New Ebay PowerSeller & Received False Negative Feedback

[techwhiz1]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum as I've never really checked it out much but would like to know if anyone can help with this situation. I recently received a Negative feedback from a guy that bid and won an item from me on April 9th, 2004. I never received communication from him at all. I finaly sent a reminder etc...and still nothing.
Today I received this negative saying bad ebayer and that's not possible because I've had no complete transaction with this guy. I checked his feedback and the SOB won the exact same product on April 6th, 2004 for half the price that he won it from me. Is that right or what? He didn't honour this transaction at all and didn't complete it but yet is able to leave me a feedback? I don't think he should have the option to leave me any feedback if he's had no communication with me at all. He didn't even email me to notify me, well look i bought one already or something. Just this negative feedback and I'm ticked. I have yet to leave him any feedback but I want to clear up my end since I'm a new Ebay Silver Power Seller and my feedback is very important to me and ebay of course.

Any info would be greatly helpfull.

Thanks,
techwhiz1
Chad Roberts

[whoscloset]

Pull his contact information and try phoning him. If his phone number is incorrect you can have the negative removed by emailing PS Support and reporting the false contact info.

It's worth a try. I recently had one removed for this reason.

The bonus is that this guys account is also NARUed when you report him for false contact info.

Monique

[whoscloset]

Also, as you haven't left feedback yet, leave a negative for him and file a NPB alert.

You might then be able to have it removed mutually or through SquareTrade.

Monique

[techwhiz1]

The problem I have is I've already filed for a Non Paying Bidder and received my credit but he just recently left the negative feedback for what I have no idea. I have yet to receive an email at all from him, and then he leaves me the negative. He shouldn't have that right after I've filed for NPB and received the credit is what I think. I think he decided to do this after receiving a warning probably from Ebay since I received my credit for this item.

But I have no idea because he won't even respond to any of my emails and never has. That's the most frustrating thing about it. I don't know this guy, he doesn't pay, doesn't explain that maybe it was an error or anything and then leaves me a negative. That's WRONG!

Chad

[shoplineca]

Chad
I know it is difficult to appreciate as you know the truth in this situation but there are bad sellers who claim that they never heard from the buyer when in fact the buyer has made numerous attempts to reach the seller and it was the seller who failed to communicate. In those instances, it is right that the buyer leaves negative FB about the seller.

Unfortunately eBay will not invest into investigating who is right or wrong, or more right and more wrong.

The two avenues is through mutually agreeing to get rid of the negatives (however the comments remain) or to go through Square Trade and one of you has to put up $20 US to file and have a mediator work out a solution.

Its a pretty fair guess that 99% of the Power Sellers that post regularly on these boards get negatives that 99% of the time they dont deserve.

The topic has been debated over and over ad naseum as well as the solutions.

One thing I am a bit curious about is you mentioned not getting any communication from the buyer after the auction but it appears that your first communication with him was a payment reminder.

Did you send him anything immediately after the auction?

Malcolm

[techwhiz1]

I emailed him along with all my buyers the moment the auction ended. Then I also had PayPal send a payment and I did the Ebay Reminder since I'm paying for this new Selling manager pro service with ebay and sent the reminder through that within the first week. Then I had filed for the reminder on ebays regular reminder service in order to get it taken care of before I file for Non Paying bidder. I did more then enough on my part, ya know...And it's more then enough proof that he won the exact same darn thing 3 days before my auction ended and it was half the price. Anyone can check his feedback and the item he gave me the negative on and clearly see that he left me a negative just because he's trying to get out of this transaction totally and probably is ticked because I just finished filing for my credit refund with ebay regarding this transaction. I think he gets another warning when I do this and probably that's why.

I try my best on here but I can't afford to have many negatives at all as I already have a few from the beginning, 2 years ago. If I pay the $20 does it clear the feedback on my end or no? Am I still able to notify others that he is a non paying bidder and did what he did or will Squaretrade erase that negative too???

It's BS and I shouldn't have to pay but feel I have to as I've had great feedback of 99% for some time and I've been going strong for a while now.

Just unsure how to clear this up.

Thanks again,
Chad

[llee2]

Chad,

We all know what a pain an undeserved feedback is. Really though, don't beat yourself up over it because it's just going to frustrate the heck out of you. Malcolm is right in saying that eBay will not care who is right or wrong in the situation. I would check his contact info as suggested by Monique and go from there. Neg him back and try to get it mutually removed if you have to. Invest the $20 with ST if you have to, but I think most of your potential buyers will overlook a neg from this loser considering your feedback response sums it up best. Don't lose any sleep over it because that's just what this loser is after. BTW, welcome to the PS forum.

