Ebay advised manual refund - Not received

[cooley012]

Just after advice if I am being given the run around by ebay CS and if the process has been the correct one to take for a refund?

I purchased a bonnet that was described as used but good working order, asked the seller the condition and if the paint and clear was perfect as I needed to do a straight swap onto my vehicle. Was advised not issues, paint chips only and looked good. After paying for item and shipping it has arrived damaged and unusable. Damage not cause by shipping but clearly from an prior accident and storage. The underside of the bonnet is caved in and the corners damaged. 

I messaged the seller initially (21 Feb) with no response and also online chatted with eBay CS to get an idea next steps to take. 

eBay CS immediately said that they have organised a 'manual refund' and that is would need to be approved by the manual refunds team and all amounts payed would be returned. No need to do anything further, no need to return item. eBay would refund me as I am definitely covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee. 
Iasked if I needed to open a case and if the buyer needed it returned. "No no" was the answer. Sit back and it will be sorted.

I have since had 5 or 6 chats and phone calls with CS advising that the manual refund has been approved and I would receive a refund in 48-72 hours, then told it would be another 48hours, refund is definitely approved and waiting to be credited.

Here I am another 48 ours later and still nothing. I've been trying to get an email confirmation of the refund process but eBay will not send anything. 

Has CS just been giving me the run around and no refund is actually on the way? I would have opened a "not as described" case initially but the chat continually advised I didn't need to and it was sorted.  I have all transcripts from my discussions.

[jellybirddesigns]

CS reps never cease to astonish me with their BS - they cannot just refund you without you attempting to work things out with the seller first. Even then, this situation does not meet the criteria for them to just refund, but it is well known that they will tell you anything to appease you and get you off the chat.

Just because the seller doesn't respond, doesn't mean you can't get resolution.

Open a case right now for "Item Not as Described". That will definitely get the seller attention. He has 4 days to make a decision. If he wants it back, he will need to send you a shipping label for the return. If not, his only alternative is to refund you.

For future reference, avoid CS if at all possible. Folks on the boards have a million times more experience and knowledge than any Ebay rep, so ask here first.

Also - please have a read of the Ebay buyers guidebook - all the steps to take are covered in there.

[cooley012]

Hi and Thanks for your input. I'm just astonished that if that is the case, on more than 7 occasions I have been blatantly lied too? 

I have followed up today and spoken with someone who looks after claims and has specifically advised the he contacted the 'manual refund team' and I am definitely getting a refund within 3 business days. I enquired if I should be opening a 'not as described' case and he advised not to. Following up with the system has not been able to do claims and that is the reason for the manual refund. 

I will follow your advice and start the process. It's just hard to understand eBay is specifically telling me not to start the claim.

[davewil1964]

It is hard to understand why you didn't read the terms of the eBay Money Back Guarantee. And myriad other things that you claimed to have read when you ticked the box on sign-up.

Of course things change. And eBay send notifications of such changes. Let me guess....

[domino-710]

Use the tools eBay provides - open a case - now.

[jellybirddesigns]

As I say - ignore customer service, stop contacting them. They are not helping the situation. No idea why they are giving you nonsense information, and yet they are. Perhaps they have decided to mess with you. Who knows???

Open a case right now.

You only have a 30 day window of time after receipt before your options close, so the longer you muck around with customer service, the less chance you have of a formal resolution to the case.

[cooley012]

Just FYI at all, I had come in this morning to open a refund case for not as described and, low and behold, I have received the original manual refund. 

Guess they weren't having me on.

Will always open a refund case from here on out though.

[jellybirddesigns]

Guess it's good that it worked out, but I think they have refunded you out of Ebay's pocket, not the buyers, so the buyer is not facing any consequences for supplying a defective item.

[*sons_and_daughters*]

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@jellybirddesigns wrote:

Guess it's good that it worked out, but I think they have refunded you out of Ebay's pocket, not the buyers, so the buyer is not facing any consequences for supplying a defective item.

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I'm guessing you mean seller?

[jellybirddesigns]

Oh gosh - yes, I mean seller.

My brain said one thing and my fingers said something else.