Thursday 13 November 2008

eBay Dodgy Geezers

I started poking about on eBay again looking for another water pistol after the previous one failed to materialise.

My hopes went up when I spotted a gun very similar to the one I'm currently borrowing from Claire and then I scrolled down the page to check the seller's payment instructions and came across this...
  • No refunds are given, PAYMENT WITHIN ONE WEEK NO EXCUSES.
  • I take no responsibility for any items lost or damage in the post, its up to you to claim compensation from the post office. So if you require recorded delivery please ask.
Which rather threw me.

As a customer who buys many things over the internet, if I pay for goods which I don't receive or arrive in a less than ideal condition, I'm going to consider it the seller's problem not mine.

I checked eBay's policy and it's clear - the seller is responsible for ensuring the goods get to the buyer (although they're free to charge exorbitant amounts for this service).

If good's don't arrive, are damaged or not as described, eBay advise you to talk to the seller and hopefully sort things out amicably. Failing that if you paid with PayPal they'll refund you providing you make a claim within 45 days (eBay then start investigating the seller).

If you didn't pay via PayPal your position is a little less clear cut, although if you bought directly with a credit card they'll hopefully refund the monies. If all else fails, eBay advise you to report the seller to the police!

All of which seems very definite to me - the seller is responsible for supplying you with goods you've paid for, anything else is theft!

I hasten to add that the eBay trader I was originally trying to buy a water pistol from gave me an immediate refund when I queried its whereabouts. No problem there at all.

As for the other trader with that oh so tempting super soaker... He's not getting my bid, that much is for certain!

2 comments:

  1. Some people try it on even if they know the rules they rely on most other people not doing so.. Often though they are just muppets I've lost count of the number of times I've hear shop staff say things that arn't true under consumer law particularly about bringing stuff back. The last one I has said to me personally was that I should knwo that as the item I was buyign was a second I couldn't bring it back.. oh yes I can if it turns out to be faulty in some other way than discribed on the seconds label.. in this case it was missing buttons. had a seam popped or similar I could take it back just not for missing buttons... which turned out to be in the pocket so were not so much missing as not sewn on..

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  2. Sounds like an ebayer whose had too many people try it on, you do get them unforutnately.....

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