purchsed a refurbished item that is cosmetically damaged
Summary: caraphoto purchased a refurbished Miele vacuum from eBay that arrived with cosmetic damage, which is contrary to eBay's "like new" policy. After replacing it, the second unit also had damage, and the seller claimed that some imperfections are expected in refurbished items but offered a refund. flipistics advised that although sellers might list imperfections, it shouldn't override the listed condition category. They suggested accepting a refund, negotiating a discount, or reporting the seller to eBay if dishonesty is suspected. They noted changes in eBay's certified refurbished program might have caused listing errors by the seller.
Hey all
I recently purchased a refurbished Miele vacuum and it arrived with considerable cosmetic damage. I had it replaced and the same issue but with less damage. They are now telling me I have to expect some damage as it is refurbished but from what I see Ebay's policy is that it is "like new". They are offering a refund but I want what I bought and paid for. Do I have any recourse? They should not be allowed to continue to sell these vacuums claiming they are going to be in as new condition and then telling buyers they should expect cosmetic damage.
flipistics
·3 years agoIf I have the right seller, it appears they state there could be imperfections in their description. That does not override them appearing to pick the wrong condition category though. As far as I can tell, you're absolutely right. You probably should make sure to read the sellers description though as it can help avoid a headache for both of you regardless of who is right.
As far as forcing them to send you a perfect unit, there's no way to do that. You'll have to either accept the full refund and send it back or try to negotiate a discount to the price the unit would be worth if it was listed correctly. If you feel they're being dishonest you should be able to report them to eBay. If they get enough returns or other issues, they'll lose their top rated status anyway which I think boots them out of the certified program. The problem will likely take care of itself in time one way or another.
Just as a note, eBay made changes to their certified refurbished program last fall (I think?). It's possible the seller doesn't realize they're listing them incorrectly since it appears they haven't made many recent sales. That's not an excuse for them, but maybe it helps explain things.