Something needs to be done about false Neg Feedbacks

[2012sincity]

I have received another ridiculous Neg feedback. This time because I collected sales tax ( which I am registered and required to do so). Not because anything was wrong with the item or shipping or communication.  Below is what I received as coment .  

Canadian seller charging US funds on sales tax to local buyer  

Because this person doesn't know the math, I have to put up with this. There has to be some recourse to these kind of feedbacks

[dmil8030]

Hello '2012sincity',

You're right, too often people do not know how a system works.  In a case like this the buyer

feels 'overcharged' - which is incorrect - but lashes out in a fit of indignation.

I would suggest first sending a sweetly worded note to the buyer explaining that because you

are registered as a business seller you are required by law to charge that tax to all Canadians.

He may be more sympathetic if he understands that whilst you hate it too, you have to do it.

At the same time you can outline the reason for listing in US funds, - that because most of your

sales go south of the border, Americans are not as internationally-minded as Canadians and so

most sellers in Canada must list in US dollars in order to sell anything much at all.

After that, ask the buyer if he would be willing to revise his feedback.

If he ignores you or says he will not do it, - ask ebay to remove it.  After all, it is not your fault you

have to charge tax.  In the top right corner of the page, find Customer Support > Customer Support.

Do you mention in your listings that there will be tax charged to all Canadians?

Here is a link to show you what is and is not removable, -

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/policies/feedback-removal.html

Good luck 

[mr.elmwood]

Well, I doubt that will work. Not a good idea anyway. Buyer is already mad and does not understand. Poking them will probably make it worse.

FB is buyer's opinion. eBay does not like it being revised or removed.

Seller does not have to charge tax in addition to the price. Seller can "hide" the tax in the price. Our OP opted to charge it in addition to the price.

[dmil8030]

Well, mr.elmwood, perhaps you're right.  It seems to me that the seller is keenly unhappy

with what he sees as a wholly unfair negative.  Just having him learn to live with it would

not have been my first plan of action. 

Sure, the buyer is annoyed.  But it's not as if the buyer can leave a more negative negative.

In my opinion it is always best to try kindness first, particularly when someone wants something,

in this instance the seller wants rid of an unjust negative.

I do not see it as "poking" the buyer, - not when the buyer is angry about something which he

simply does not understand.  If the buyer can be made to better appreciate the seller's situation,

he may come to feel quite ashamed of his erroneous fury.

Perhaps I just think better of people than you do. 

Whether or not ebay "likes" removing negs, - tough bananas!  The system is flawed and plenty of

sellers have well-deserved negatives removed simply for the asking, so I feel that a situation like

this is worth a try.  But that's just me.

You're right, the seller can 'hide' the tax.  I suspect that the reason so many do not is because each

province is taxed differently, - and also it may make bookkeeping much easier at the end of the day.

But to leave a negative because a seller has to charge tax is just plain wrong in my opinion, and hence

is worth an attempt at removal.  The seller has no chance of getting it removed if he does not at least try.

Just my opinion. . . . 

[2012sincity]

"I would suggest first sending a sweetly worded note to the buyer explaining that because you

are registered as a business seller you are required by law to charge that tax to all Canadians."

I first reaction was to let him have it in an Email, but I thought OK obviously his or her understanding of tax charges are limited so I calmly sent an email explaining that there was no over charge and even sent a formula of how the charges would work out in CDN. Basically to show that there was no overcharge. 2 days later, I havent heard a peep.

I have in all my listing " appropriate sales taxes will be charged to Canadian residents based on the province you live in."

As it was also mention to hide the taxes in the listing. I think that would work better for Buy it Now item , where I sell more in auctions.

[dmil8030]

Hi again, 'sincity',

<< first reaction was to let him have it in an Email >>

I strongly suggest you never "let him have it",   - always be nice, that way when/if ebay reviews

your emails you will look like the most genuinely good and decent person on earth.

Or at least better than the other guy.

At this point I'd say call ebay and ask to get it removed.  Have a look over the 'removables' in the link,

and when you call be very sweet to the attendant on the phone.  If you are pleasant with people, they 

may be more eager to help you.

The worst thing ebay will says is 'no', so you have nothing to lose but a bit of time.

[mr.elmwood]

Tell ya a story about customers and taxes. Liquor store I was working in. Fella comes and buys a 2L jug of beer, $5 altogether. He is screaming mad that I am cheating him. It was something like $4.40, plus taxes, plus deposit, equals $5. We were legally required to show the base price with all add-ons separate on the receipt.

Guy is screaming at me that he can get the same beer at the Merchants Hotel on Selkirk Ave for $5 NO TAX!!!.

Yep  he was screaming at me because I was ripping him off, for nothing.

I would say "It is $5 here and it is $5 there. You are paying the same price.". He kept screaming that he wanted to pay "$5 NO TAX". He did not want to pay any taxes. Any attempt at explaining, he just got madder.

He ended up not paying me $5 and went to the Merchants Hotel, which was one scary place, to pay $5 NO TAX.

[petitecroissant550]

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@mr.elmwood wrote:
Well, I doubt that will work. Not a good idea anyway. Buyer is already mad and does not understand. Poking them will probably make it worse.

FB is buyer's opinion. eBay does not like it being revised or removed.

Seller does not have to charge tax in addition to the price. Seller can "hide" the tax in the price. Our OP opted to charge it in addition to the price.