[techwhiz1]

Here's a silly question but is it worth applying to SquareTrade for the free 30 day trial and clearing this up as they say it's only $10 for members opposed to the $20 for non members? Anyone else have this happen to them?

Thanks for all your help everyone,
Chad

[gem-n-i-gemstonz]

Hi Chad, I am a member, and when I looked into getting my neg removed they were quite ready to charge me the $20...not $10.

As it turned out the other guy refused, and it never was removed(also a retaliatory neg from NPB). Strangely enough, I think your guy and mine must be related. 😮 Mine just wrote "Bad seller"...very similar language to yours...but I checked it out, and they are not the same. 😉

Jaqui

[shooger]

Welcome to the board. You know, the #1 reason for PowerSellers making their first post here? To ask how to deal with an undeserved negagive. So trust us when we say that we've heard this story many times before. Not to say that you're not unique, and all that, it's just.... this has been rehashed so many times it's not funny.

My advice to you has partially already been said, but I'll repeat.

- pull contact info, call the number, tell him you want to mutually remove all feedback
- if the number doesn't lead you to the buyer, report it to eBay and the feedback will be removed, and he'll become NARU (not a registered user)
- leave a negative feedback
- file NPB and FVF (done)
- leave a good response to his negative (done)
- let it go

That's all you can do. Almost all of us have negatives, many of them undeserved. Trust me, if I looked at your profile, I wouldn't let a single negative from some obvious bad newbie buyer get in the way of me bidding on your auctions. Neither will any other prospective buyers.

[shooger]

Sorry for the double post.

Oh yeah, a couple more things.

- avoid Square Trade like the plague
- after leaving a negative, file for mutual feedback removal... if he agrees, the negative will be removed (but the comment will remain, although it will be buried by all your new positives)

[deltone]

There is actually NO reason to use the Square Trade anymore as they will charge you the $20 and if the buyer agrees to remove the neg, all that will happen is the # will remove (the red) but the comments will remain. It's pointless so one is just better off going the free route of mutually agree to remove as the end result is the same.

It changed as of Feb 9 or something like that. Doesn't make sense, but it's true.

By the way, welcome Techwhiz. (and GOOD LUCK)

[shoplineca]

It makes sense for the Sellers who leave a positive FB first and the buyers give them a negative FB.

It make sense if the Buyer pays the $20 fee to remove the feedback (whether the seller has left FB or not).

It makes sense to resolve an issue that goes beyond FB and deals with the disposition of an item sold, warranties and returns etc.

It makes sense in alot of ways that go beyond negative FB removal.

Malcolm

[shooger]

"It makes sense for the Sellers who leave a positive FB first and the buyers give them a negative FB."

Why... so you can hurt the buyer a little by taking away one unit from their total number of positives?

"It make sense if the Buyer pays the $20 fee to remove the feedback (whether the seller has left FB or not)."

Why? The eBay route is free, faster, and easier. Why is making the buyer paying $20 better than both people paying nothing?

"It makes sense to resolve an issue that goes beyond FB and deals with the disposition of an item sold, warranties and returns etc."

True! eBay doesn't handle warranties and related issues.

"It makes sense in alot of ways that go beyond negative FB removal."

...like?

[shoplineca]

shooger
I am not going to argue with you on this board.

You dont like Square Trade and see no reason for it then dont use it, but dont blindly tell people not to use it simply because eBay now will remove mutually left negatives.

There are other reasons for using ST and Power Sellers are using for those reasons including for the ones set out above.

I have had very positive results in the 2 ocassions where the customers have paid for ST and I was pleased with their service and professionalism.

By the way have you ever used ST?

Malcolm

[deltone]

Malcolm, i agree that Square Trade can be useful for things other than feedback but not for feedback removal. I've been reading a lot about this on the feedie board and you can achieve the same thing without using ST as far as feedback removal goes, for free, as you just need to use the mutually agreed removal.

Apparently when ST removes your feedback now, the comments still remain. It doesn't make sense but i apparently is the way.

[shoplineca]

Deb
Thats quite correct however there are other parts of a business transaction that sometimes require the assistance of a mediator especially when you have an unreasonable buyer.

If the seller was given a negative FB and the buyer was given a positive FB (as in the case of sellers who automatically leave positives as soon as paid) what is the likeyhood that the buyer will agree to the mutual removal of FB, thereby eliminating the FB the seller left him? Probably chance of an agreement!

Whereas ST can recommend the removal of the negative FB while the positive remains.

As I said, for mutually agreed negative FB removal, eBay now has a solution however there are many other reasons why ST still has a place to serve buyers and sellers.

With luck and the grace of God, may we never again have to discover the need to use them for the rest of our selling experience on eBay.

Malcolm

[shoplineca]

Sorry meant to say "Probably ZERO chance of an agreement."

Malcolm