Buyers wants a refund, I have a no return policy. Item is a used phone with damaged screen

[n-roman]

Buyers wants a refund, I have a no return policy. Item is a used phone with damaged screen.

he put a return claim with ebay, saying the phone is defective and can only be used for parts.

Ebay sided with the buyer of course.

I have received the phone with a dead battery, i sent it out full charge.

I can see he has used the phone for quite some time as the call log is still on there.

Ebay are now trying to charge me $$$ for the listing but also want me to refund the money.

Am i obligated to do so? i feel the buyer just changed his mind, i dont think this is fair. 

[iainlouden]

A flat battery can be be recharged and you have had many refunds from sellers so maybe it's your turn to make a refund ...and I'm sure most of the numerous people you have negged thought that was unfair too.

Merry Xmas.

[digupatin]

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@n-roman wrote:

Buyers wants a refund, I have a no return policy.

Yes you do have a refund policy, it's called eBay's rules.

You are obligated to follow them and give a refund if they say so.

[amber-eyed-girl]

Did your listing include a compatible charger?

If it did, then it's possible (just possible), the battery was just about to fail. That can happen. They have a limited recharge. Try charging it up yourself and see if it holds the charge for a normal amount of time. Batteries on their way out can lose charge fast and take a very long time to charge up, if at all.

eBay's return policy is the one you have to follow. If you can talk to someone at eBay about the fact the phone was used a fair bit, and if you can get it to charge, maybe they'll see your side and you won't have to pay the shipping...as in buyer remorse/change of mind. Worth a shot.

[phorum_junkie*]

Your stated returns policy is for change of mind, not for not as described. fot that  you have to follow ebay and/or Paypal policy.

You cannot possibly know if the battery failed within a short time so just do the right thing and refund the buyer. If you are selling an old and damaged phone it is better to list it as for spares or repair, that way they have no comeback if it is not working.

[amber-eyed-girl]

Seller has the phone with a dead battery. I'd like to know if they tried charging it (or had the charger to do so). That changes things, if the seller gets it working fine. Then the buyer might want it back, too.

If this was my phone, I'd try charging it and see if it held charge. If a no a refund. But I'd give it a try first.

[*tippy*toes*]

Of course you have to refund, you can't keep the phone and the buyers money. You seem to have had a LOT of issues buying on eBay, it seems someone else is having a turn to have an issue. You don't have exclusive rights to refunds and dishing out bad feedback at will. Did the buyer get the mixer in the main photo too? If not, you're lucky they didn't go you for that too. It's not advisable to post photos of anything other than what you are selling because a lot of people think they are getting everything in the photos.

There are a multitude of reasons why batteries suddenly die. The most common is being left on charge too long. They should be taken off charge as soon as it's completed. I myself was guilty of charging overnight while in bed and couldn't work out why my battery in a 6 month old phone wouldn't hold charge any more.

Another common reason is recharging too soon and never letting it go completely flat before recharging. Sometimes those batteries can be fixed by fully charging, letting it go completely flat until the phone turns off and then fully charging it again. The phone shouldn't be used at all while undertaking this process....which for a lot of people, is an impossibility.

Some apps are big battery drainers too, like Facebook and eBay. There are also background programs and bloatware that can kill batteries. I installed a battery saver app and was surprised how well it works. I wondered how a running app could actually save battery power, but it does. Instead of charging 3 or 4 times a day, I am now charging once a day or once every 2 days.

Might be worth trying those things with your phone before you relist it. I would also suggest as others have done to list it for parts only, even if it is working. That way there are no false illusions.

Thank you so much for posting your message. I love it when people out themselves without realising it. Looks like I have another Christmas card to send out this year!

[saarzi]

With all the defects youve left other sellers, I'd call that karma.

Yes, you're obliged to refund for a defective item... EBay will simply take the money from your account if you dont.

Given your history though, I wouldnt worry too much about Ebay, I don't think youll be here long anyway, you'll end up being banned.  

One for the block list indeed.

[amber-eyed-girl]

No, the seller should not be keeping the phone and the money. If it can be set working again the buyer might want it back instead of a refund. If it's properly, working again.

I don't know what the seller's tendency is as a buyer. Just looking at this one as a stand-alone question. What would I do here?

selling secondhand electricals is prone to this kind of issue...sell a phone on (if at all not near-new) as parts is something I have learned here, anyway 🙂

[black*poppy]

Agree with all above.  You also need to refund before the buyer asks ebay to step in, otherwise you won't get your FVF back either and get a "case closed without seller resolution" defect - a couple of those and you're off ebay for good.