eBay

dstew125 · ‎01-12-2018

It's in the script, no choice, they are not meant to help you.

The only chance you got is if they bring in someone called a "The Specialist".

My experience - won an auction item, money was proven to be removed from my account (thank-you PayPal), seller didn't ship item, seller didn't respond to polite emails asking for tracking information, spent hours asking for advice from eBay non-Specialist Customer Representatives, PayPal Customer Representatives, and reading members experiences on this forum, sifted through the accumulated information, made a decision, and moved forward to a get refund. Days later PayPal informed me that the seller did not claim the funds so I would be receiving a refund. The end. Wait - two days later my eBay account shows I have an unpaid item? I call eBay Customer Service to deal with this "error" and two hours later the only feedback I am getting is that I didn't pay for the item. Finally, someone calls in - The Specialist (no, I am being serious)! Likely an old eBay Customer Representative vet coming out of retirement, from parts unknown, reluctantly for one last job... I imagine that The Specialist is real badass and rides into the call centre with their pimped-out Harley. With a look of disdain at the inept so-called customer representatives, who have brought great shame on this once proud profession, they dismount their mechanical steed and take my call. Using years of troubleshooting know how, The Specialist reaches down deep into their bag of customer satisfaction tricks and uncovers in 2 minutes what the other reps couldn't uncover in 2 hours - I paid for it. Case closed. Vrrrrrrroooooom...into the sunset.

That's when I realized, it's not their fault. The non-Specialist eBay Customer Service Representative hadn't got the tools, the experience, to do the dirty work that those old grizzled vets used to do every minute of every day. To this very day I don't know what key The Specialist pressed on the keyboard to find that vital information that pulled my eBay account out harms way but thank-you...masked stranger. Thank-you.

reallynicestamps · ‎01-13-2018

There is no need to get a human being involved at all.

EBay allows you to open an Item Not Received dispute for 30 days after the last estimated date for delivery.

The Resolution Centre is at the bottom of this page.

The first suggestion is to contact the seller, usually this solves the problem.

All you want from the seller is either a refund OR the date of shipping , the service used and a usable tracking number that shows the item is in your country.

If you don't get a tracking number or a refund* ask eBay to step in and escalate to a Claim.

If the seller cannot prove delivery (not shipping, delivery) you will be refunded.

If you missed the 30 day deadline the Paypal Resolution Centre is at the top of your PP account page under Tools.

Basically the same system, but PP allows Disputes for 180 days from Payment.

Getting Customer Service involved was an error. I am surprised that none of the clerks told you to open a Dispute in the Resolution Centre.

*NO 'replacements' and you don't have to close the dispute to get the refund. Both are scams.

dstew125 · ‎01-13-2018

"There is no need to get a human being involved at all."

Some people prefer human beings but I can see the benefit of businesses using automation to deal with problems. Nonetheless, I patiently followed along from Dec. 24th when I purchased the item to Jan. 4th when the item was supposed to arrive. At that point it seems straight forward - I fulfilled my part of the contract and the seller failed in every way to fulfill theirs. This does not need complex negotiation - give me my money back. Automation or human intervention, it should be an easy and painless request.

I spent too much time patiently talking to people who get paid to help that ultimately gave me mixed advice and very little help. Then it became frustrating when I started talking to eBay reps who seemed clueless that I was even involved in a transaction or that I at least paid for something that was never shipped. At this point I feel certain that it's a poorly ran system. As soon as I am 100% certain that my refund is in the bank I will be closing my eBay account. This won't be an issue since I've rarely used it.

lady.stark · ‎01-13-2018

@reallynicestamps, this case was much more complex than just an INR case. The seller never shipped the item because he never claimed the money. Later on, an Unpaid Item case was opened against the buyer even though he did pay for it.

That reminds me of a reverse situation where a seller sold something, but never got the money in their PayPal account, because it was sent to an email address he didn't know (or didn't remember, he never came back to confirm or deny).

Is it possible the 2 cases are related?

reallynicestamps · ‎01-13-2018

I spent too much time patiently talking to people who get paid to help that ultimately gave me mixed advice and very little help.

Did no one suggest using the Resolution Centre claim form?

dstew125 · ‎01-13-2018

@reallynicestamps wrote:
I spent too much time patiently talking to people who get paid to help that ultimately gave me mixed advice and very little help.

Did no one suggest using the Resolution Centre claim form?

Maybe. But it could not have been a strongly suggested option otherwise after all the various reps I talked to I am sure that I would have recalled hearing it. Maybe that would have made it easier but if that is the case then someone should have strongly insisted back when I was more than willing to follow their advice. After it got to the point of PayPal stating the refund was coming and then trying to get eBay on the same page by getting rid of this "unpaid item" in my account I was losing all concern for following their advice. The email from eBay stating that I should pay for my item after talking to 3 reps and desperately asking how is it possible that they can't see on their end that I paid for the item was the last straw. Like I said, a Specialist was called in and two minutes later they could see I paid for the item and removed the unpaid item message from my account. Prior to that it went from feeling a bit ripped-off by the seller to feeling like I was being accused of failing to uphold my obligation to pay. Bad business model.

