Ebay automatically opens dispute when buyer asks question

[rafael.xavier]

Lately I see people opening dispute just to ask question is and it's getting stressful.

So I tried to ask a seller question "I haven't received my item yet" and when pressing the link or buttong to "Contact seller" it goes straight to Resolution Center with fields ready to open a dispute. 

This behaviour is not present on Canadian Ebay, here it goes to email form like before.

Micromanagement at it's best. I hate it.

[bb_cool_stuff]

This could be a problem with Canadian Sellers as the majority of us don't ship with Tracking. If it goes straight to the Resolution Centre we will lose the case without a tracking number.

Is this now a regular occurence or a glitch ?

Might be time to add a quarter to the Self Insurance Cookie Jar instead of a dime.

[recped]

If it goes straight to the Resolution Centre we will lose the case without a tracking number.

Only if you are incapable of answer the buyers question!

[katherinemunro]

Yes, I am all of a sudden getting all these cases opened against me just because a customer wants to know when their package will arrive. I"ve never had a case opened against me in my life! Normally, I just get an email from the customer and I answer them and we work it out between us and all is good.
Cases should only be used as a last resort. This is very stressful and wasting tons of my time and causing a lot of stress! Makes me want to go sell somewhere else.

Ugh!

😞

[recped]

Normally, I just get an email from the customer and I answer them and we work it out between us and all is good.

Then what is the problem? Is it the word "case" instead of "email".

How can it be wasting your time? Answering a case takes no more time or thought than answering an email.

[hawlady]

Not always a negative thing. I chose a seller based on his positive rating without checking the negatives that he had.  At least this flagged  his account with paypal!!

I believe that the ebayer asking the question can retract the dispute when the question is for information only.

[rafael.xavier]

Normally, I just get an email from the customer and I answer them and we work it out between us and all is good.

Then what is the problem? Is it the word "case" instead of "email".

How can it be wasting your time? Answering a case takes no more time or thought than answering an email.

There is a difference between "question" and "dispute", right ? Question is request for information, dispute is disagreement. Hence the stress. People don't like others arbitrarily disagreeing with them, especially when other person is in the power position to take their money.

[pierrelebel]

"Hence the stress."

Let me be blunt: if you stress because a buyer questions when and how you shipped an item, mail order through eBay or elsewhere may not be for you.

[rafael.xavier]

Mr Lebel, let's keep conversation on topic.

Telling people off is not constructive. What is your agenda? First you earn some respect by giving advice and then you throw it away by trolling. We had a conflict about a month ago and I received a private email from another member, quote: "finally someone with a backbone who stood up to that pompous ....".  I don't go trolling to your conversations, so please return the favor, thank you.

Looking at this thread, I am not alone who feels this Ebay change is stressful. It also hurts buyers - one of my buyers closed the dispute after he got the info - not knowing there is only one dispute allowed per purchase - and effectively waiving his Buyer Protection.

As for the convenience of replying, it is easier (at least for myself) to press Reply in the email client, than going to Resolution Center and multiple sing-ins (different site) to reply.

Ebay has a history of contradicting itself. Not long ago every open dispute was considered against the seller, so Ebay practically trained sellers to not let buyers open the disputes.

[recped]

There is a difference between "question" and "dispute", right ?

Right! And there is a difference between a CASE and a DISPUTE.

Under eBays new system a "case" and a "question" are essentially the same. A case is now equivalent to a "ticket" which is a term used to describe a situation where a customer contacts customer support with a specific issue (in eBay land a buyer asks a seller a question about their order).

Do you think customer service reps freak out when they open a ticket"?

[rafael.xavier]

This is one of the fields a buyer is presented when asking "Where is my item" on .COM

How can the seller help you?
* I want a full refund (preselected)
* I still want the item

That would be great if it was a ticket. But duck test says it's a dispute.

[dutchman48]

It is not Ebay the forces the case to be open. It is the buyer by the choice he/she makes. If they pick other, no case is opened. Only problem is that of course, Ebay does not advertise or educate buyers at all in this regard. I ask sellers all kinds of question and never open a case unless it is necessary due to a problem

Instead of getting stressed about it, just answer the question as asked. Cases do not count any more unless they are escalated.

[gmprop]

Open cases don't count against you anymore? Really?

Then why after being a seller here for 14 years and never having a case opened against me do I suddenly have 3 cases open?

Now PayPal is witholding my money for any new transactions for up to 21 days because my performance rating is now below standard, just because I have 3 cases opened?

One of them is an INR case which was opened 2 weeks ago and the buyer has since received the item but will not close the case.

The second case is for a question about possible shipping damage to an item for which I have already offered a replacement.

And the third is for a case that I opened against a buyer that has not paid for the item in over 15 days.

Someone please explain to me how eBay can do this?

[pjcdn2005]

Now PayPal is witholding my money for any new transactions for up to 21 days because my performance rating is now below standard, just because I have 3 cases opened?

Does your seller dashboard say that you are below standard because of those 3 cases?  If so, you should talk ebay as open cases are not supposed to count anymore.

[bright_future15]

Hello,

I am just going through these this to try and find an answer to my problem.  I usually never post in forums but feel I am left no option due to eBay's inconsistent customer service. 

