Change refund request reason from not arrived to not as described timeline

[wellandcanalboy]

I started a refund request within the 30 day thing for item not arrived, but held out until just a couple of days before it expired as Covid-19 has slowed things from Europe.  Customer service and reading on these boards tells me that I can switch my reason to not as described upon receipt of the item, even if the parcel arrives a few days past the 30 day deadline.  The item that arrives is clearly not as described and I do as customer service says and close my first case and open the other since they cannot modify on their end, all the time I am assured that my protection still exists.  I open a return request and the seller rejects and immediately has it closed.  I contact customer service and they open the case and promised that the seller will contact my about receiving my return within three days.  I contact customer service after three days and they promise a refund, tell me to ignore the automated messages about EMBG not being valid.  I wait until after the latest day that they say refund will arrive.  No refund shows, so I call again and I am assured a refund will be there in a few days.  A couple of days later, I get an auto notification that my case is closed w/o refund as the switch from not arrive to not as described occurred past the deadline.  What do I do now?

[pjcdn2005]

It sounds like you were given bad advice. It's possible that if you had gotten customer service to change the reason for the claim rather than closed the item not received claim, it might have been ok but I'm just guessing.

How did you pay? If you paid through Paypal you can open an item not as described claim through them up for up to 180 days after payment.  But if you paid with a credit card...even if it was through PP you might be better off to file with your cc because PP will require you to return the item at your own expense.   Before opening the PP claim you could  first register for their Paypal return shipping program. I'm not sure if they will cover return shipping for purchases made after you sign up with that program but since it is free to sign up, it doesn't hurt to sign up and try to use if for this return.

[ericsells75]

I don't have the answer but I saw your username and had to say hi! I grew up in Welland - I don't live their anymore but I sure miss it!

[wellandcanalboy]

tyler@ebay, in posting about an exact same situation elsewhere states, "However, when things don't work out, you have options available to you through a variety of sources - the main one is the eBay Money Back Guarantee, which allows you 30 days from the estimated delivery date (or the actual delivery date) to notify the seller there's an issue. You did the right thing to open a Not Received request initially, as you hadn't gotten the item yet. When you received an item that wasn't as described closing the Not Received request was the proper course of action (since you had received something).

The Not as Described request would have covered your situation. However, because you opened a separate dispute with PayPal, that superseded our authority and the closure of your eBay return request was the right thing to do. "

I will go thru CC once I've confirmed that I have exhausted my EBay possibilities as I cannot do both concurrently.

[wellandcanalboy]

Hi Back!

Customer Service is not able to answer my simple question about EBay policy on this matter. As a buyer, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to guess the right answer when there own staff don't know.
If one cannot change a request reason without the clock resetting then this will be bad for sellers. I've had a half dozen packages blow past the 30 day EMBG that I would have had to demand a refund for so I don't lose EMBG protection, which seems kinds harsh.
Looks like I'll head to the CC route on Monday. Thanks to the previous poster about the PP stuff, I will have to check into that..