| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| abbasgurl |
Posted - Dec 18 2006 : 8:19:47 PM
Hi Farmgirls,
I need some advice. I ordered some merchandise from an online seller about 35 days ago. She promised delivery in 3-5 days, but no package arrived. She claimed she mailed the package, but day after day nothing arrived. My emails and phone calls have gone largely unanswered until I threatened to resolve things another way. Finally, after weeks and numerous emails & phone calls later, she "doesn't know what happened", can't recall if/when the package was mailed, but offered to resend the parcel. I had waited a month at that point and asked for a refund ($160). Now it is nearly a week later & no response to my request for a refund. I ordered from her business website using paypal. As an afterthought, I checked her ebay rating. It turns out that she has done this at least a few times in the past, leaving some customers hanging for months. She has been vague and dishonest, ignoring my many attempts to resolve the matter. I feel like I have been very patient and understand that things do happen...but I do not understand her lack of professionalism in responding to my contacts. Seems just plain rude to me.
I am thinking of trying paypal's resolution service and also contacting the Federal Trade Commission for help. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? I'd love some guidance or recommendation. Thanks!
Rhonda
I'm a one girl revolution. |
| 18 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| KarenP |
Posted - Dec 23 2006 : 05:20:34 AM
Well Rhonda,
I did it and also send my info in again to half.com for a refund and that I won't accept the books now.
this is the feedback I left...
Buyer beware! Given plenty time, no return contact, filed claim.
I did check and it seems there were about 28 negative feedbacks left since the 17th of Dec,but there are over 200 positive and about 7 neutrals.
Even the positive ones mention slow shipping.
I always check when ordering books what the percentage rating is and checked the last page of feedback.There was only one negative about not receiving item and no contact when I ordered on November 3rd.
This person must sell alot as even with the 135 negative, 77 neutral and 873 positive feedbacks this month their still at 97.3% overall.
I'm just disappointed as I wouldn't have been as mad if they would have just contacted me and let me know what is happening, if they didn't have the book, just refund my money and move on.
I have had only one other problem with a seller on half.com and it was resolved thru e-mails and we went from there.
KarenP
"Purest Spring Water in the World" |
| abbasgurl |
Posted - Dec 22 2006 : 5:14:27 PM
Today I received about $40 of my $160 order... Four pieces arrived broken. No mention of the rest of the order. No tracking for the second parcel listed. I assume the seller is trying to buy some time. I reluctantly filed a claim with paypal today. I asked for a refund for undelivered goods, extra shipping costs, and replacement value of the broken items.
Karen, THANK YOU for being willing to leave honest feedback! I hope you get your books-or at least a refund!
Rhonda
I'm a one girl revolution. |
| Bluewrenn |
Posted - Dec 21 2006 : 8:27:04 PM
Beware of booksellers on ebay or half.com. Apparently it is common practice (although NOT a legal or an acceptable practice according to ebay staff) for the really HUGE booksellers (who have thousands of titles to keep track of) to have already sold (in their store) the copy of the book you won and then tell you it is backordered and they will have to "order it" or "reorder it."
If this happens, YOU SHOULD COMPLAIN to ebay about it (unless you don't mind waiting.) Or request an immediate refund from the seller.
This usually delays shipping - sometimes for months and months - and it NOT considered legit under ebay's selling guidelines. Not complaining has made booksellers think that they can get away with this and they have - for years now.
They can, however, sell the book as a "preorder" which lets you know that as soon as they receive the book from the publisher, it will be sent to you, but that it is not yet available. That apparently is okay with ebay.
My Homesteading Journal http://toomyvara.livejournal.com
My craft journal http://bluewrenn.livejournal.com
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| KarenP |
Posted - Dec 21 2006 : 6:53:50 PM
Rhonda,
Hear ya,
I'm dealing with one on half.com right now I ordered 2 books from this seller November 3 and waited and waited, after the 30 days I e-mailed them 2x and got no response.
Now I have had to file a claim, I just wanted the two books and now I have to fight to get something done.
I haven't left feedback yet but will be this weekend. It will be negative.
KarenP
"Purest Spring Water in the World" |
| abbasgurl |
Posted - Dec 20 2006 : 10:17:11 PM
Brenda,
Such a sad story...sometimes things do happen to keep people from being able to hold up their end. It was admirable that you tried to get this woman some help. I'm sorry you lost what to most of us is a good chunk of cash.
