topic Re: Never leave neutral feedback??? in Buying

Never leave neutral feedback???

wargul — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 08:50:12 GMT

Without mentioning seller names - I have been an ebay user since it was run by its original designer in a house somewhere and never had many hassels - firstly as a seller but now only as a buyer. Anyhow, recently I left some neutral feedback for what I considered a very ordinary transaction. WELL, I get an email from the seller about how I have damaged his business and he has a circle of other sellers who will block any further purchases unless I retract the feedback. I have reported the seller's actions to ebay and there is no way I am going to be bullied into changing the feedback - even though it could bite me in the bum as I buy a fair bit of stuff for my collection.

Anyhow, I am wondering how widespread this harassment is and, if widespread, does it render ebay feedback meaningless. Has anyone else been lambasted for leaving neutral feedback? Sheesh, I shudder to thing what would have happened if I'd left negative feedback.

There is a sour taste that I wish would go away.

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

6709travis — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 09:16:02 GMT

Hi,

I had a seller try to bribe me with a small percentage refund after a very poor transaction, but only if I left positive feedback and five stars. I left the neg he deserved.

Cheers

Cindy

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

digital*ghost — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 09:23:44 GMT

There is no excuse for harassment, but I will say that I at least hope you contacted the seller and let them know about whatever it was that caused you to feel neutral about the transaction before you left FB, as that quite often is a bigger issue than the feedback itself.

In the past, I have been left less than positive FB without the buyer letting me know there was a problem, and it was definitely something I didn't do intentionally, however while I did contact the buyer, it was purely to try and resolve and I never asked them to change FB - these days, low FB / DSRs can cause a bit of damage, but you should never be made to feel pressured into changing what you feel is a fair assessment just because the seller doesn't like it.

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

wargul — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 10:37:56 GMT

Point taken D/ghost. I would always try to resolve negative feedback but neutral is just that - neither good nor bad. The fact that the item was not as described makes it neutral to me... no matter what transpires afterwards. I don't want to go into specifics but the item just wasn't what was described and could not be mistaken for it. I agreed to keep the item but the fact that the conversation was required at all is reason enough for neutral. Its like if I buy a red kettle from harvey norman and when I open the box its a black kettle. Now HN will exchange it no problems but I have to muck about, make phone calls, and so on...... whereas they should have got it right in the first place. That, to me, is neutral... I have no basis to be negative but its not a positive experience either. (I hope that makes sense).

I do agree that the seller should be given every opportunity to avoid negative though.

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

digital*ghost — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 11:24:06 GMT

I get it 🙂 That's why I didn't ask my buyer to change their neutral - It was a fair comment and I couldn't change or fix what was wrong, only compensate for the trouble they had to go to to fix it themselves. I have to say it did sting a bit when I first saw it, so in that sense I understand why some sellers focus more on getting the FB gone than the issue resolved, but it also taught me a pretty good lesson.

As a buyer, I tend to consider whether it was intentional or not, as some things are in the eye of the beholder (eg what constitutes 'very good condition') so even if something doesn't meet my expectations it may just have been a difference of opinion, a genuine oversight or something else beyond the seller's control, but sometimes you get something that there can be no doubt was intentionally misdescribed, so even if compensation is offered the real problem isn't being addressed where it should be, if you know what I mean.

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

colkym — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 11:26:23 GMT

wargul that feedback he left you can be removed- the seller has breeched policy by leaving a positive feedback with a negative comment.

The seller does look like a bit of a hot head doesnt he? LOL, I doubt your neutral damaged his rep much anyway 🙂

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

foxette-in-sox — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 11:40:35 GMT

Why do sellers make complete fools of themselves with follow ups like bidding banned,blocked etc

If someone leaves a neg or a neut,they're hardly going to fall over themselves to want to go back for 2nds-honestly.

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

thecatspjs — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 12:04:49 GMT

Don't you have to tick that you contacted seller before leaving a neutral for a seller?

Think its only fair that a seller that regularly seems to satisfy customers has a chance to respond - even if item is not as described.

I do very much believe in honesty in feedback - but to leave neutral before contacting is not the way to go I reckon.

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

pinktoedannie — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 22:37:35 GMT

Point taken D/ghost. I would always try to resolve negative feedback but neutral is just that - neither good nor bad. The fact that the item was not as described makes it neutral to me... no matter what transpires afterwards. ....................

........... I do agree that the seller should be given every opportunity to avoid negative though.

You would think neutral meant neutral, but in ebay land it impacts negatively on a sellers standing with ebay. When they are calculating a sellers performance (top rated, above average, average, below standard) they use a formula - negative counts as minus 1, neutral stands as minus .02 .... (from memory - I have the documentation on computer somewhere) so it isn't actually neutral.

