Leaving feedback after dispute

[saraimelda]

Hi Everyone,

I just want to ask some advice on dealing with a seller and leaving feedback.

The back story is I do have some vision problems and I tend to rely a lot on verbal descriptions left by sellers.  I recently bought three dresses, if you can see my purchases they are orange, brown and purple sold by one seller.  Two were described as being in an as new condition and only worn once while the other one was described as being in a very good condition. 

When the parcel arrived at my workplace address I opened the parcel in front of a two work colleagues.  Both commented on the staining that was visible even to me upon looking at the dresses in person and then when I showed them the listings said they could see the staining, that with my vision difficulties had thought were shadows, in the original listing photos. One of the dresses was also described in the listing with an incorrect brand name.  That dress also seemed to have mould like crusted stains on it.

I contacted the seller saying I was a bit disappointed, politely described each dress with the damage as I wanted to talk about returning the dresses even though it meant I’d be out about $12 for the return postage, which I accepted.  This was within 1.5hours of Australia Post saying they had delivered the parcel to my building. I received an answer from the seller telling me I was offensive, not to ever contact them again and that I was abhorrent.  When I replied again and attached the photo she uploaded with the damage visible and mentioned the brand name difference  the seller replied that the dresses were sent in pristine condition and that I must have damaged them and she wanted them back to see how much damage I had done before she would consider if any refund was given.  She stated that the brand name she gave was for a website that she got a different brand name dress on and that it was okay to give the website as the brand name on ebay instead of the brand name on the article of clothing itself. 

I at first lodged a dispute with paypal which I upgraded to a claim as I don’t want to be out the return postage and registered post fee along with the money I paid.  From my understanding if they decide in my favour I will have the money I paid reimbursed to me once I provide proof of return postage and I advised the seller that I have lodged the claim so they could participate in the claim process however I’ve since received messages telling me to seek professional help, that I am a disgrace and a con artist, that my behaviour is disgusting,  I obviously don’t have any intelligence and need to get a grown up to explain things to me, that I am blackmailing her and so on.  I’ve also been told to return the dresses to an address in a different state from the one ebay says they were sent from.

Paypal is now reviewing the case as the seller has not participated in the claim.  If I do get my money refunded I was going to leave neutral feedback because the situation is resolved but should I be giving negative feedback due to the incorrect listing of clothing that is badly stained as being in as new condition and for the nasty emails? Should I be reporting the emails or not? I want to do the right thing, I’ve tried to do the right thing by getting her involved with the claims process, being willing to pay the cost of return postage but some of the emails she has sent me have me rather shaken with the sheer nastiness.    

[cq_tech]

An excellent and well-considered listing which would have had the winning bidder very well satisfied with their purchase. Like you, I find it serves no useful purpose to attempt to play down or hide any fairly obvious defects or faults, and the more critical you tend to be, the more of a bargain the buyer believes they've purchased, especially if you've overstated the problems or issues with the items, as I think we tend to be far more critical of existing faults than a prospective buyer might be in similar circumstances.

I checked the buyer's feedback and wasn't the least bit surprised to to find it every bit as good as I expected it to be. I can't check the DSRs of course but I wouldn't mind betting you received 5 stars across the boards as well. Also, given the listed faults, the price paid was much higher than one would normally have expected it to be. There's a lot to be said for being totally honest to a fault in one's listings, as you've clearly demonstrated.

[i-love-my-sheep]

All I really have to contribute to this discussion is to say that lady's daughter appears to be a complete grub!! 

As far as feedback, a big red dot (once the dispute is closed) and trash her stars. 1 star for everything. Actually, me being devious, I'd let her think she's home and hosed as far as feedback goes and wait until the last few days before feedback cut off before leaving it. If you leave it until day 57 after sale, she will think you won't bother leaving it and will be smiling.....then you can whack her with it!!

[ajarnjenny]

I agree with you, although I didn't look at the listing you are speaking of. If I come across something that I really like, in the clothing or linen line which I really like and has good photos of the flaw, I can decide whether it would take a minute on the sewing machine or with a needle and thread, based on the photos of the damage.

I have bought things that were two sizes over what fits me, but with good photos, I can see if they are able to be altered easily.

[phorum_junkie*]

Definitely red dots, well deserved for their communication even without considering the rubbish items.  In my book if I have to escalate a dispute to a claim then the seller deserves a red dot once Paypal have found in my favour.

[modestbods]

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@i-love-my-sheep wrote:

All I really have to contribute to this discussion is to say that lady's daughter appears to be a complete grub!! 

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lol

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@i-love-my-sheep wrote:

As far as feedback, a big red dot (once the dispute is closed) and trash her stars. 1 star for everything. Actually, me being devious, I'd let her think she's home and hosed as far as feedback goes and wait until the last few days before feedback cut off before leaving it. If you leave it until day 57 after sale, she will think you won't bother leaving it and will be smiling.....then you can whack her with it!!

