know the there is a problem.
bp
posted on January 4, 2002 05:49:19 AM new
Here is an e-mail that Yahoo sent me this morning.
For help with billing issues, please call (408) 349-5151 between 8am
and 6pm Monday through Friday PST. Please have handy your Yahoo! ID and
Auction ID. Without this information, we will not be able to answer your
questions.
posted on January 4, 2002 11:15:10 AM new
BP, Thanks for your post. It was very helpful. I called the Yahoo phone number and after being on hold for 20 min, I actually talked to a human!! She thought maybe I was an isolated case. I told her I knew of atleast one other (BP), and I have this feeling that we are not isolated cases! Anyhow, she will credit my account and send this problem to the engineering dept. What really kills me is that on our billing summeries, we have the term "insertion fee" which this person I talked to kept referring to as "listing fee". Then there's the term "revenue share" on our billing summaries that this person I talked to,(and even the canned response I received from Yahoo), refers to as "final value fee". Now why can't they use the same terms??? Check your billing summaries everyone...Yahoo may owe you!! Thanks again for your help BP! Jan
posted on January 6, 2002 07:45:16 AM new
So much for a simple credit. I still haven't received it and escalated 3 more non-paying bidders this morning and once again got only my insertion (listing) fee back. I'm getting rather annoyed....no, I was rather annoyed...I'm getting very annoyed!
posted on January 8, 2002 03:23:38 PM new
Hey guess what. Yahoo acknowledges the problem. They say that they are going to be working on the problem. Here is the e-mail reply I was sent.
"Thank you for writing to Yahoo! Auctions.
We're glad to hear that you've taken the time to participate in Yahoo!
Auctions. Unfortunately, as you've noticed, we're experiencing some
technical difficulties with [name of problem]. We apologize for any
inconvenience this may have caused you.
Please be assured that we are aware of this problem and working to fix
it as quickly as possible.
Th ank you again for contacting Yahoo! Customer Care.
Regards,
Yahoo! Customer Care"
Now I do realize that this letter is more of a generic response, but at least they do know of the problem. However I also encourage everyone to contact Yahoo about the problem, but only if they have the refund bug. That way they will be able to concentrate on fixing the problem. Also by more people responding to it, it will stay fresh in there minds to do something about the flaw and not just put it on the shelf.
At least it is a good start to correcting a problem.
bp
posted on January 9, 2002 02:00:00 AM new
Yahoo has now refunded me "revenue share" for 2 out of 14 non-paying bidder auctions. Like BP, I encourage sellers with this problem to contact Yahoo (and stay on top of it). It has existed since the revenue share was implimented in Nov. Jan
posted on January 9, 2002 11:44:54 AM new
Jan, remember me? I use to work with you at Y! Auctions. You can contact me via ebay for my email address and I can help you get your contact since you are a premium seller there.