Since your performance has a direct effect on your ranking in best match sellers are just as eager to avoid neutrals as negatives.

Personally I think sellers who have had low performance rankings due to neutrals should put in a complaint to someone. God knows who though - it could almost be a ACCC issue (inaccurate and obscure terms and conditions).

Buyers sometimes leave false neutrals (with glowing positive comments) or they will leave a neutral after a mutual cancellation, even if it was at their request, due to misunderstandings about feedback and what neutral represents in the eyes of ebay.

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

wargul — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 22:43:48 GMT

I did contact Cats - the reply I got was part of the reason for the neutral. Having said that, when did neutral come to mean negative? Neutral is "ok", "neither good nor bad"..... so there is nothing that the seller can fix - the transaction was less than positive... that's all. I wouldn't leave negative without significant exchange with the seller.

Either way I should be able to leave neutral feedback and not be subject to unpleasantness.

Colk - thanks, I hadn't notice that latest bit of harassment. I have referred it to ebay for correction. You are right, one neutral feedback is not going to effect anything.

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

cspotrunning — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 23:51:59 GMT

look at my negative, because Australia post lost it or it got pinched from the letterbox. refunded her straight away when she contacted me. all that for a $3.25 movie. now she wont answer my emails and her phone number is bogus. and ebay keeps telling me its my fault and I need to improve.

check out all my other great feedback and tell me its deserved.

some sellers deserve bad feedback but it is so open to abuse.

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

**tay** — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 04:54:46 GMT

Don't you have to tick that you contacted seller before leaving a neutral for a seller?

Think its only fair that a seller that regularly seems to satisfy customers has a chance to respond - even if item is not as described.

I do very much believe in honesty in feedback - but to leave neutral before contacting is not the way to go I reckon.

Don't know if they've changed it, but I left neutral for a seller without even knowing it. I ticked positive and left nice comment, then scrolled to submit. Can only assume it scrolled between the positive neutral and neg and I didn't notice. I was so mortified when seller contacted to ask me if why the neutral with positive comment... Not once at any point did ebay pop up with a 'you're about to leave neutral feedback' warning.

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

thecatspjs — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 05:04:33 GMT

Just checked it out what comes up is a little box orange box with a flag under the rating circles

it says:

Before you leave this Feedback, please contact your seller to see if anything else can be done to make your experience positive. Sellers want you to be be happy and so do we.

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

**tay** — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 05:44:33 GMT

Looks like they've changed it then, thank god!

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

nicole-n-daz — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 05:46:12 GMT

There are a couple of things i do not get here.

How is a seller Harrasing When maybe all they want to do is fix the transaction so both parties are relatively happy with the transaction .? (Even though this seller obviously went about it the wrong way)Was the seller contacted 1st before feedback was left ? (If not then that would annoy me as well,as us sellers deserve the chance to make things right if something has gone wrong with the transaction.

I do not believe any seller deserves a neutral or a negative if they try really hard to make the buyer happy.Any seller can make an error in judgement,and i bet all of us have made mistakes before.

i once accidently left a neg for the wrong person,i rang ebay and they removed it straight away for me .(Directed to the last post here)

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

bsal6160 — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 06:46:08 GMT

Well, if that seller tried to blackmail like that (threatening to have other sellers block me if i didnt remove the feedback) i would have obliged them and left NEGATIVE feedback in regards to threatening emails.

Nowhere in ebay does it say its MANDATORY to contact a seller before leaving feedback.

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

nicole-n-daz — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 06:49:58 GMT

No it not mandatory,Just plain manners,which cost nothing.

And i agree there is no place for blackmail,But what is the real definition of blackmail ?

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

digital*ghost — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 07:17:50 GMT

There are a couple of things i do not get here.

How is a seller Harrasing When maybe all they want to do is fix the transaction so both parties are relatively happy with the transaction .? (Even though this seller obviously went about it the wrong way)Was the seller contacted 1st before feedback was left ?

The OP has already stated that part if the reason the neutral was left was due to the seller's response when contacted, and threats about getting other sellers to block them can't really be seen as an attempt to resolve the issue in the right or wrong way, IMO.

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

nicole-n-daz — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 07:22:58 GMT

Hey digital,I totally understand this and the seller was totally wrong.

But my question is was the seller contaced 1st,which i believe is plain manners to do so,

And Ebay should make a rule that no negative or neutral feedback can be left unless the seller is contacted 1st.

Re: Never leave neutral feedback???

nicole-n-daz — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 07:24:32 GMT

Sorry misread your post.

So if the seller was contacted 1st,then i guess fair enough.