I am currently having issues with PayPal and eBay withholding funds due to these cases.  I have just called eBay and was told that due to the open case I cannot have my account reviewed.  The open claims consist of 4 items that are part of the same order and we both agreed that it would take 4-6 weeks for arrival.  He than opened the 4 cases after 4 weeks.  The other case I am sure will be arriving in the next week.  And the last is legitimate as it was sent airmail and has not yet arrived.  In all case the buyer and I have spoken and we have agreed on giving it more time.   I have been told by two of the buyers they were just asking about it not wanting to open a case.

I have no problem with the "cost of business" associated with international shipping but to hold all of my funds has killed my business.  Coming off my biggest month last month I have now dropped to less than half of my previous total and my stock is dwindling.  I have not posted new items as I cannot affor for them to be held for three weeks after payment.  I cannot get money quick enough to feed the machine. 

I also have an incredibly hard time getting my funds released.  I have to phone everyday and hopefully get someone who can actually do the work (1/5).  Then after 35 minutes of being on hold and transfers and giving them the item numbers.  Confirming it was delivered three days ago it will be released 24 hours later.  So actually four days later after confirmed delivery.  If I don't go through this process the funds don't get release for 21days.  I have been told I should use USPS or FEDEX or GSP.  Which further goes to show customer services' lack of understanding of Canadian ebayers.  I was Happy to start out on eBay and in a short amount of time enjoy great success.  Now  I feel that eBay/PayPal greed to hold funds whenever they get the chance has made it to difficult to be successful. 

I may be wrong, but because of thesepolicies I have decided the next course of action.

1. no longer offer international shipping through eBay

2. circumventing when possible

2. sell less on eBay overall

3. Diversify more into Amazon. Craigslist, kijiji, etsy and my own site on volusion 

Again I had a steamroller of success happening on eBay and then one morning (with no warning I may add)  I had the rug pulled out from under me.  I am hoping that this post will bring some answers for me.  I would like to continue selling on eBay.  I believe they have a lot to offer but I cannot operate like this.  I am not expecting any policy change but maybe just a better understanding.

Thank You

[rose-dee]

---

@recped wrote:

There is a difference between "question" and "dispute", right ?

Right! And there is a difference between a CASE and a DISPUTE.
Under eBays new system a "case" and a "question" are essentially the same. A case is now equivalent to a "ticket" which is a term used to describe a situation where a customer contacts customer support with a specific issue (in eBay land a buyer asks a seller a question about their order).

Do you think customer service reps freak out when they open a ticket"?

---

I wonder then -- why didn't eBay just call it a ticket? 

Semantics count where perception is concerned.  The problem is the word case -- it smacks of legal proceedings.  I would say it's probably as upsetting for buyers as for sellers to suddenly be routed to a place where they find themselves in opposition to the other, as in "give me a refund". 

I recall one panicked buyer who was clever enough to figure out how to email me via my ID after being routed this way through the item description and ending up one click away from opening a case.  She explained that she just wanted to ask a question about what size of box I'd shipped the item in, and was horrified to end up being sent to a spot where she was suddenly confronted with opening a case.  Yikes.

The other problem, as I see it, is that most buyers have absolutely no idea that they need to look for that "Other" button/option to bypass this annoying and potentially embarrassing route and just ask a simple, old-fashioned question.  This option happens to be at the bottom of the list, which irks me as a buyer.  I have to say there is something cynical about eBay sticking that "direct-contact" option right at the bottom, often where it's off the bottom of the visible screen.  I think it is in fact stressful when a buyer and seller can't speak easily and directly to each other without being arbitrarily routed elsewhere, regardless of where that may be.  This is one of my biggest grievances with the "new" eBay, who I believe want to limit and discourage direct seller/buyer communication as far as possible in order to appeal to their big sellers (interesting this has all just happened since Target arrived).

We were reassured when this process was introduced that open cases would not be counted against sellers.  Perhaps eBay forgot to tell Paypal that!

[6273909]

I just asked a question why my item was in the wrong part of the country, by the tracking, and a case was opened and I never knew a case was being opened until it told me one had been opened.

I am sure the seller is honest and I feel bad about it looking like I was questioning their honesty.

[rose-dee]

---

@6273909 wrote:

I just asked a question why my item was in the wrong part of the country, by the tracking, and a case was opened and I never knew a case was being opened until it told me one had been opened.

I am sure the seller is honest and I feel bad about it looking like I was questioning their honesty.

---

You know what I'd do in this situation?  I'd use the 'Other' option at the bottom of the screen (when you click on 'Contact Seller', go right to the bottom of the screen).  Send a message explaining that you didn't intend to open a case, that it was done automatically, but that you'd be grateful if the seller could send you a reply directly -- you will probably have to repeat your question in your message.  

If the seller's answer is satisfactory, close the case immediately.  To close the case, click under 'Customer Support' at the top of any page, and choose "Resolution Centre" -- you should see a reference to your case somewhere on the page, and you can follow the links to close it.  

I'm sure the seller will appreciate that and it will not affect their selling status.  But I would do this soon, before eBay gets in there to take steps in the case. 

[73rhc]

"Telling people off is not constructive. What is your agenda? First you earn some respect by giving advice and then you throw it away by trolling. We had a conflict about a month ago and I received a private email from another member, quote: "finally someone with a backbone who stood up to that pompous ....". I don't go trolling to your conversations, so please return the favor, thank you."

Sorry to go off topic, but I have received exactly the same kind of messages!!!

[discmagic_canada]

Don't forget any opened case counts as a defect now. so everytime a buyer asks a question (opens a dispute) its recorded as a transaction defect. and it counts against you in your seller dashboard.