Misleading toilet roll add. People fall for this, but apparently i may not win the case if escalated

[from_mum_2_mum]

I refused to panic buy & stack up rolls and now pay the hefty price because of my duty of care.

Some shameless toilet paper seller is advertising rolls misleadingly. I called ebay to see if they can do anything to stop this before more people fall victim like myself, but it seems like they can't do much due to the cleverly placed ad. On top of that, the customer representative thinks i may not get a refund if escalated. 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/254538369953

First of all the seller put a pic of a whole pack and put a price that resembles the price of a whole pack like other honest sellers. At a glance once would naturally think $16.95 is a price of a pack (where in Australia would you sell 1 roll for that much it just doesn't make sense). She described it as 1 roll in the description and added a picture of the 1 roll but cleverly cropped it in an angle and put it in certain way so it looks like an 'australian made' label or some sort of 'Australian made' parcel pack (you wouldn't notice this is a toilet paper if you don't zoom - well so many victims didn't notice it - including myself. The ebay representative had to tell me few times & made me zoom before i realised that's a picture of a roll). Seller also  cunningly opted for a no refund policy.

30% review apparently doesn't do anything to stop this seller. If only she puts a decent 1 roll picture with no label covering it or in an angle as the main picture, i bet $100, not one single person in their right mind will click and buy. Yet ebay thinks this is okay. I'm just in disbelief.

[from_mum_2_mum]

That's what i thought of doing, waiting for the outcome but ebay customer service suggested i return it myself because the outcome won't be in my favour. She asked me to record Track number with my reply so ebay can see this when they assess the situation.

Thank for your attempt in cheering me up. Her rating is down to 21%. You are right, not every buy will open a claim, not every buyer will leave a comment too. Some people might think $22, $42, $60 means nothing and shrug it off.

[go-tazz]

if you don't have any luck with them then try quoting their policy in regards to these listings back at them as that

particular listing should've been picked up by their filters:

Toilet roll selling at outrageous prices as coronavirus hysteria causes shortages

As fears over coronavirus continue to mount across the world, some opportunistic Aussies have been trying to capitalise on the outbreak.

"Responding to a person selling three 50ml bottles of Dettol hand sanitiser on its platform for AU$45 (£23), an eBay spokesperson said the firm ‘does not allow sellers to list items that attempt to capitalise on disaster or tragedy’.

’ “We have updated our filters to block listings in breach of our policy and are regularly sweeping the site to remove such items.”

eBay is continuing to monitor global developments associated with COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and what it means for eBay sellers. Here's what you need to know at this time.

• Rules for listings: We love that people can buy anything on eBay in times of need but we don't allow listings that attempt to capitalise on disaster or tragedy. Please ensure that your listings comply with eBay's policies.
  

[go-tazz]

Toilet roll selling at outrageous prices as coronavirus hysteria causes shortages

As fears over coronavirus continue to mount across the world, some opportunistic Aussies have been trying to capitalise on the outbreak.

"Responding to a person selling three 50ml bottles of Dettol hand sanitiser on its platform for AU$45 (£23), an eBay spokesperson said the firm ‘does not allow sellers to list items that attempt to capitalise on disaster or tragedy’.

’ “We have updated our filters to block listings in breach of our policy and are regularly sweeping the site to remove such items.”

eBay is continuing to monitor global developments associated with COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and what it means for eBay sellers. Here's what you need to know at this time.

• Rules for listings: We love that people can buy anything on eBay in times of need but we don't allow listings that attempt to capitalise on disaster or tragedy. Please ensure that your listings comply with eBay's policies.
  

[lyndal1838]

Words fail me.....the ebay CS person tells you there is little chance of you winning the dispute but you still spend more money on the return.

The whole process is automated.....no person assesses the situation.

[digital*ghost]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

The whole process is automated.....no person assesses the situation.

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That's not strictly true - the buyer contacting CS ensured the process was assessed by someone manually, and for all we know, the seller has been in contact with CS as well. There is no 100% guarantee an INAD claim will be resolved in the buyer's favour, and there have been plenty of instances where they weren't (it does generally require the seller to be in contact directly with CS, though). 