In my case this is a business contact. I first wrote concerned emails, thinking she must be ill or had suffered some great tragedy. But then I found out she has been delivering orders to her other customers all this time. She assured me that my package had shipped on Nov. 21. After I didn't receive it, I started to inquire about getting a tracking number-no reply. She has ignored every email and every phone call since, until today. I asked for a refund 6 days ago, but today finally received a tracking number saying the package has just shipped.
The reason it upsets me so much is that there is no reason for the delay. Her reponse is she simply "doesn't remember" if she mailed the order. She knew could not give me a tracking number because she knew hadn't mailed it. As I said, I am not the first customer she has treated this way. I just can't imagine doing business that way. She has been deceptive and downright rude. I will be lucky to get the items I ordered. Refusing to accept the parcel at this point would probably mean ending up empty handed. I am ready to move on. Lesson learned.
Rhonda
I'm a one girl revolution. |
| brightmeadow |
Posted - Dec 20 2006 : 8:05:41 PM
I ordered some yarn from a person I met on a board similar to this one. Never had a problem with any other knitter, ever in my whole life, must be something about knitting. Anyway she supposedly was a former production knitter and had a stockroom full of older good-quality yarn and was selling it about 60% off retail.
I thought that was an excellent deal. She wanted a certified check, didn't accept credit cards or Paypal. I sent it, she never sent the yarn.
I followed up with phone calls. She just got diagnosed with a relapse of cancer. Her husband was leaving her, because he couldn't go through it again. She was sick from chemotherapy. But she would send my yarn just as soon as she could get some help moving the boxes! She promised not to cash the check until she sent the yarn. I told her since it was a certified check it didn't matter if she cashed it or not, the money was already gone from my account.
So I was patient. I followed up again. She was still sick. It was snowing in the mountains in Colorado and it was all she could do to get out to the barn to feed her animals, and she wasn't well enough to deal with the yarn. So I waited.
Then I called the local Girl Scout council where she lived (I'm a lifetime Girl Scout) asked if they could do a service project to help her with feeding her animals.
And I waited. Called to follow up again. She was moving, her money ran out, she was moving to another state, sold the animals, going to move in with a friend, couldn't give me a forwarding address, but the yarn was in the moving van in a box with my name on it. As soon as she unloaded the moving van she would send me the yarn.
I called the sheriff's department in her area and asked if I could open a fraud claim. They said it wasn't enough money, only $400, needed to be over $1000 to do anything about it. They also advised me that everything she had told me was true. She was sick. Her husband left her and they had a nasty divorce with fight over the property. She'd had several appearances in court. She had a case of animal cruelty pending against her because she hadn't been taking care of the animals. The sheriff's deputy told me I probably wouldn't want the yarn anyway based on the condition of the house when he had been there. He said just to take my lumps and don't send certified checks in the future.
I suspect she cashed my check early on and just didn't have enough resources to get by, couldn't refund my money because she didn't have it. Probably didn't have enough money left to pay the shipping on the yarn. I think she intended to send it all along.
I just finally decided to consider it charity. Unfortunately not a deductible one...
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com ,web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Dec 20 2006 : 08:21:11 AM
I'm not sure why people don't leave ned feedback unless they are afraid they will get neg feedback in retaliation. I do business of ETSY a lot and have heard talk that a lot of people wont leave neg feedback or feedback AT ALL if they are dissatisfied.
Jewelry, art, baskets, etc.
www.willowtreecreek.com |
| bohemiangel |
Posted - Dec 20 2006 : 06:30:20 AM
Yeah everyone has good ideas! contact the BBB as well. :) GOOD LUCK!
"... to thine ownself be true." |
| La Patite Ferme |
Posted - Dec 19 2006 : 9:26:48 PM
Ditto on speaking with PayPal. Also, I would talk with your credit card company (if that's how you paid) tell them what happened and ask them to throw the charge into dispute if the merchant has already charged you for the item. That way you do not have to pay for the item and will not accrue interest while the matter is being resolved. Any time I have problems this is the first thing I do. The card company has always been helpful.
Disreputable business people are so bothersome. Hope it works out well for you.
Jenn
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| quilt8305 |
Posted - Dec 19 2006 : 3:35:45 PM
DON'T DELAY filing a claim thru PayPal. There is a time limit involved. You can check it all on the PayPal web site.
