Feedback policy is rubbish

thc9
Community Member

Sold an item to a buyer to discover I had been left a negative feedback rating. Strangely the comment was positive. Contacted the buyer to ask why the negative. Buyer felt the comment was positive and did not understand they had left negative feedback. Buyer was oblivious to the difference between experience rating and comment. It then became clear in message exchanges buyer was oblivious they have marked their experience as negative. Buyer then become defensive when I explained and showed with pictures that the feedback was negative.
Buyer disconnected.

Approached eBay to remove the feedback and got the usual flap trap about it did not breach feedback policy. This was disturbing on several levels.
Firstly; when I got the ‘decision’ from eBay it is from a no-reply email meaning no discussion will be entered into.
Secondly should a seller’s feedback profile be allowed to be degraded by half wit buyers who do not even know they have left negative feedback.

Thirdly this means any buyer can leave negative feedback just to be an ass.

After 24 years with eBay I finally have a negative feedback from someone who didn’t know they left it and who does not understand the difference between the experience rating and the comment.

Fat lot of good eBay feedback policy is if you buyer is off with the pixies.

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Re: Feedback policy is rubbish

Strange they didn't help.

Feedback comments should match the positive or negative rating that was given in both buyer and seller Feedback. 

https://www.ebay.com.au/help/policies/feedback-policies/feedback-misuse-policy?id=5030

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Re: Feedback policy is rubbish

I'd say ebay didn't remove it because the comment itself is a strange one. It starts out well with 'Makes putting on compression stockings much easier' but ends in 'though you do III'.

That word 'though' implies there is a negative somewhere on the way. What it is, I do not know as the buyer didn't finish the sentence. I can't make any sense of it anyway and I have had decades of experience reading prep writing. My guess is the ebay rep feels the buyer was unhappy about something, so they are letting the neg stand.

 

Your buyer isn't going to do anything. They don't want the hassle. If they couldn't be bothered finishing the sentence, they are certainly not going to put themselves out by investigating how they can revise their feedback.

 

Unfortunately, seller feedback is often degraded by half wit buyer comments. I've seen it over and over again. Buyers who give a neg and say something like 'good'.

Sometimes ebay will remove negs, sometimes they won't. You could try again in ebay chat, see if a different rep will do anything.

On the plus side, most reasonable buyers with more than a couple of brain cells can see when feedback is unfair or unwarranted and will ignore it. I see you answered the neg. If I were buying from you, I certainly wouldn't be turned off by a neg from a buyer who gave a mostly positive comment and didn't explain why they rated it as negative.

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Re: Feedback policy is rubbish

What is the buyer's feedback left for others like? Are they in the habit of doing this? (some buyers are).

 

I am expecting a negative soon. Ebay ever so kindly relisted an old and sold item that sold 7 years ago, that sold again on the weekend. The buyer mostly gives positives, but if something isn't quite right, she'll happily leave a red dot. I've had one before and it seriously didn't make a scrap of difference to my sales. Most buyers don't bother looking at a seller's feedback and that is obvious by the amount of complaints you see on here about Chinese seller's with absolutely atrocious feedback.

 

You gave a polite reply to the feedback, it shows other potential buyers that you aren't going to attack them should there be an issue. The rest of your feedback is exceptional, I doubt this one will affect your business.

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Re: Feedback policy is rubbish

Jump to eBay chat. Tell the cs person to look at the messages the buyer sent  which proves he was oblivious to the fact he/she left negative feedback.

BUT,  when leaving the neg, a warning would have popped up saying you are about to leave negative feedback, and also advises to contact the seller. So I think your buyer is telling porkies

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Re: Feedback policy is rubbish

This is a buyer who has only ever bought. All the feedback they have left is for sellers and it has other negatives and neutrals. It does seems all over the place and a little fickle at times.
It is true; sooner or later a negative is going to pop up even if it has no basis.
The disturbing part for me was the buyer seemed to have no idea she had done it. There were several messages between us and it seemed she felt she left a positive comment but had no idea of the difference between the comment and the experience rating nor did the buyer have any idea how to address the issue nor did the buyer have the motivation to address it. I feel the message exchanges, that eBay would be privy to, exposed that she had no idea she had somehow hit negative.

It is easy enough, when you have never sold an item, to not care for someone else's feedback rating.
Also a little disturbing is that one of the reasons to ask for a review is buyer error and i feel the messages show it was more than likely the buyer made an error clicking the negative experience button.
24 years as a seller and never got a negative yet when one is made (by mistake), by a buyer who seemingly was oblivious, I couldn't get anything from eBay except a "no policy breach" email from a no reply email address. That is really poor part of the whole experience

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Re: Feedback policy is rubbish

I can't contact the seller as they have said they would complain if i contacted them again.
It seems once i explained what they had done to the point they understood a positive comment is not positive feedback because of the -ve experience rating that all they wanted to do was disconnect.
I do not think they liked being show to be wrong when i sent the screen shot that showed the -ve rating after they told me the comment was positive.
The buyer asked "what do you want me to write".
Clearly no understanding of the difference between comment and rating and when given one they terminated the conversation.
It's not too bad, can't deny fate; and people are such that sooner or later some person is going to spoil a perfect record even if they had a positive experience.
Just very disappointed in eBay's response.
If there was any competitor to eBay i suspect eBay would see a noticeable exodus.

On the NSW Fair trading complaints register eBay constantly make it onto the list due to unhappy customers but given the huge number of transaction it is only foreseeable there will be the odd poor transaction and outcome.
https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/help-centre/online-tools/complaints-register

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Re: Feedback policy is rubbish

Block the buyer, so she can’t buy from you again.  
You don’t want a repeat performance……

 

The one neg won’t hurt you too much. Take it in your stride.  This too, shall pass 😉💋

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Message 8 of 10
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Re: Feedback policy is rubbish

It's happened many times in the past if a buyer has used a mobile phone.

The neg dot and pos dot's are very close together.

It could explain it, but doesn't remove the neg.

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Re: Feedback policy is rubbish

Go onto the live chat...you will get it removed....had this issue wice this year and bypass the removal process page...It's a waste of time. Use the live chat!!!

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