DEFAMATORY FEEDBACK - FINALLY!!!!!!!

[montrealmaps]

You think it will be answered by Ebay team?

I just sent it:

Message: Dear Ebay,

The customer didn't read the description and lies in the feedback he left. This feedack destroys my PS reputation - and I worked really very hard to maintain it during the years. Additionally, this customers left MANY SIMILAR FEEDBACKS TO ALL SELLERS AT THE SAME DAY - DECEMBER 24. It means, that he did it absolutely deliberately to DESTROY OUR CHRISTMAS. It was meant as a GIFT! At the beginning he even accused me , that the item was not original. I sent him the proof of authenticity, so I got shortly a new accusation - that the map comes from an atlas. So exactly as I desribed.
It's unbelievable! I proposed him also a full refund - he refused!. I find this feedback slanderous, libelous and defamatory - my descriptions are not DECEPTIVE. I will become an object of ridicule in the dealers' milieu in British Columbia. And I am a professional dealer - not a cheater. Can you advise pleaase, how can I get a valid court order finding that feedback defamatory? I am a Canadian citizen and my customer is probably American. Should I report the abuse to the American Court or can I do it here, in Canada? I will be grateful for any advice.

I hope you will be able to help me.

kindest regards

Andrew - PowerSellers since many, many years.

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SENT TO THE BUYER:

ENGLISH TEXT FOLLOWS.

Monsieur xxx,

Moi et les co-proprietaires de ma compagnie "Andrews Old Maps and Prints" (montrealmaps sur l'Ebay) justement avons decide de vous poursuivre a la court. Vous avez publie le commentaire offensant et mensonger dans un lieu publique qui est visite par des milliers de personnes.
Cela a seriousement endommage la reputation de notre etablissement. On estime des dommages pour des milliers de dollars.
Nous croyons que la seule possibilite de recouvrer notre l'argent est d'ouvrir une poursuite penale contre vous.

Salutations distinguees,
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr xxx,

Me and co-owners of my company "Andrews Old Maps and Prints" (montrealmaps on Ebay) just decided to take the case to court. You published a defamatory and false statement in a public place, accessible to thousands of customers.
This move did very serious damages to our's company reputation.
We estimate our damages for many thousands of dollars.
We think the only way to get our money back is to file a law suit for damages you caused.

Kindest regards,

[alero0]

You think it will be answered by Ebay team?

Are you asking for a Christmas Miracle? I'm sure you're upset but this buyer didn't give you a Neg. he gave a neutral. You can mark in your description in a large bold font that your item is Black and some buyers will email asking, what colour is it? Neither ebay or any court will or can do anything about that feedback. It was your buyers opinion of his transaction.

What exactly was the buyer complaining about. Was he expecting an original....I read your description and I'm sorry but I don't find it very clear what's being sold. I don't see any mention of an atlas, I see Original Antique map. To me that mean it's the actual map printed at that time, not a copy. Was it a copy? Like I said, It's not clear to me. The only difference is that I would have asked questions before bidding.

You still have 100% FB. this neutral won't affect your sales at all.

Have a Happy Holiday!

[jerseysfromcanada]

MERRY CHRISTMAS MY DEAR FRIENDS!!!
Dear Montrealmaps, is Christmas time time for joy, peace & harmony. I can relate too, and have trouble to not let little things get to me...looking at your feedback there is no question you conduct great biz & I would never have a problem buying something from you. People are smart enough to know what's going on !
I just wanted to say Merry Christmas to everyone and use this forum before i get kicked out again 😞 You never know...
I have had to deal w. a few fruit loops, but must say that most are incredibly nice (knock on wood). There are many sweet,sweet people too; i prefer the ones with big wallets ! They are even nicer :-). Cheers, guess i like the good things too so I have to deal with the other side too.
All the best !!!

[palms_and_pdas]

I am sure the buyer will get two more negatives for his actions from the other buyers he has slammed as well. 3 negatives in a row for a buyer and they are out if it within the time limit. Just hope others follow suit and check out this buyers antics for bad feedback. To leave it today says that the buyer is a real peice of work.

[alero0]

Am I missing something here? I don't see where the buyer did anything terrible. He left a neutral! There are things that the OP claims in his FB and response to buyers FB are in the description which I still don't see. The buyer wasn't happy with his purchase and he expressed it. He didn't NEG the OP.

[montrealmaps]

Dear Alero,

He left FIVE neutral feedbacks on Dec 24. A coincidence?
I use the same description since 5 years and got 4000 feedbacks - for everybody was clear, that the maps come from the atlases (check "origin of the map"). By the way - almost all old maps (99%) come from atlases. The binding tape is a proof, that the map is original. Just because if that I NEVER remove it (but I can!). First complaint was about the authenticity. The second (I got 3 emails) was about "destroying ald atlases". This guy know exactly nothing about old maps. I don't break atlases, I but PARTS of old, already broken atlases. I understand, that one neutral is not really a problem - but his feedback really does not make sense. It's defamatory, untrue and given on Dec 24 (he bought the map 6 weeks ago!). You will probably laugh, but I didn't sleep because of this incident. This guy made my Christmas. Sorry to bother you with this problem during Christmas, but I spend it alone at home - very far from my family and friends.

