returns

[coltpeacemaker041]

Hi, I bought a camera and it has stopped working so i opened a return which he accepted but now has gone quiet I have no return address label even though he has to supply it and contacting eBay is next to useless getting the same responses so what happens now? it's past the date when i was meant to get a return label?

[coltpeacemaker041]

OK thanks he has until tomorrow the 20th to provide a return lable or eBay will step in on the 21st! I'll give it one more day. What I don't understand is why he just doesn't get it over done with why drag it out? 

[sandypebbles]

eBay will only step in if you request they do, it does not just do it automatically 

Regardless of what the staff member typing from a pre-written script might have told you

You do need to escalate the dispute

Otherwise, all that will happen is it will time out and be closed 

And not in your favour 

[coltpeacemaker041]

Yes I know as I said he has until the 20th to send a label if he still hasn't by then on the 21st eBay will step in and I will escalate the situation. 

[countessalmirena]

When did you open the dispute?

And on which date fid the seller accept the return request?

Do NOT rely on what an eBay CS rep on Live Chat had said. They can be wrong. You must absolutely follow the T&Cs of eBay’s MBG.

I’m stressing this because you posted “eBay will step in and I will escalate the situation” - which makes no sense. eBay step in IF you escalate the dispute. eBay don’t step in UNLESS you escalate. And if you don’t escalate within the very rigid bot-driven timeframe, the request automatically closes and there’ll be no refund.

If you have already asked eBay to step in (by selecting this inside the dispute), then it’s fine.

[coltpeacemaker041]

I'll say it once more guys I spoke to a human not the bot it's only been 3 days so it's not that long ago and he still has one more day to respond! My return has been accepted by him and I'm simply waiting for him to send me the return address that's all! Australia has one of the strictest customer protection laws in the world and I'm covered under EBay Australia terms which states if a item is defective broken or not as described I'm able to get a full refund. So let's give him one more day to send me a lable or I WILL escalate it further. I think everybody's getting confused all I want is the return label nothing else everything's been approved by eBay and the seller!

Thanks 

[sandypebbles]

We are not confused, we want to make sure 100% you know, you need to escalate and that doing that is not an automated process

It does not matter that you spoke to a human, eBay cs staff all type from pre-written scripts . What you were told by eBay cs was not specifically in response to your issue, it was the closest script

So 'what the staff member said' is not always the correct information (and more often than not isn't)

Have a look at any of the threads on here where someone did what 'eBay cs' said without question or confirming, and ended up out of pocket

[domino-710]

That - literally - only works if you purchased from an Australian Business.

[coltpeacemaker041]

It doesn't matter mate the seller has agreed to the full refund as my ebay msg stated so that's that. And that's not correct!

When does this guarantee apply?

• If your item doesn’t arrive, is damaged or doesn’t match the listing.
• If the seller doesn’t honour the return policy included in the listing.
• If the seller hasn’t resolved your issue within 3 business days or you cannot agree on a solution.

The camera arrived damaged seller has agreed for refund so that's the end of the story! Everybody seems to have gone on topic! I'm not asking if I will get a refund I just want the return lable to post it off. 

[countessalmirena]

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.

[coltpeacemaker041]

Thanks for your help but trust me I'm really vigilant regarding making sure I don't get strung along I'm like a hawk watching. He's only got until tomorrow to send a shipping label I'm not sure why he's dragging it out! and ignoring ebay request for a refund will only get him in trouble as he's already clicked return excepted.

Anyway I think I have enough info and will see how it goes later on...