Help - Seller was not up front and has not communicated

[cdbnt]

Hi - I have purchased an expensive video camera from a seller and it arrived a few days ago.  To my surprise and frustration, it did not come with a power adaptor/cord.  I checked the original listing and the seller did have a section that stated exactly the items that came in the box but did not say these are the ONLY items that come with the camera.  Am I wrong to feel that something crucial to the operation of the camera - the thing that provides the power to operate it and charge the battery (battery is charged attached to camera) should not be explicitly noted in the listing if it is to be missing from the package?  

The full listing read:

Used Sony X70 Camcorder in full working order.

A few marks on bottom of camera, (see included pic) but otherwise fine.

Comes with Remote Control, Battery, User Manual, CD-ROM and Data Cable.

Australian Model.

Does not have 4K update.

Then some cut and pasted marketing excerpts on the tech specs.  No mention of the missing power cable/adaptor, nor of the eye cup that is also missing.

On top of this, the seller has not communicated a single word to me since I won the auction.  Not a thing - despite me paying him nearly 2k asap after the auction ended he did not message me once to reassure that he received funds and that he was sending the item.  I emailed him after 4 days asking what was going on with no response.  He took nearly a week before finally marking it as sent.  This guy has great feedback - I do not understand how if this is how he does things!

I have emailed him since receieving the item and asked if what I received was correct, staing that if that was the case I feel the listing was disingenuous, but I'm not sure what else I can/should do from here.  If I walk away, I feel like he's getting away with a bunch of transgressions here!

I've been using eBay for a LONG time and have only had, maybe, three bad experiences (including this one) and have only had to use the res service once - coincidentally enough last week - so I'm not a hypochondriac buyer.  This situation just really cheesed me off.  

Apologies for the long rant/vent.

[padi*0409]

Not directed at you springy, but after a 2 grand buy (presumably at a good price) why the aggravation about a missing charger (which was not in the listing anyaway).

The geniune charger can be bought for less than 50 bucks...............................sheeeesh

And yes, tardy email response, but the assumption of the OP that the seller was "off fishing" is out of line as well.

just sayin'. 

[*tippy*toes*]

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@letscleanupmycupboards wrote:
Maybe if, like me, all your adaptors are in a drawer the seller possibly forgot to put it in. But you'd think they'd respond.

I'm curious how the seller charged it to ascertain it was functional?

I do feel as others have said it's not listed in the inclusions so it's not an INAD. Irrespective of whether it's critical to the item, it's not specifically listed as being there. Bit of a catch 22 really. Do you list what is there or do you list what isn't there?

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Exactly, you're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't. If it's not mentioned, it's "assumed" to be there. If it's mentioned as not being there, some buyers see the mere mention of it and assume that it's there.

My take on it is, if it's not mentioned as being there, then it's not there. Especially if there is nothing in the photo and nothing in the list of inclusions. Therefore, any dispute for NAD will be closed in the sellers favour. If they decide to send it, well and good. If they don't, that's up to them.

I don't believe the seller deserves a neg for not sending something that wasn't mentioned in the listing at all. Should I "assume" I'm going to get a car charger for a phone that wasn't mentioned in the listing? Should I neg a seller because I didn't get one? It would be a low act to neg the seller in this case.

Whether he was away of business or away fishing, it's really none of the OP's business. The seller doesn't have to stay tied to his house 24/7. If he wants to go away fishing, good luck to him. He doesn't have to explain his moves to anyone, especially a buyer. A seller is allowed to have a life away from eBay and a computer screen.

[cdbnt]

Totally agree with you re 'sins of omission'!!  

Thanks for the advice - I will def be waiting to see how this plays out before leaving any feedback.  I am inclined to leave positive if all goes well, but still grumpy about nearly a month of hearing back nothing but crickets!  

[springyzone]

I do understand that we should never assume.... but to use the example of a car again but in a different context, if I bought a car in an ad that said it worked perfectly, then found it didn't include a battery, that the battery had been taken out and misplaced, I would be a bit annoyed. The fact the ad didn't specifically say it came with a battery and there were no photos that showed a battery would not wash with me. Now a battery is not that expensive & I could buy another one but I would expect the ad to have warned me I would need to get another one before I could use the car.

In the example of the camera, surely the power cord came with the original camera, it wasn't an optional extra. I know it 'may only cost $50' as someone said, but people may bid a bit lower if they know an item doesn't have all the components.

And yes, maybe a buyer is wrong to feel put out, maybe the seller is technically in the right & maybe ebay will side with the seller-but this is the very sort of situation that really puts buyers offside.

Anyway to me it is another example of why people should be wary of ebay for big purchases.

[cdbnt]

Of all the items that could have been missing, the power supply is the only one I would have been frustrated about - because I see it as an essential component of the camera.  To use your phone analogy, I wouldn't be upset if I bought a phone and it came without a car charger, but I would be peeved if it came without a wall charger.  That is the difference.  

To clarify my comments about his fishing.  I wasn't suggesting he was away having a lovely holiday while I stewed.  I take his wife at her word that he is away on business.  I'm just speculating that fishing tours are likely his business.  I agree, it's not my business (sorry about the confusing quote marks - I was quoting her) and it was just idle speculation on my part about why the seller took nearly a month to respond to any of my communications.

[springyzone]

Just watch the time if you are planning on giving feedback. If you don't get a reply of some sort or the cord within the next week or two though, I  wouldn't string it out any longer.

Yes, I agree with your analogy. No one should expect optional extras that aren't mentioned but if an item is inoperable until you get the part, then the missing part should be mentioned.

[cdbnt]

Interesting you see it that way - I see it from the opposite side:  I would think a 2k buy would be more likely to be free of these kinds of niggly issues.  At least, that has been my experience in the past.

Regardless, for me it's more a question of time than money to buy extra chargers.  This is a professional product and I needed to use it in a professional context.  I can't do that now because I don't have a charger.  If I had known it didn't have a charger, I likely would have either purchased one at the same time or cut my losses and bought a brand new version for 2.5k (I just saw listed on a local retail site).  

Of course, it's a perfect example of never assuming...but sometimes you just do because nothing in a listing twigs.  I just never would have thought about that specific component being missing.    😕

[collect247]

If you needed the camera for professional reasons then why the hell have you not gone an purchased the cord after a month of waiting?

And if a cord turned up from this seller then hey you've got 2 of them.

You spent $2K so $50 for a new charger elsewhere is what pocket change lol

[cdbnt]

To clarify, the camera only arrived in the last few days (mentioned in the first sentence of the OP).  Also, I live very remote and cannot just go to a store to purchase a new charger on the fly.  I am currently trying to arrange a replacement in the interim, but that information really is beside the point. 

Respectfully, $50 is $50 and actually hurts more after a 2k purchase as I'm not exactly rolling in cash. 

[collect247]

Fair enough