eBay

shooger · ‎02-29-2004

A while ago, under pressre from sellers, eBay made it so that when you file a NPB alert against a NARUd buyer, or file a NPB alert for the reason "mutually agreed not to complete the sale", you would automatically be taken to the "Request for Final Value Fee" form and be allowed to get your money back immediately, instead of in 10 days. For the last month or so, it now sends you to this screen:

Internal Error!
An internal error occured while attempting to process your request. Please try again.

Of course, if you go back and click again, it says "You already filed a NPB alert on this auction. Please wait ten days to request your final value fee."

Of course, there's no internal error. EBay simply wants to make you wait for your money - or in many cases, forget about it and move on with your life. And so, eBay makes another buck fifty or so... multiplied by 500,000 such transactions a month, and you have an extra nine million USD a year. Not bad profits, just for getting a programmer to redirect all such requests to a simple HTML page that says "INTERNAL ERROR", huh? It even kind of makes you feel like you did something wrong, and it's your fault you're not getting your money.

llee2 · ‎03-06-2004

Shooger,

I'm getting this problem now as well when I try to file for a credit. In fact, it won't even let the credit go thorough. I've emailed PS support but it's been a couple of days and no response. Did you ever get yours resolved?

Lincoln

can-import · ‎03-07-2004

I got the same problem with some of my auctions I wanted to cancel ("mutually agreed not...")

Think ebay doesnt like to credit our accounts!

shooger · ‎03-07-2004

"I got the same problem with some of my auctions I wanted to cancel ("mutually agreed not...")"

Yeah, that hasn't been working for a long time, either. It's bad enough that you have to wait 17 days to say "we cancelled the deal"... now you get the error and you have to start all over again.

When a deal is cancelled, why do they make you wait another 10 days after the first 7? It says "keep trying to work it out with the buyer... try phoning them at home, maybe that will help!" Jeeeeeeeez.

jhongs · ‎03-07-2004

I had the same problem and I contacted Ebay via PowerSeller Support and they credited my FVF fees back within a day

sawtoothrc_com · ‎03-07-2004

Is this error ONLY when filing against NARU'd users?

acurael · ‎03-08-2004

Had this happen today - 1st time - user wasn't a naru, but a double bidder (ack another problem that's still unresolved)

Emailed PS support, they credited it back within hours.

Maybe I'll just email them directly on all of these - perhaps I'll get lucky and not have to wait the specified time to cancel "dual bids" 🙂

llee2 · ‎03-08-2004

I got my credit finally. Though they never did address why this was happening and seems as though it's happening to a lot of folks too.

Hopefully, a fix is on it's way.

Thanks all.
Lincoln

moltencore · ‎03-09-2004

I just got the same error today even though it was for a Naru and went to the FVF screen right away. yes I agree I think they want to keep this particular scripting error going for as long as possible, money in their pockets.

but is it really true you can get immediate or close to it credit if you email ps support - that would be great? I can't believe it (TGTBT?) 😉 gail

shooger · ‎03-09-2004

moltencore, I agree, the "error" is just a way to return less money to the sellers who have been screwed. Kicked while you're down, so to speak.

I don't know that it's true you can get immediate credit if you email PS support. Why don't we ALL do so, and see? Maybe the "error" will go away. 🙂

acurael · ‎03-11-2004

I've just emailed them a couple of FVF's for "mutually agreed to not complete" on duplicate bidders.

Hopefully they'll put them through - if they do, no more waiting for cancelling dupes! 😄

acurael · ‎03-11-2004

Wow - that was quick... 😄

Success!

Fees credited back without any questions asked - and these hadn't even hit 7 days yet either.

Posted under FVFbugs\tsl Ref#XXXXXXXX

I read that as Final Value Fees BUGS... BUGS! So they would seem to be well aware of the issue and have even created a "code" for their invoice system.

Ah, well, I'd rather email support and have the dupe fixed right away rather than wait.

ospreylinks · ‎03-15-2004

I posted a NPB alert and selected the mutually agreed not to proceed choice and got the Internal Error message....

I also immediately went to process the credit for FVF's and it worked....

Getting the Internal Error message is kind of confusing though and had I not remembered a post about the error here, I probably would not have tried to post the FVF refund immediately, but waited the 10 days.

This thread was authored on Feb 29th and it is now Mar 16th, so you would think in the matter of two weeks Ebay would have this error fixed.

(they seem to charge my credit card on time every month)

Jeff

shooger · ‎03-17-2004

Well, it has been going on for several months - I only decided to author this thread when I was totally fed up with the problem!

I'm still getting the "error" which I maintain is actually no error at all. Just a way to make you wait another 10 days to get the money that is rightfully yours - meanwhile a lot of sellers forget or abandon the claim, or assume that it went through.

I contacted PS customer support the other day on a 49 cent auction (like 2 cent FVF) and included the word "bug" in the report. Within 24 hours they told me they credited my account.

ospreylinks · ‎03-18-2004

I have had a problem that I had the same buyer do a Buy It Now for the same item twice (a day apart), but only wanted one item.

I am trying to get FVF credit for one of the two items and I assumed I would post a mutual none paying bidder alert on the second item, but then when it took me to the request for FVF, it only allows me to post for Buyer #1. (but I want to credit against Buyer #2, although they are the same person, only because I posted the none paying bidder alert against Buyer #2 - even though it is the same person......confused?????)

It asks for the buyerid and date (which is a pulldown) but when I click on it, it only shows one buyer id name and no transaction date......

Anyways, waiting to hear back from Ebay why the FVF system is designed as such and why I can't get my credit.

Jeff