Nasty "Near Perfect Condition" 48SX - Printable Version +- HP Forums (https://archived.hpcalc.org/museumforum) +-- Forum: HP Museum Forums (https://archived.hpcalc.org/museumforum/forum-1.html) +--- Forum: Old HP Forum Archives (https://archived.hpcalc.org/museumforum/forum-2.html) +--- Thread: Nasty "Near Perfect Condition" 48SX (/thread-30969.html) |
Nasty "Near Perfect Condition" 48SX - Lane - 03-29-2003 I was wondering if anyone here has had a bad experience buying an HP calculator on Ebay.
I bought a 48SX that was reportedly in "near perfect condition" that, upon receiving it yesterday, looks like it sat in a vat of jelly for a few days. It has about 20 keys that don't click properly because of whatever goo is underneath them. And of course the best part is, it doesn't even turn on! I have emailed the seller letting him know I want my money back but of course he has not yet responded. Other than telling him to "pucker up" and kiss his 100% good feedback rating goodbye, does anyone have any other advice for me?
eBay Advice (and an eBay story of mine) - Jeremy - 03-29-2003 1. Don't lose your cool or it will not work out well. There are people who claim their items are near mint and work 100% just by looking at them. I bought a calc from just such a guy. (A Canon 5-function Palmtronic) The damn thing had exploded batteries in the compartment. Even after I cleaned all that crap up, it didn't work. I didn't see any way to get it apart without making it obvious I had it apart, so I just complained to the guy. I asked him how he could guaruntee that it works '100%' without even turning the !@#$% thing on??!! The guy was so rude it was unbelievable. He explained that he got these things by the hundred and just to send it back and he would refund my money. The guy couldn't be bothered to actually take 1 minute to check the item he was selling. He also told me not to bid on any of his auctions in the future. Apparently, I was a bad customer because I complained about an item that didn't work. He also waited a week after receiving payment to ship. All through his insults and misbehavior, I kept my cool. My plan was to keep my cool until I got my money back, then give him the negative feedback. But he wrote me an email before he sent the money back apolgizing for his rudeness and offered to keep his eyes peeled for a calculator I wanted. Incidentally, he is also one of those sellers that doesn't give feedback to his buyers until they give him feedback. So I decided I would wait 89.9 days before leaving his feedback to avoid the retaliatory feedback. But I softened up a bit after his apology. Then a week later, he left positive feedback for me even though I was "obsessive-compulsive about my $10 item" So I figured he did stand by his guaruntee, and although that doesn't excuse his rudeness, I would overlook that small detail. So play it cool and follow the proper channels. If that doesn't work, (give eBay time to respond) leave him a negative feedback, but with no trace of anger or malice. You lose credibility that way. If you just state facts, people will see that you're not angry and will be much more likely to believe you. If worst comes to worst, I bet it wouldn't be too bad to fix. If you search the HP48 sites, there is one with directions on how to disassemble a 48G (basically the same as yours) without any outward evidence of having done so. It is probably just a matter of taking it apart and cleaning the Coke off of the contacts with alcohol. If it comes to that point, let me know and I will do my best to find that link for you. -Jeremy
P.S. - I will take this opportunity to gripe again that HPs are no longer put together with screws... :(
Re: eBay Advice (and an eBay story of mine) - Dia C. Tran - 03-29-2003 I know that the 48 can be taken apart. But it was not designed to be taken apart. So although you can, taking the 48 apart is difficult and can damage to the calculator
Re: eBay Advice (and an eBay story of mine) - Lane - 03-30-2003 I am happy to report that the seller has already refunded my money. Well, he didn't refund the shipping but I'm hardly interested in fighting over that. Thanks for your help Jeremy and Chan Tran. He did tell me to keep the calculator. So, I guess it would only be smart to get it in someone's hands who could fix it. Or, I could fix it myself with Jeremy's help of course. ;O) Now that I have nothing to lose, it seems to be an option.
Lane
|