I've already begun the process of deleting this account. I had less than 10 transactions on eBay. One bad experience as a seller (eBay's currency conversion calculator was broke during my auction and I screwed-up the shipping costs even though I was following eBay's advice) and one bad experience as a buyer. Enough for me.

No bad experiences with Amazon and many more transactions.

No bad experiences with Kijiji and even more transactions than Amazon.

I am sticking with what works.

momcqueen · ‎01-13-2018

@lady.stark wrote:
@reallynicestamps, this case was much more complex than just an INR case. The seller never shipped the item because he never claimed the money. Later on, an Unpaid Item case was opened against the buyer even though he did pay for it.

That reminds me of a reverse situation where a seller sold something, but never got the money in their PayPal account, because it was sent to an email address he didn't know (or didn't remember, he never came back to confirm or deny).

Is it possible the 2 cases are related?

Oh, I wonder. If not this time then eventually we will see both parties on different threads explaining only their side of the problem and looking for advice on how to resolve it when the other party is impossible with which to deal. Almost always a breakdown in communication or misunderstanding is at the root. Maybe this is that.

dstew125 · ‎01-13-2018

@reallynicestamps wrote:
I spent too much time patiently talking to people who get paid to help that ultimately gave me mixed advice and very little help.

Did no one suggest using the Resolution Centre claim form?

Back when I was more than willing to follow the eBay Customer Reps advice I am sure that I would have gone that direction if it had been suggested as THE ACTION TO TAKE. I don't even remember it being brought up.

dstew125 · ‎01-13-2018

@mjwl2006momcqueen wrote:
@lady.stark wrote:
@reallynicestamps, this case was much more complex than just an INR case. The seller never shipped the item because he never claimed the money. Later on, an Unpaid Item case was opened against the buyer even though he did pay for it.

That reminds me of a reverse situation where a seller sold something, but never got the money in their PayPal account, because it was sent to an email address he didn't know (or didn't remember, he never came back to confirm or deny).

Is it possible the 2 cases are related?
Oh, I wonder. If not this time then eventually we will see both parties on different threads explaining only their side of the problem and looking for advice on how to resolve it when the other party is impossible with which to deal. Almost always a breakdown in communication or misunderstanding is at the root. Maybe this is that.

A breakdown in communication? It could be. I never 100% assumed the worst of the seller. Even though my initial instinct, after winning the auction, was that this deal was too good to be true. Nonetheless, I tried to follow it through hoping it would somehow work out. After two emails to the seller through eBay asking for shipping information without response and the item's date of arrival time elapsing I think it becomes irrelevant as to what the problem is. At that point it should be a given that the buyer gets their money back. The buyer's money is tied up all this time (in my case from Dec. 24th to Jan. 10th) and why? Because eBay needs to play CSI and establish motive? Nonsense.

If the Resolution Centre really is the best option then why even give the option to talk to customer service reps who aren't even giving the same information?

dstew125 · ‎01-13-2018

@mjwl2006momcqueen wrote:
@lady.stark wrote:
@reallynicestamps, this case was much more complex than just an INR case. The seller never shipped the item because he never claimed the money. Later on, an Unpaid Item case was opened against the buyer even though he did pay for it.

That reminds me of a reverse situation where a seller sold something, but never got the money in their PayPal account, because it was sent to an email address he didn't know (or didn't remember, he never came back to confirm or deny).

Is it possible the 2 cases are related?
Oh, I wonder. If not this time then eventually we will see both parties on different threads explaining only their side of the problem and looking for advice on how to resolve it when the other party is impossible with which to deal. Almost always a breakdown in communication or misunderstanding is at the root. Maybe this is that.

Yes, there was a breakdown in communication - I sent emails through eBay to the seller politely asking for shipping information and they never responded. At some point it should become irrelevant as to why the seller is not communicating. In my opinion that moment is when the estimated time of arrival for the item elapses. At that point eBay should just call it a dead deal and allow the buyer to get their money back.

dstew125 · ‎01-13-2018

My eBay account is in the process of being deleted. Before I go for good I would like to say that I see no villains in this. Obviously eBay is going to do fine without my membership. But after this experience I have to assume that the bulk of their transactions occur without any input from their employees. That's the only way I can make sense of how they're still in business.

patken123 · ‎01-15-2018

If lower prices is not the driving force for your purchases, then I support your decision of cancelling your membership with ebay, I agree that ebay does not stand out in " great customer service"when compared to others like Amazon but for many purchases in this world, price is the main factor.