I received a partial refund from seller, but less than what seller had agreed to.

[amethystelectra26]

Hello everyone.

I made a purchase a few weeks ago for an electronic item.

It arrived today. When I opened the satchel, the retail box was saturated with water and almost like mulch. The item was still in good nic. But then I noticed the item was a lot smaller in size than expected. And then I looked at some of the specs on the box, and found it was different to that of the manufacturers website. Then I smelt a rat, and investigated further, and found the item was a fake, or counterfeited brand name. So, I pointed all of this out to the seller. After many eBay messages back and forth, I then get a message saying that they would be happy to refund me a 20% re-imbursement. I agreed to this, as I did not wish to rely on a dodgy seller refunding me in full, if I had to send it back, they would find some excuse to get out of a full refund. So then they processed the refund, but considerably less than 20% as agreed to. I have sent another message off, saying that the amount refunded is not what was agreed to.

How can I dispute my claim of refund with eBay. I do not see any provision for doing so. I dont even know if eBay will intervene. I mean to say, what the seller is doing, is totally wrong and against eBay policy, in selling an item to represent as being a top electronic manufacturer branded name. 

Cheers David. 

[amethystelectra26]

The amount received is more like 15%.  Its not the amount, it is the principle. When an agreement is reached via eBay messaging, and then not honoured.  Its would be like going to a shop and get an adjustment, and the salesman says he will do something, and then not honouring what he says. It makes me wonder as to who we can trust in today's world. In my day of retail, you did the right thing, and pleased your customers, even if it meant going that little further. This person obviously likes to abuse people in not honouring an agreement. 

[domino-710]

It would be among the shortest books ever written ' Chinese Business Principles '.

[amethystelectra26]

But I am dealing with someone from NSW not China. Therefore it is "Australian Business Principles".  It is business conducted within Australia, so its comes down to Australian Retail. 

[countessalmirena]

Please post the item number. You can’t post the seller’s username or details, but item number is fine.

It’s possible that it’s a seller in Australia, but it is more likely that the seller is in China. Have you checked to see where the seller is registered? (Not where the seller said the item was located, but where the seller is registered.)

[amethystelectra26]

There are many businesses here in Australia that are Chinese owned and operated, take our agricultural industry as one. But when a seller is located or doing business within Australia then it becomes business within Australia and Australian Consumer Law then applies. I dont give a damn as to where someone maybe registered, that is something that does not appear within the listing itself, its is item location and where posted from that appears in the listing. And I need to be very careful about handing out the sellers details on this forum. Handing you the sellers item number is exactly doing just that, in giving you the sellers details, but in a roundabout way.......I am not falling for that trap. 

[padi*0409]

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@amethystelectra26 wrote:

And I need to be very careful about handing out the sellers details on this forum. Handing you the sellers item number is exactly doing just that, in giving you the sellers details, but in a roundabout way.......I am not falling for that trap. 

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Giving the item number is permissible by the moderators of this forum, and giving it will help us to help you.

[sandypebbles · Accepted solution]

It is not a trap

The item number is allowed, by forum rules to be posted

And all we get by looking at it is the seller's eBay username, no other details

Obviously there is no point though, since you have made your mind up and only want to be told what you want to hear

In which case, best keep trying eBay help, as that is exactly what CS staff are told to do

99% of the time it is not accurate information given by them  but good when people do not actually want real help

[jellybirddesigns]

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@amethystelectra26 wrote:

But I am dealing with someone from NSW not China. Therefore it is "Australian Business Principles".  It is business conducted within Australia, so its comes down to Australian Retail. 

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Just because the item location says NSW, does not mean the seller is actually Australian. To see that info - go to their feedback page and it will tell you where they are registered. It is relevant because in the case of disputes, things are handled a bit differently, especially where returns are requested by either the seller or the buyer.

There are many, many buyers on these forums who have been tricked into purchasing sub-standard merchandise thinking they are buying from an Australian seller, when they are not. Complaints such as yours are common on these boards. There are 2 other alternatives - the seller is just buying junk merchandise and on-selling it, or the seller is drop shipping from the cheapest Chinese factories he can find.

Even though you have received a partial refund, I don't think that will stop you from opening a case for the balance - is the option there in the transaction history to open a dispute?

Did you check the sellers feedback before purchasing?

[jellybirddesigns]

Just as a further thought - like other forum members, I'm not sure why you didn't just follow the Buyers guidelines in the first place and you would have received all your money back. Why let a seller of a counterfeit item keep the vast majority of your hard earned money? Hardly a deterrent!

Refunds do not take a month. Once a case is lodged, the seller has just a few days to respond. All you have to do is actually open a case instead of wasting time and energy "negotiating" with a seller so open a case right now.

Since you know the item is counterfeit and would need another one anyway as per message #5, what difference would it make if the refund took 5 days or 20 days? Why does the one correlate to the other? What you do have is a piece of rubbish that you paid good money for and can't use. Get the balance of your money back and look for a genuine seller in the mean time - preferably from an Aussie seller with an actual store outside of Ebay. That way you'll at least get a warranty with your purchase - something you definitely don't have with purchasing on Ebay.

[amethystelectra26]

Quite simple about time for refunds. A refund does not take place until the buyer receives the item. At the moment it is taking Australia Post anything up to 3 weeks to do deliveries from Tasmania to NSW and visa versa. Then the seller could take a day or 2 to process the refund, assuming he does. If not, I then need to ask eBay to intervene and hope they do it, and within reasonable time. It simply isnt worth all of this hassle, and then I may not even receive a refund. Refunds are not guaranteed, the Money Back Guarantee Policy states this, I have read it, and know of where people did not get their refund due to scrupulous sellers. If they are scrupulous enough to mislead and falsely misrepresent in their item listing, then they cant be trusted to get a full refund. Anyhow, I am not responding to anymore remarks on this forum, I know what I need to do, and dont need to be told that I shouldnt keep the product and use it, or that it needs returning, etc, etc, etc. I did not ask for this kind of advice. My question was very plain and simple "How can I dispute my claim of refund with eBay. I do not see any provision for doing so." ???" Thanks for everyone advice, but I am now doing as one member above "SandyPebbles" suggested and that was to contact eBay customer service. Thats what I shall do, at least there I will find the answer that I need.  Thank's again to everyone for your input.  Cheers now.