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lol again. Revenge is a dish best served cold? 

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@cq_tech wrote:
Like you, I find it serves no useful purpose to attempt to play down or hide any fairly obvious defects or faults, and the more critical you tend to be, the more of a bargain the buyer believes they've purchased, especially if you've overstated the problems or issues with the items, as I think we tend to be far more critical of existing faults than a prospective buyer might be in similar circumstances.

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I agree completely. The first item I ever purchased on eBay was a used laptop. A large part of the reason I bought it was because the seller had gone to lengths to clearly describe and show that it had damage (a 5mm long crack extending from a hinge, from where it had been dropped), which I found very reassuring, & so I trusted that if there had been any other issues they would have also detailed it. They also stated that it was otherwise in good cond & worked perfectly, which it was & it did (for a good many years, & if I were to purchase a new power supply I'm sure it would still be working now, some 8yrs later).

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@cq_tech wrote:
An excellent and well-considered listing which would have had the winning bidder very well satisfied with their purchase....

I checked the buyer's feedback and wasn't the least bit surprised to to find it every bit as good as I expected it to be. I can't check the DSRs of course but I wouldn't mind betting you received 5 stars across the boards as well. Also, given the listed faults, the price paid was much higher than one would normally have expected it to be. There's a lot to be said for being totally honest to a fault in one's listings, as you've clearly demonstrated.

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Thank you, and yes she was very pleased, along with leaving fb she also messaged me telling me how happy she was with the bags.

 I was able to ascertain from her fb that she is a serious collector of vintage Glomesh bags & purses, so she'd be quite accustomed to coming across those sort of condition issues and would understand that a few wrinkles are often a cost that comes with age.

@And the DSRs were all 5... I've only ever received one DSR below 5, which was from a buyer from 4 years ago, who was upset that her item took two weeks to arrive to her in SA from NSW. Although she left a positive feedback she also posted a backhanded comment complaining about postage time and marked down my DSR for it too. Despite my posting it within 24hrs from purchase & sending her the tracking #, apparently it was my fault her not being home when delivery was attempted on day 7, along with her then not noticing the Aus Post pu @ po card left for her in her letterbox, until day 13 when I very politely suggested she check for it after she had contacted me that day asking where the item was.  

(If by chance the same ebayer happens to frequent this forum, and if you are reading this and happen to recognize that you're the buyer I'm referring to above, I'd just like to take this opportunity to say...

 Hello again, and I wish to express my comisserations to you.

 Just a few days ago I was bored and so took a little stroll back through my old feedback & I happened to click on your ID when I came across it. As a result I noticed the negative feedback you received as a seller for your second last sale from 6 or so months ago, along with the subsequent effect that had on your rating, effectively trashing it.

 As a seller, I was truly devastated to see this had happened to you, & you have my utmost sympathy. I of course derived no pleasure whatsoever from your demise as a seller, as to do so would be utterly immature and childish of me. I can assure you that the s**t eating childish grin that inexplicably appeared on my face at around the same time and which took some 24+ hours to disappear, was purely coincidental.

Warmest regards)

[retailtherapist_8]

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@lanib12 wrote:

Item No. 261610164485, 261610160740, 261610155337.

If you have a look at the listing for the orange chiffon and the brown dress (the picture I've been told looks more blue than brown) apparently the staining can be seen in the picture which is probably why I got them at a lower price than I was bidding up to.  No one else would bid

It wasn't a high cost I paid but more the principal of the matter, the fact she did not state the truth in her descriptions and then insisted the dresses be returned in pristine, as new, condition before she would discuss any refund as she needed to see the damage she said I had done to the dresses.  I accept I will be out on return postage, it will teach me to get someone to check a listings photos first and not rely on the description, but it was annoying.  I've dealt with so many great sellers on ebay.

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OMG Thats revolting. How could anyone dare to send clothing so dirty and obviously not laundered or drycleaned.

It doesnt matter how much you paid for it, noone deserves to be sent dirty laundry !!!

I might add, is it too hard for people to turn their pics around the right way when  listing ???!
 

[springyzone]

There are a couple of issues here.

Number 1 is the fact the seller didn't mention any faults and her text would lead any reasonable person to believe they were getting something in excellent condition. If an item of clothing has stains or faults, then the ad needs to mention that. As far as I am concerned, that is the bottom line. She didn't do it, she is at fault. No one should have to totally rely on the photos to see faults.

Number 2 is the way the seller dealt with a problem and the abuse you received. Yes, I would report it to ebay as it is over the top.

She never made one move to help resolve the problem.

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So to me the seller crossed the line. She wasn't honest in her listing, then she treated you with real venom when you tried to resolve the issue.

