Need very urgent help on complex problem!

[mrdwee]

Hi all,

I live in Australia and I have just bought an iPhone 3GS from the US as a gift for my dad. I paid $18 for shipping charges. The phone turned out to be faulty and didn't work so I contacted the seller asking for a refund....The seller said I can have a refund or a replacement. The problem is that due to new restrictions I cannot mail the item back but I must use a private courier (because of the lithium battery). It's going to cost me around $140 and I bought the phone for $200!

Is there ANYTHING I can do? How did the seller get to send the item in the first place? This is the first time I've done a refund and need help. Can the seller be liable for my charges to send back?

[twyngwyn]

Can't you remove the battery?

[foxette-in-sox]

remove the battery & post back-make sure you send international registered & post to the address that Paypal provide you with ie open a Paypal dispute for item not as described.

IF you were logged into ebay.com,you MAY be covered under their buyer protection.

The seller was able to post because the phone was coming INTO Australia-for whatever reason,it doesn't 'work' for items containing lithium batteries to be post OUT

The ONLY other option is to get on the phone to Paypal & also email them & hammer the point home that return postage is cost prohibitive-Paypal CAN make a discetionary/courtesy refund if they choose ie if you annoy the heck out of them LOL

[mrdwee]

Thank you for your reply Fox. That was handy.

If I remove the battery--doesn't that defeat the purpose of the device? iPhone = no battery = useless? Not sure if the seller would be too happy with it??? 😕

I've contacted the seller and told him about the issue of sending the item back.

I did buy the product via Paypal but not sure what the "buyer protection" is. I might have to call them up and explain my situation to them.

[bsal6160]

Why would you buy a phone from overseas? Just how did you plan to charge the phone ? The US use 110V whereas we in Australia use 240V.

Just cut your lose and go buy one from a reputable dealer here in au.

[foxette-in-sox]

JMO-again lol-but you've probably only got 2 options as I said-return to seller with no battery or ring Paypal & chuck a spit lol

Looking at your sellers feedback,there's no way in heck I would've bought from them-too many problems with phones PLUS being in US makes it well nigh on impossible to return.

Did seller offer replacement WITHOUT you returning phone?

[patchoo78]

A lot of the earlier iPhones have batteries that you can't remove and I'm pretty sure that the 3GS is one of them

It's Apple's way of selling you a newer version of the same phone each year...

[crosbystills]

The 3GS battery can be replaced and apparently is only worth about $10:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/300726952805?hlp=false#ht_2263wt_1012

[mrdwee]

The seller hasn't responded so I don't know if he'll offer me a replacement without returning the actual item. Does that even happen?

I've contacted paypal-- they have told me it's best to wait for a response from the seller. Although they have had this similar problem in the past, the paypal operator said I should be able to send the item because the battery cannot be removed (don't think this is right though). She said most times the seller will just replace the item or refund without the need to return the faulty item. We will just wait and see. Thank you all on your opinions and answers!

[peternt2001]

i know this doesnt help you in this situation, but, in the future i would definitely stick to buying any electronic goods from australian sellers.

there is too much that can go wrong with electronics and they are the more expensive purchases, and like you said if there is a problem the cost of returning them is very cost prohibitive