OP, I really do not want you to be out of pocket.
Thats why I will outline a scenario that has occurred with more than a handful of buyers in the past. It’s a scenario that can happen now and it will (not might, but will) happen again.
Buyer receives wrong / faulty / damaged item.
Buyer opens return request.
Within the 3 business day timeframe, seller communicates. Perhaps offers to send another item; perhaps just accepts return request.
Buyer happily waits for label.
Seller possibly strings the buyer along. Alternatively buyer doesn’t realise there’s a clock ticking - tick-tock, tick-tock.
Buyer contacts eBay CS live chat. CS rep assures buyer it’s okay, they (eBay) will step in if seller doesn’t provide label.
Buyer waits.
The 21 days from time of opening the request is reached. Buyer is still waiting for eBay to step in. Request automatically closes. No refund because request has timed out.
Buyer angrily and bewilderedly shouts “But eBay said they’d step in! I never got the label! eBay are thieves!”
When we speak of the refund process being bot-driven, what we mean is that the whole process is automated. Certain events trigger an action; failure of certain events to occur results in failure of dispute.
When you spoke to an eBay CS rep on Live Chat, assuming that it was a human it was one of the lowest paid employees with no decision-making power, not someone involved with the refund process. There’s no human overlooking individual disputes.
The job of eBay CS reps on Live Chat highly prioritises getting complainants off the chat asap. They read from scripts, say soothing things, assure people they’ve referred things to the IT dept or whatever it may be, escalated it to the right people, action expected within 1-2 days, blah blah.
Bottom line: it’s fluff designed to placate, not to solve.
