@remlub0 wrote:
I just got scammed $47.97 from an ebay seller for 3 items he promise to refund I opened a request he kept on stalling and requesting my paypal email address and to communicate outside of normal ebay channels to shut my request ,my request expired and i sent complaint to ebay I am a disability carer I have too much responsibilties and 21 days is too little .
@remlub0,
You must follow the clearly stated procedure for a refund. It's too late now for your eBay request as it has clearly timed out by now, but you should still be able to open a claim in PayPal.
eBay Money Back Guarantee: open report absolutely no later than 30 days after the latest "estimated delivery date" for that item in your purchase history.
eBay's Money Back Guarantee policy state that when a buyer hasn't received an item, s/he โcan report in My eBay that they didn't receive an item once the latest estimated delivery date has passed, and for 30 days after the latest estimated delivery dateโ or that the item was significantly not as described.
If the seller doesn't reply within that request/report within 3 days' time (currently 5 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and offer a solution, you as the buyer can "ask eBay to step in". That sets in motion eBay's automatic bot-controlled dispute resolution process, which generally means that you'll receive a full refund (unless the seller can prove that the item was in fact delivered).
You have up until 21 business days to ask eBay to step in; don't let the request close automatically without a resolution, because it cannot be re-opened. (Equally, don't close the request if the seller promises you a refund until you've actually received the refund and can see it in your PayPal summary; also, do not let the request close if a replacement is promised, unless you've received the replacement. Unfortunately, particularly when it comes to some particular sellers, the promise to refund and try to manipulate buyers into closing disputes is a well-known tactic.
Since you have unfortunately allowed yourself to be strung along by the seller, you can't use the eBay MBG. However, not to worry; you can open a return request on the basis of "Significantly Not As Described" in PayPal.
PayPal Buyer Protection: open dispute absolutely no later than 180 days from the "date of purchase".
There's also the option to open a claim in PayPal using PayPal Buyer Protection (you have up to 180 days to open a dispute, and once you've opened the dispute, you must escalate the dispute to a claim NO LATER than 20 days after opening the dispute).
Again, don't close the dispute until you have had the situation resolved.
The link for PayPal's Resolution Centre (in which you can open a dispute) is here, but I strongly urge you to read the PayPal Buyer Protection link first.
PayPal say:
โShop with confidence.
If your order is significantly different to the sellerโs description or doesnโt arrive, you have 180 days to file a dispute. It could be that the event you bought a ticket for was cancelled, you didnโt receive everything you bought, or the item was defective, damaged or counterfeit. We can protect you for the full purchase price plus shipping costs, up to $20,000 per item.
To help protect your purchase, make sure you:
- Pay with PayPal
- Keep your account in good standing (so donโt dispute everything!)โ
IMPORTANT: Before you open a PayPal claim
Before you open a claim, you should sign up for Refunded Returns.
This page explains the PayPal Refunded Returns service. You can request the cost of return postage on eligible items, up to $45 per transaction. There are of course terms and conditions, and you should read those carefully.
If you cannot open a return request in PayPal, you still have two possible options.
Credit card chargeback: timeframes/time limits vary. Check with your card issuer.
In some cases, a chargeback (which you request from your card provider - usually your bank) may be your only option. Check with your card provider about the timeframes for requesting a chargeback. You do need to be aware of the time limits involved; some banks say that you must dispute an unrecognised charge on your card within 30 days of receiving the statement on which that charge is shown. For cases when it's not an unrecognised charge or a charge that was taken in error or without your permission, there may be more leeway, especially if the item you've purchased isn't even due to arrive within 30 days of the purchase date.
Some sources say that dispute time limits may be between 45 days and 120 days. You really do need to check with your card provider to be sure.
If you try to request a chargeback and the card provider denies the chargeback on the basis of its being outside the time limit, it is possible that you can made a complaint with the body formerly known as the Financial Ombudsman Service (more about that below), where you'd be making the complaint against your card issuer/bank. If however you tried and failed to be refunded through PayPal, then rather than selecting your card issuer/bank as the financial institution against whom you are making the complaint, you should select PayPal instead. You can only make the complaint against one body.
Complaint to Australian Financial Complaints Authority (formerly FOS).
Finally, another option is to make a complaint with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) (formerly the Financial Ombdusman Serivce (FOS). You should only start such a complaint if you've tried and failed to achieve a resolution through PayPal or whatever financial institution was involved in the transaction. (They will ask you about this!)
You can read more about contacting PayPal before making a complaint with AFCA in this post. (Please keep in mind that where I referred to the FOS/Financial Ombudsman, that is now AFCA - as of the beginning of November 2018.)