That second point is the reason I would not hesitate, I would give her the red dot now and trash her star rating as others have mentioned. I wouldn't leave it to the last minute (tempting as that might be) as someone else suggested, because if anything happens, system goes down, whatever, you might not be able to do it at all. Nope, do it now.

The main purpose of feedback is to help other buyers, so the sooner you do it, the more use it will be.

[saraimelda]

I would like to thank you all for your input, advice and the comments which made me laugh.  I had not been sure if I was overreacting by leaving neg feedback.

I've reported the seller to ebay, left negative feedback and the dispute has been closed on paypal.  

I was expecting an email from paypal giving me the address to return the clothes too but they just closed the dispute as the paypal account owner refunded the money and did not dispute the claim.   The paypal account owner simply left a message saying "please return the dresses" so I return them to the address they came from.  It will be interesting to see if the seller relists them upon receipt.

[modestbods]

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@lanib12 wrote:

I would like to thank you all for your input, advice and the comments which made me laugh.  I had not been sure if I was overreacting by leaving neg feedback.

I've reported the seller to ebay, left negative feedback and the dispute has been closed on paypal.  

I was expecting an email from paypal giving me the address to return the clothes too but they just closed the dispute as the paypal account owner refunded the money and did not dispute the claim.   The paypal account owner simply left a message saying "please return the dresses" so I return them to the address they came from.  It will be interesting to see if the seller relists them upon receipt.

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 If there was a senders address on the package which is different to that which Paypal have, do not send it to that address. Make sure you return them to the address that is provided for the seller by Paypal.

You must be able to prove you sent them & to where, and that they have received them or if they have refused to accept delivery in the event they do. So you will need tracking & signature on delivery. You are required to return them in the same condition that you received them, so pack them neatly & securely, ie. don't just ball them up and throw them in a satchel.

Also, (I'm not sure if you need to worry about doing this when returning goods, perhaps someone else here can confirm if you do or not, but for if you do, or for if you want to make extra sure all your 'i's are dotted & your 't's are crossed... which imo you should) in order to protect yourself against the seller claiming they didn't receive it, or that you must have sent it to the wrong address, do the following;

> when you go to the PO request that the receipt includes the postcode of the recipient, request this BEFORE giving them the parcel to process, as once they process it & the info is already on their computer they then can't/won't add the postcode (at least that's what they keep telling me). Check the receipt for the postcode, If they forget to include it as they often do, ask them to please write on back of the receipt; "posted to XXXX" + "the date" + "their initials/signature" (you will need the PO receipt with the postcode as proof of postage to their address... this is what sellers are required to have as proof for if a buyer claims for 'item not received', but without the postcode it's worthless).

If the seller does continue to sell, hopefully they have learned from this experience & in future treat all their customers with courtesy & respect, especially when there's a problem. If they do, then it was the action that you have taken that has led to their doing so, and potentially saving someone else from being treated as poorly as you were. If however they don't learn from this & again abuse someone else in future, then there is much less chance eBay would tolerate their continuing further as ebay sellers, after their having committed similar repeat code breeches. Either way, you have done us all a service, I thank you for it.

[happycamperau]

Sorry for your bad experience, unfortunately there will always be a low-life somewhere to spoil things for the honest people.

In relation to returning the goods after a Paypal dispute where they have refunded your money and you still have the goods.  I was in a similar situation a year or so ago with a pair of sandals....listed as wrong size, arrived absolutely filthy when claimed to have been worn 'once', wrong town listed so I paid postage when she lived about 15-20 mins from me 'and' by coincidence I had been near her house abt 2 hours after the auction closed and naturally could have collected if the correct location was listed.  Instead I had to pay postage, which btw, was overcharged just to top it off. 

Anyway, she was abusive, rude, name-calling etc etc so I stopped dealing with her and phoned Paypal who issued a refund on the spot...apparently her history wasn't great.  I asked the Paypal person where should I return the sandals and he said 'they are yours' to which I replied 'but you've just given me a refund' ....he went on to say 'why not relist them on eBay and make a little profit'.  I was a bit surprised and he said the other option was to throw them in the bin!!   She was demanding I return them to her too, but wouldn't give me an address.....and Paypal couldn't due to privacy regulations. 

For her trouble she got -ve feedback with lowest DSR's but if she had accepted the mistake and worked with me to arrive at an amicable decision, I would have been kinder.  Her abusive emails continued along with threats to come to my home (reminding me she had my address via the eBay purchase) ....she totally lost the plot and in the end I reminded her politely that threatening harm to others and their property is something the Police will be interested in pursuing after I send them copies of her emails.  Didn't her from her again. 

For months I used to check her eBay account but it wasn't used again, so I guess she just setup another profile.   Fortunately these types are few and far between and eBay is better off without them.  ;-))