Re: Try agreements first

[Don Davis]

I'd like to mention that my first step was to contact the seller politely, state my concerns about the unit in a very non-confrontational way, and ask for a refund MINUS shipping charges and $10 for his trouble. I was turned down.

The problems with the calculator are:
(1) Burn/melted spot on the plastic case (not the overlay, which could easily be replaced).
(2) Two missing feet.
(3) The inside of the battery compartment is badly corroded. One battery terminal is nothing but a large solder-blob which was apparently put there after the terminal corroded almost completely away.

This guy is not a regular calculator seller, I do not believe. It's possible he's entirely justified in his own mind, but I believe that anyone should be willing to make a refund in this situation. He's not.

[Pyerre]

If the seller gets the negative feedback from you, you'll get one back from him too...as usual :-(

One day, when you'll buy other things on there (not the calculator related, a vintage radio, for example) or even put the calc up for auction as a parts machine (Jeff's suggestion, which is excellent). The radio & the calc guys do not care about your previous problems about the calculator in details. They just want to see the red mark (negative feedback) on your ebay's account...

Suppose that we've got a calculator from another source, unsatisfied with it, the agreements do not work and the feedback's system does not exist ?

All efforts have now been made without success.
Since this is the calculator related issue, just let the calculator people (forum, newsgroup,...) knows who's, to be aware with and a neutral feedback on ebay.

IMHO thought (worth 2 cents)

[R Lion (Spain)]

"Don't put a neg for not recieving a neg"...ummmmh: That's the reason becuse the ebay feedback is NOTHING.
I think that if the seller don't decribe what he is selling, he is not being honest.
Neg feedback is what I'd put.

[OT]Last sunday I've "lost" a 42s in ebay: I didn't bid more, becuse the seller didn't answer three emails in five days...

Raul

[David Smith]

Actually, I have found Ebay feedback to be a fairly reliable indicator of a sellers quality... as long as they have a reasonable number of sales under their belt. A person who has 100 transactions without any problems is probably OK. If he has 20 percent negatives, you know to watch out.

Since most people are fairly reluctant to give negative feedback, a person with more than a percent or two negatives may be less than desireable, but I have done several deals with people with less than perfect feedback without problems. Some people rack up negatives for slow shipping or poor email contact but still deliver. I have only been actually defrauded on Ebay once (person is now doing federal time). I figure mayby 2 percent of the items that I have bought on Ebay had significant problems that were not properly disclosed.

A couple of hints: a good photo is worth 1000 words and never buy Spice machines from strangers in dark alleys... too many corroded batteries, broken contacts, cracked cases.

[Charles Dickson]

Don,
If you paid with a credit card, and not too much calendar has past, you might try someone who makes money from YOU ie. your credit card company. eBay requires that you try resolution through your credit card company first. I wrote my seller with a list of undescribed defects and told him I wanted part refund or return for full price. He asked what I wanted. I told him again, and he asked what I wanted. I decided that he was delaying. I told him a third time and tried to get refund from credit card company (28 days are now past, and I had paid the bill.) Credit card company said call bank. I did. (Got humans at both places.) The bank guy said send it back and have paperwork we will need it. Heart in throat I returned it and emailed seller that it was coming, and he should sign for it. Bank sent me formwork, and I returned completed forms and a pound of printed emails and photos at 60 days. At 90 days I received credit on my card statement. At 100 days eBay asked why I did not notify them!!!(But I had done what they said to do ie. go to the credit card company first.) Now is day 125, So far it has worked. Bank has cautioned that there may be counter claims.

The seller had 26 trades, and has not made a deal since. I left him negative feedback because he was delaying to use up the calendar. Do note it took more than 2 months to get my money back. He had other negative feedback, but it was one of those minute to go and get a price in and then I checked his feedback ~ 10% negative.

I understand that you have 90 day limitation to accomplish a documented complaint. (I'm not a lawyer.) I hope you have your emails saved somewhere.