The advice the CS gave was completely contradictory, though, and in actual fact is quite concerning - they basically said "you don't have a legitimate claim for INAD under our policies, but return it anyway before the claim gets decided". Aside from other implications, what if the seller gets the package back and then the case is resolved in the seller's favour anyway? 

Very questionable advice from a CS rep, but unfortunately not surprising (to be clear, I expect that since there is a record of this advice, the money will be refunded regardless of whether it comes out of the seller's pocket, and I think the seller would have reasonable grounds to appeal in this case, I'm more disturbed by the advice in general, rather than it being in the context of this particular situation. Not condoning the seller's actions or defending them, BTW, I would have felt a fair bit of satisfaction had the seller been trying to profit but ended up losing postage both ways on however many rolls they actually sold). 

[from_mum_2_mum]

Well she is the ebay CS, i trust her expertise and suggestion in this case. She said once i return it with tracking number attached, Ebay can process refund because i no longer have the item - thats the other way of getting around this whole situation (i asked her multiple times regarding this because seller clearly opted for no return policy - she assured me its ok to do so). What more can i do?

[from_mum_2_mum]

Hi Tazz,

Thank you so much for this bit of information! really appreciate it. I wished i saw this earlier. Will definitely quote the above to add to my dispute comment. It's heart warming to see people like you and other posters who spare the time to come up with great advices, suggestions & brainstorm through this. Thanks again

[from_mum_2_mum]

OH dear.. this is the first time i have called an EBAY CS, it doesn't sound very reliable judging by your last paragraph... (more sighs)..

Yes i expect there should be record of our conversation somewhere, but whether they will bother to investigate, i'm not sure.

And I face-palmed myself reading your 2nd paragraph, you're quite right. It doesn't sound quite procedural, but that's her advice. That's also partly what prompted me to make my first post in this community. Disbelief and at loss

[11dustyattic]

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@from_mum_2_mum wrote:
OH dear.. this is the first time i have called an EBAY CS, it doesn't sound very reliable judging by your last paragraph... (more sighs)..

Yes i expect there should be record of our conversation somewhere, but whether they will bother to investigate, i'm not sure.

And I face-palmed myself reading your 2nd paragraph, you're quite right. It doesn't sound quite procedural, but that's her advice. That's also partly what prompted me to make my first post in this community. Disbelief and at loss

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Few of us doing that right now 😁

So all this anxiety and fuss because you overpaid and had buyer's remorse yes? You knew what the listing was for, you've admitted that. Unbelievable. And your entitled attitude wow!

[from_mum_2_mum]

1. I don't see any entitled attitude from my comment above. Only regrets not knowing my way navigating through the whole situation properly after i received the unexpected parcel.

2. The so called anxiety and fuss is not just about me. I certainly hope other buyers who have felt rorted would come to this discussion board if they didn't have any luck with refund & have a read through what other posters have suggested. I found those quite helpful (apart from the naysayers) and they might too. After-all this is a community for members to share and help others no?

2. I didn't overpay and regret. I thought i paid for what's shown on the picture (i know, i know, no excuses for my rushed buying) but it's pretty much the same as your rushed assumption without really reading what i have posted from top to bottom. But hey we're all human

3. And as for attitude, i believe mine is more pleasant than yours thank you.

[11dustyattic]

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@from_mum_2_mum wrote:
1. I don't see any entitled attitude from my comment above. Only regrets not knowing my way navigating through the whole situation properly after i received the unexpected parcel.

2. The so called anxiety and fuss is not just about me. I certainly hope other buyers who have felt rorted would come to this discussion board if they didn't have any luck with refund & have a read through what other posters have suggested. I found those quite helpful (apart from the naysayers) and they might too. After-all this is a community for members to share and help others no?

2. I didn't overpay and regret. I thought i paid for what's shown on the picture (i know, i know, no excuses for my rushed buying) but it's pretty much the same as your rushed assumption without really reading what i have posted from top to bottom. But hey we're all human

3. And as for attitude, i believe mine is more pleasant than yours thank you.

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So you're telling us you didn't read the listing at all? Even if that were true, why do you deserve a refund?