How do I remove negative feedback (Seller)?

[emergency-lighting]

Hi All,

We have sold thousands of goods on eBay over 6+ years. 

Recently, we came across a malicious Buyer who left us an unjustified negative feedback (our first ever), therefore making us lose our 100% feedback (which can often be the difference between winning or losing a sale). 

Basically, Buyer left us negative feedback, claiming that our product cannot be wall mounted. Our packaging, datasheet and installation instructions clearly explains and illustrates how to wall mount the product. We have made contact with the Buyer to explain how to wall mount the product and have requested to revise their feedback. We even offered to provide a FULL refund if they are still unhappy. Buyer declined both of our requests, claiming that their feedback is accurate. 

I have done some research on the Buyer and was shocked to learn that of the 14 feedback they have given to Buyers, 12 of them have been negative!!! Clearly a very sour and malicious Buyer! 

We have sold thousands of this product with no issues whatsoever. We have contacted eBay Live Chat twice and had a phone conversation once to explain our position and request to remove the false negative feedback. However, despite backing ourselves with strong evidence, eBay is saying that they can no longer remove negative feedback as of 30August2023.

PLEASE eBay, if you are reading this, please provide some Seller Protection against malicious Buyers. We have worked so hard over the years to provide quality products and top service to our (and your) customers. We are clearly not at fault so PLEASE help us retract the negative feedback as it is a HUGE deal for small businesses like us. Thank you!

[countessalmirena]

Springyzone, what I found gave the wrong tone included that “please read” sentence. It implies that the buyer didn’t read the installation manual. If the buyer had read it, and still found that the unit wasn’t wall-mountable, that would truly irritate and upset the buyer. If the buyer had read it but the instructions were not clear, still irritating. If the buyer didn’t read the instruction manual, it’s more tactful to mention the manual/instructions in a neutral way without making the buyer feel defensive (in my view).

The way in which it was phrased definitely assumed that the buyer hadn’t read the manual, and it included an exclamation mark to punctuate that point. The assumption might be correct… but chiding the customer is only going to get their back up (right or wrong).

In my view, the feedback comment is far too long - and it just draws attention to the negative.

That’s how it strikes me, at any rate.

As we can’t see who the buyer is (and the OP can’t tell us), and obviously we can’t see the feedback that they give others, it’s not possible for us to put the buyer’s neg in context with their overall buying behaviour. Mind you, assuming the seller is correct in describing that pattern, I can understand the seller being extremely fed up with and irritated by what could well be a completely unjustified negative.

[sugar249]

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@countessalmirena wrote:

Springyzone, what I found gave the wrong tone included that “please read” sentence. It implies that the buyer didn’t read the installation manual. If the buyer had read it, and still found that the unit wasn’t wall-mountable, that would truly irritate and upset the buyer. If the buyer had read it but the instructions were not clear, still irritating. If the buyer didn’t read the instruction manual, it’s more tactful to mention the manual/instructions in a neutral way without making the buyer feel defensive (in my view).

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Exactly.   It is rude and condescending.  And than the carry on about the poor sellers feedback rating just added to it.

I will buy from a seller who has being given a neg  based on what I see the neg being for,  if I saw this one I would have contacted the seller for a copy of the install instructions before buying.  But based on the reply, I would move on to the next seller .

[springyzone]

I don't judge it all on the seller's reply. I also look at what a buyer says.

This one just said

Ordered wall / ceiling mount, was delivered ceiling mount............

There was no mention of the need for any instructions, no mention of contacting seller, nothing. It is not coming across as a thorough description of what went wrong. I've seen much better.

It comes across to me as a person who could barely bother to spend the time writing detailed feedback & only got on to complain.

In contrast, the seller's reply at least starts with please and is in legible sentences. The first sentence directly addresses the issue-was the wrong unit sent?

Okay, so neither person will be up for for a Nobel prize in literature, but that's not the aim of feedback. The aim, surely, is to address the issues.

If a seller is aggressively rude in a reply, it might turn me off, but if they are just a bit snippy and I suspect they may have every right to be, then I'm okay with it. It may turn others off, but maybe if they are that nervy the seller would prefer they move on anyway.

[p9games]

Wait 12 months and the neg will be gone.  Problem solved

[hbrih3]

They lied to you , eBay is making negative feedbacks disappear all the time from large sellers even when the negative feedback is warranted and dozens of buyers complain about the same issues time after time. Only have to follow sellers like justwine to see the negative feedbacks climbing above 10 one week then the following one dropping to 1 or 2 to bring them back to 100%   Over the years I've had at least a dozen negative feedbacks deleted, some as recent as this month when eBay even ended up having to do a partial refund because the seller lied about resending a missing box of wine after originally only sent 1 of the 2 boxes ordered then when asked for proof they provide the old tracking number as "evidence" they reshipped it.  I wouldn't worry too much about your feedback, most buyers would know that feedback is being manipulated and distorted by sellers and eBay. That's been the case ever since they stopped allowing negative feedbacks to be given to buyers years ago. 

[*sons_n_daughters*]

Maybe buy your wine from local vineyards, or if you don't have local ones, buy direct from websites rather than ebay. Personally, I can get what I want from Dan Murphy's. I live in an area with lots of vineyards and the prices are exactly the same as if I went to the cellar door. Therefore, I buy from Dans, rather than drive the 15-20 minutes out of town. 

If you're leaving so many negative feedbacks, and they are constantly removed, you are either leaving feedback which breaches ebay's feedback rules, or you're just being a d1ck. If you're having this many issues with ebay, then maybe for some of your purchases, it's not the place for you. I personally like to buy my wine locally, even if it is via Dr Dan's. Funnily enough, they have lots of lovely wines from out of the area too, even from overseas!

[davewil1964]

d1ck would be my impression

[davewil1964]

About a year after you joined. Doesn't seem to have stopped you using eBay