Mary
Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding. Albert Einstein |
| abbasgurl |
Posted - Dec 19 2006 : 11:19:26 AM
Wow, you guys are savy! Isn't it a shame that we have to be? Well, I placed one last phone call to her this morning-got the answering machine. I had originally told her she had until tomorow, so I plan to take action then. I feel like jumping right on it today, but I'd at least like to keep MY word! Thanks for all your help farmgirls! I'll let you know how this one works out!
Rhonda
I'm a one girl revolution. |
| therusticcottage |
Posted - Dec 19 2006 : 10:10:40 AM
Definitely got through PayPal to get your money back. Also file a report with eBay that you have not received the item. And when you've gotten your refund I would not even hesitate to leave her negative feedback. You will probably get negative back but, to me, it's worth it to save someone else from going through this hassle. She will probably try and send the stuff after you've filed your reports and if it arrives I'd refuse the package. She's a dishonest seller!
The Rustic Cottage Etsy Shop http://therusticcottage.etsy.com
Visit my blog! http://nwfarmerette.blogspot.com |
| abbasgurl |
Posted - Dec 19 2006 : 10:07:00 AM
My thought was to try the paypal route first, so reassuring to hear their resolution service actually works! I appreciate all of you sharing your experiences, it gives me an idea of how to pursue this. Since she is a frequent eBay seller I would think she would like to maintain her status with Paypal.
One other thing comes to mind... When folks have a bad experience with an eBay seller/buyer, WHY is it that they do not leave negative feedback? They seem to wimp out and use the "neutral" option. I'd like to be alerted to bad sellers/buyers! The rating system won't work if people are afraid to speak up & give honest feedback.
Thanks again,
Rhonda
I'm a one girl revolution. |
| Bluewrenn |
Posted - Dec 19 2006 : 10:06:31 AM
Your responsibility in this case is to go to Paypal. You have given her multiple chances to resolve the matter. The next step in this case is to definitely go thru Paypal's resolution process - esp. before someone else gets swindled by this person. They will freeze her account if its necessary and get your money back! Please do it right away and do NOT feel guilty about "turning her in" - her conduct is not only unprofessional but illegal and against her agreement with Paypal.
My Homesteading Journal http://toomyvara.livejournal.com
My craft journal http://bluewrenn.livejournal.com
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| JenniferJuniper |
Posted - Dec 19 2006 : 09:36:12 AM
My hubby got swindled on eBay a few years ago for $350 (buying a Christmas present for me), and he filed a complaint with the FTC through their website, as these situations are considered mail fraud. Definitely go to PayPal. Also consider filing a complaint with the BBB if this woman has set up an online store or registered a company (I don't think you can file a complaint w/ the BBB if she's just an individual). Check out her state's Secretary of State website for a "business entity" search to see if she's filed for incorporation, etc. Also ask the seller to send (better yet, fax) you a copy of the postal receipt. |
| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Dec 19 2006 : 08:21:58 AM
I would definatly suggest going through paypal. I think if the person cannot give proof of mailing with in like 7 days they refund your money. Did you purchase through a website because some merchant sites have their own policy on those kinds of things to in order to help protect the customer. I have done lots of buying online and fortunatly have not had any problems yet. I do usually try to limit my purchase totals to less than 50$ so I wont feel as bad if something went wrong. Goodluck and let us know how it turns out!
Jewelry, art, baskets, etc.
www.willowtreecreek.com |
| Alee |
Posted - Dec 19 2006 : 04:10:46 AM
There is a way to start a claim through pay pal and pay pal will give you your money back. I had this happen with an ebay seller to the tune of $110 earlier this year. Paypal was great and I always try to use them if the option is available because they really support their customers. I let the seller try to resolve it for 1 week (he wanted me to wait to see if it had arrived) when it didn't I proceeded the claim to the next level through paypal and I got the money literally that day. The contacting and everything was all done through the paypal site so the paypal reps would be able to look at the corospondence to help make a decision. It is a pretty easy process- but if you have any questions please let me know and I will try to help :)
Alee |
| momto6 |
Posted - Dec 18 2006 : 9:32:42 PM
Isn't that frustrating? We had that happen with some home schooling products in the mail last year. I am very unfamiliar with the rules of the computer world, but it sounds like maybe you are on the right track. One suggestion I would make is to check with your local district attorney. They work for you for free (the costs come from the person they collect from). We have only had to do this once (in the above instance), but we got our money back within 1 week. I don't know what policies are regarding monies paid with Pay Pal, but it is worth a try.
Val |