[westernstargifts]

If you look at all of the feedback left for others by this guy you can see he either has a chip on his shoulder or he just takes pleasure in leaving poor feedback for sellers. I can see it happening once or twice that he might have encountered a poor seller but this guy has a pattern of leaving neutrals. He is probably one of those people that you can't please no matter what you do.

Hopefully all of those other sellers will also leave a negative. That is just what he needs.

Try not to let this guy spoil Christmas for you. I know that is easier said than done. My one and only neg bugged me to no end because it was undeserved.

Merry Christmas montrealmaps and I wish you the best in 2008.:-)

[montrealmaps]

I read your description and I'm sorry but I don't find it very clear what's being sold. (...) To me that mean it's the actual map printed at that time, not a copy. Was it a copy? Like I said, It's not clear to me.

Dear Alero,

I am not sure you are kidding or is it a serious comment? 😉 Is it really not clear? It the description I mentioned the date of issue 3 times - once even very clearly "date of issue 1905". Later: "this original map", "gives you a rare look as the area was about 110 years ago". For somebody who knows the area (and I think if someone buys a 20 dollars Tirol map - knows exactly where it is) the national borders shown of the map are clearly the 1905 borders. What should I add more. Maybe that? 😉


MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! 😉

[jakeeangel]

Where in the listing does it say the map was taken out of an atlas? I don't see that anywhere.

If you want to read a truly defamatory statement here's one: "AS INDICATED ALTHOUGH I SUSPET SOME SHILL BIDDING WAS INVOLVED"

The item in particular sold for $431 and what this numpty was seeing was the hidden bidder system that eBay uses and they obviously didn't understand it. You got your first neutral. Welcome to eBay! The feedback you got left is not defamatory or worthy of a lawsuit. You're overreacting but if that's what you want to do, knock yourself out. Sooner or later everybody gets a feedback comment that isn't deserved.

The world has not ended.....

---

When you find doing what's right hard to do - you've got a problem.

[montrealmaps]

Yes, I know. I am overreacting ... probably because of Christmas! 😉
But this guy started first with accusations, that the map was ... falsified. In my item's description I use the word "handatlas". It's German, but I thought it's easy to understand to all English-speaking people. Am I wrong?
I don't think so, because HE UNDERSTOOD! Look at his email:

"I DID CHECK THE LISTING, WHICH CLEARLY SHOWS THAT THE MAP COMES FROM AN ATLAS. MY OVERSIGHT. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE COVER PAGE SHOWING A PRINT DATE OF 1905 (...) The listing described this as "an original 1905 map of Southern Bavaria Tyrol Tirol Austria". This is clearly not the case. It appears to be a recent reproduction included in a large format book".


Andrew

[alero0]

I am not sure you are kidding or is it a serious comment?

montrealmaps,
I'm not trying to be insulting or anything like that. It might be clear to someone who knows maps but possibly your buyer doesn't know about maps and is just buying one for a present to give to someone who knows maps and wanted to make sure it was an original.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE COVER PAGE SHOWING A PRINT DATE OF 1905 (...)
Did you email him a picture of that cover page? I know you must have felt insulted that your integrity was questioned but your buyer has the right to question your product if he feels there might be something wrong. I'm sure you're an honest person but your buyer doesn't know you and is just asking to be reassured that the map was an original.
It's obvious that this buyer does have trust issues but some people are like that. He gave 9 FB's on Dec.25th with 5 of them being neutral, but 4 of them were positive.
I feel your buyer gave you a neutral because he wasn't satisfied with your after sale service and you gave him a Neg. because you felt insulted. Clearly he ended up worse off than you.

Harvey

[cartoonsinabox]

I think you should move on. Its only a neutral feedback that will disappear in a few days.

[nxtdriver]

All this crying and moaning about a neutral fb. Do the people who post here have nothing beter to do with their time?? Seriously folks, there will always be people who are NEVER satisfied so why waste time worrying about a neg or neu fb?? If people are not reading the descriptions, do you honestly think they are looking at the reputation of the seller? I have seen numerous items for sale recently where the people have recieved several negs and people are still driving the price of the sellers items way up there.

[montrealmaps]

Alero,

I know that you didn't have any dbad intentions! 😉 I appreciate your comments. Of course, I sent him IMMEDIATELY the first page, also many additional pictures and proofs, even some very long emails with advices, how to recognize original maps. I was very professional and very gentle. As you can see after my feedback, I can handle such situations very well. This time I did really EVERYTHING I should and this Grinch seemed finally satisfied. And he left this comment 5 weeks later! Can you believe?

Nxtdriver,

Bingo! I like your comments! 😉 Exactly this way should this situation be handled . 😉

All the best,

Andrew