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mrmopar
Member
- Jan 19, 2010
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I have thought about this before and although it has not happened to me...yet, what is in place to stop it from happening?
Here is a real life example to start my discussion. I bought a grouping of 5 or 6 items from a large, well know and sometimes controversial consignment seller. I have been a customer before and have never had an issue. Even after this issue I am planning to discuss was resolved, it worked in my favor, so still no reason to hate the seller.
So, here is what happened. I received a somewhat small package after paying for my order. I open it and received all of my items but one, an 8x10. The original order consisted of several cards and an 8x10. This package was much too small for an 8x10 photo to have been included. I message the seller and asked if the photo was forgotten. I eventually get a reply that the photo had shipped. The tracking on eBay was the same as for the cards that did arrive, thus it also showed the photo arrived at the same time. Confused, I messaged the seller again, pointing out that the envelope with the tracking number they provided was too small to have contained the photo, so either it was not sent on purpose or more likely, it was accidentally overlooked. At that point, I am given a different tracking number, but it was never clearly stated from the seller that the 8x10 did or did not ever get shipped and when it supposedly shipped.
The new tracking number never updated to show anything. I continued to buy more items and told the seller that I was not going to pay until the photo issue was resolved. Keep in mind this was like a $10 or less photo and it was not even the highlight of the order. Nothing more to update for a few more weeks and then finally eBay has the 15% promo code the other night and despite what is happening, I can't pass up 15% off an order just shy of $200, so I pay. I follow up with another update to the case indicating I just want a refund now and that it is apparent that IF the photo was sent, it is now lost.
Today I get a message saying I have a refund. However, it also states that eBay reviewed the case and since the seller provided a tracking number that showed the item had been delivered, my refund was a courtesy. It's not worth the time to call eBay and get some CSR to try to explain it to me. That is all fine and dandy though until this happens again and I don't get that courtesy refund!
So, here is my point and subsequent fear. What is to stop a bad seller (and I am not implying this happened to me in this case) from sending a multiple item order but purposely leaving the "money" item out of the package or sending a sealed but empty package with tracking so as to "prove" it was delivered. Does anyone suspect this has ever happened to them before? Obviously this can only work so long before a seller's reputation is shattered and they have to start over, but I am surprised it is not more of an issue or maybe it is and I am just lucky enough to have avoided it.
Here is a real life example to start my discussion. I bought a grouping of 5 or 6 items from a large, well know and sometimes controversial consignment seller. I have been a customer before and have never had an issue. Even after this issue I am planning to discuss was resolved, it worked in my favor, so still no reason to hate the seller.
So, here is what happened. I received a somewhat small package after paying for my order. I open it and received all of my items but one, an 8x10. The original order consisted of several cards and an 8x10. This package was much too small for an 8x10 photo to have been included. I message the seller and asked if the photo was forgotten. I eventually get a reply that the photo had shipped. The tracking on eBay was the same as for the cards that did arrive, thus it also showed the photo arrived at the same time. Confused, I messaged the seller again, pointing out that the envelope with the tracking number they provided was too small to have contained the photo, so either it was not sent on purpose or more likely, it was accidentally overlooked. At that point, I am given a different tracking number, but it was never clearly stated from the seller that the 8x10 did or did not ever get shipped and when it supposedly shipped.
The new tracking number never updated to show anything. I continued to buy more items and told the seller that I was not going to pay until the photo issue was resolved. Keep in mind this was like a $10 or less photo and it was not even the highlight of the order. Nothing more to update for a few more weeks and then finally eBay has the 15% promo code the other night and despite what is happening, I can't pass up 15% off an order just shy of $200, so I pay. I follow up with another update to the case indicating I just want a refund now and that it is apparent that IF the photo was sent, it is now lost.
Today I get a message saying I have a refund. However, it also states that eBay reviewed the case and since the seller provided a tracking number that showed the item had been delivered, my refund was a courtesy. It's not worth the time to call eBay and get some CSR to try to explain it to me. That is all fine and dandy though until this happens again and I don't get that courtesy refund!
So, here is my point and subsequent fear. What is to stop a bad seller (and I am not implying this happened to me in this case) from sending a multiple item order but purposely leaving the "money" item out of the package or sending a sealed but empty package with tracking so as to "prove" it was delivered. Does anyone suspect this has ever happened to them before? Obviously this can only work so long before a seller's reputation is shattered and they have to start over, but I am surprised it is not more of an issue or maybe it is and I am just lucky enough to have avoided it.