---

So it's ok if people start a riot because the grocery store doesn't include tax in the cost of their groceries lmao. If this person lives in Canada, then that person should be well aware of how taxes are charged on the TOTAL cost of all items. Feedback isn't supposed to be an opinion, but the truth. An opinion would be a user review.

[rose-dee · Accepted solution]

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@dmil8030 wrote:

I would suggest first sending a sweetly worded note to the buyer explaining that because you

are registered as a business seller you are required by law to charge that tax to all Canadians.

After that, ask the buyer if he would be willing to revise his feedback.

---

Unfortunately, there is no longer any point in asking a buyer to revise his feedback because eBay now counts any neutral or negative FB as a defect, even if it is revised to a positive. 

However, I agree that the seller might as well try to get eBay to remove the FB.  The policy of feedback removal specifically includes comments relating to sales tax.  However, note that it states eBay may remove such FB; in other words they aren't obligated to remove FB even if it falls within these categories:

These types of Feedback comments may be removed:

• Feedback that only refers to a listing's structured details when there aren't contradictory words or photos in the description. Structured details include:

  • Item condition

  • Item specifics

  • Sales tax

  • Return policy

  • Combined postage

  • Accepted payments

    The other point to note in the above policy is that the FB must only refer to a listing's structural details.  In other words, if the buyer includes any  other wording in his FB, eBay may not remove it. 

    So, if I were faced with the OP's situation, I'd grit my teeth and stay on the phone until I got through to someone at eBay who would deal with it.  My guess is that eBay will remove this particular FB (including any DSRs that went with it). 

    The OP should continue to explicitly mention the sales tax charge in his listings, to keep in line with the FB removal policy.  Or, if his accounting system can cope with it, roll the taxes into the price, based on province.  Oh yes, and consider blocking this particular buyer.

[dmil8030]

mr.elmwood wrote:

<<Tell ya a story about customers and taxes. . . .  $4.40, plus taxes, plus deposit, equals $5.

We were legally required to show the base price with all add-ons separate on the receipt.

. . .  he wanted to pay "$5 NO TAX". He did not want to pay any taxes.>>

There are plenty of astonishingly horrible people in the world, I never implied anything different.

Ebay is a big place, the world is huge, and the great number of thoroughly rotten people can be shocking.

It remains, however, my position to always try kindness and civility first, -- here as in everywhere

else in life.  I suppose I try to see things from the other person's perspective, even if there are times

when I can't believe the other person is so thick.  (or so vile).

And I certainly would agree that there is a very good chance that pleasant civility would not work on

sincity's buyer, not when considering how many people simply do not want to ever hear the truth.

I do, however, like to give other people the benefit of the doubt, and in situations like this I believe that

whether or not the buyer ever displays any contrition, he will at least have gained an understanding

which previously caused his misguided ire to injure another person.

So I posted what I believed to be courteous and useful information - including an explanatory link which

indicates that a neg about tax can be removed - in advance of the usual barrage of naysayers queuing up

to proclaim that all buyers are worthless scammers and should therefore all be blocked. 

. . . 

[reallynicestamps]

dmil -- Testosterone poisoning is a terrible thing.

Let's go back to the part where Jayne gets knocked out by a ninety-pound girl, 'cause I don't think that's ever gonna get old. .... Hoban Washburne

[steveyboy1969]

Charging and American tax when the seller is in Canada just sounds off. I would be **bleep** off too. You have to hide that in your price or it will insult or infuriate people. When an American buys goods while in Canada, they can get all the tax money spent returned to them, so why should they pay you? 

[pjcdn2005]

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@steveyboy1969 wrote:

Charging and American tax when the seller is in Canada just sounds off. I would be **bleep** off too. You have to hide that in your price or it will insult or infuriate people. When an American buys goods while in Canada, they can get all the tax money spent returned to them, so why should they pay you? 

---

The buyer was Canadian, not American.

[mr.elmwood]

---

@steveyboy1969 wrote:

Charging and American tax when the seller is in Canada just sounds off. I would be **bleep** off too. You have to hide that in your price or it will insult or infuriate people. When an American buys goods while in Canada, they can get all the tax money spent returned to them, so why should they pay you? 

---

Buyer and seller are both in Canada. Buyer is not quite up to speed on their math. It seems that the buyer did not like paying the agreed upon tax on the American total, but, seems they would be okay with Cdn equivalent, which, of course, would end up being the exact same out of their pocket.

Anotehr story. Fella comes in the LC and looks at American wines. Comments to me that the prices on the shelf seem reasonable, until, that is, I apply the exchange rate.

My brain started screaming "Run away! Run away!". Guy had it in his head that American wines, in a Cdn store, were priced in American dollars and the price would change, at the cash register, when the dollar exchange kicked in.

What did he think the German wines were priced in, Deutschmark? Tequila was in Pesos?

[femmefan1946]

The problem (besides general dimness) seems to be that the Canadian seller, like most Canadian sellers, lists in US dollars. The Canadian buyer was mad that a Canadian sales tax from a Canadian seller to a Canadian buyer was to be paid in US dollars.

Golllleeee! -  Gomer Pyle.

[2012sincity · Accepted solution]

UPDATE

EUREKA. Ebay removed the feedback. I gotta say that Im glad some of you encouraged me to call Ebay on this matter. Ebay was certainly in agreement that is was a false statement. 

Thanks All