Bend over, breath deeply, it doesnt really hurt !!!

[chameleon54]

         Welcome to my latest defect.

Customer buys a vintage outboard motor part. I send it large letter, never to hear another thing. Four months later I get a Paypal credit card chargeback alledging unauthorised use of card. This seems rather strange as the buyer has a number of outboard motor parts purchases in thier feedback & buying history. I phone them up and "Cindy" answers. She goes on to tell me that she asked a "friend" to help her set up her account including all passwords. She didnt bother to change the passwords as she trusted her friend. Her partner also uses her account ( to buy outboard motor parts ) .

          You guessed it, the "friend starts to make unauthorised purchases, using Cindys ebay account. She reports it to the police and then initiates the chargebacks, not bothering to check which where made by Cindy and her partner and which where made by the "friend". While I was on the phone, Cindy asks her partner if he made the purchase, which he confirms. I pass all of this information ( including the fact that Cindy has allowed at least two other people access to her password ) to Paypal. Result -  item was mailed without tracking, so Cindy gets a payment reversal credited to her account and I also have the priveledge of paying a nice big extra fee to the credit card company for handling the chargeback. Reminds me a lot of my last prostate examination. Breath deeply, remember its only a bit of discomfort. It doesnt really hurt now does it, Its all in your mind.:   ( Thats the look I had on my face at the time LOL )

WELCOME TO THE BRAVE NEW WORLD OF 180 DAY RETURNS.

[harley_babes_hoard]

She confirms her husband bought them so she should repay the funds + the paypal fee. Tell her if she doesn't repay you, you will be lodging your own police report for receiving goods by fraud.

[chameleon54]

Thanks Harley, I made that threat on the phone at the time, but I,m afraid shes probably not the brightest light on the Christmas tree. I took the time to phone ebay & paypal, as well as lodge the information with paypal in written form, but for the sake of my sanity, I,ll just have to let it go. I have a bit of wriggle room with my defect count and have always taken the attitude that a small % of transactions wont go according to plan. This one does take the cake though.

[digital*ghost]

You get a defect for a chargeback, as well?  

WT heck, eBay? Sellers are defective if they strike a fraudulent buyer? (In every "unauthorised use" case, someone has committed fraud, either when the buyer uses someone else's card or account, or if they untruthfully claim unauthorised use). 

I'd be way too mad to let 'Cindy' get away with that. 

[harley_babes_hoard]

just lodge an online report.
http://www.police.qld.gov.au/programs/cscp/eCrime/internet/report/

I would also email her again saying that if the payment is not returned in 24 hours you will be lodging a complaint to the police. No harm in trying once more. Perhaps if it is written she will understand it more.

[cherry*135]

That is very unfortunate you were the one that ends up paying for something the ebay user caused herself... what a special case she is.

With credit card and unauthorised usage, it is very hard for ebay sellers to have any control over that.

Some big online retailers request for first time buyers, that they send them a photo of their credit card, with their fingers over some of the numbers (so  the complete card numbers aren't given out over the internet) to prove it is their card.

[chameleon54]

---

@digital*ghost wrote:

You get a defect for a chargeback, as well?  

WT heck, eBay? Sellers are defective if they strike a fraudulent buyer? (In every "unauthorised use" case, someone has committed fraud, either when the buyer uses someone else's card or account, or if they untruthfully claim unauthorised use). 

I'd be way too mad to let 'Cindy' get away with that. 

---

Its appears to be classed as a refund by ebay. In the dispute process there where only three options available to me.

1) I will refund the buyer ( NO so I lose )

2) I sent the item with tracking and can provide tracking details to confirm delivery ( NO so I lose )

3) Do nothing and case will be automatically resolved in buyers favour ( NO so I lose again )

On the advice of the paypal rep I phoned, I used option two to put my case as this was the only option which allowed a written response ( after listing 000000000 ) as my tracking number. This obviously didnt do it for the robot "investigating" the case as I LOSE AGAIN. You just have to looooooooooove ebay and Paypal investigations. It doesnt matter what you say or what the circumstances are , SELLERS ALWAYS LOSE !!!!

[digital*ghost]

Wow, so PayPal don't actually give you the specific option to fight against a chargeback (i.e. communicate with the bank, who are the ones that actually make the decisions about whether a chargeback is successful), only to provide evidence that can qualify you for their seller protection. That makes me even madder, and sadder.... I'm smadder. 

(Don't mean to make light of your situation, I'm genuinely aggreived on your behalf by the entire scenario, not that me sitting here shaking my fist is gunna do much for anyone). Me... I'd scream blue murder about the defect , and I still wouldn't let Cindy (or her partner) keep the item for free.  I understand if you feel that your time / energy is better focussed elsewhere, I just hate seeing people get away with this kind of thing. 

[chameleon54]

Thanks DG. I have fought other cases in the past long and hard until I have won, but these have been from people who are smart enough to know exactly what they are doing. In this case Cindy needed help to set up her account etc. for a reason. Shes probably cunning enough to know she,s got away with something, but probably didnt plan this every step of the way. ( including her own and partners purchases in chargebacks ) It just sort of happened. Sometimes it "just aint worth it". I send a lot of items untracked and include a $1.00 extra charge on all of my postage to self insure against any sort of claim, so I am covered for the financial loss incured with this one. I just thought this experience was one of those wierd and wonderfull ebay stories that was worth sharing. 

[cq_tech]

I'd be ringing and demanding that Paypal return my funds or I'd be lodging a complaint with the Ombudsman at https://fos.org.au/ and if that doesn't get your money returned to you, I'll eat my keyboard!