posted on May 3, 2001 03:48:59 PM new
I originally posted this with the victim's email ID which is also his ebay ID so you can see his 576 positives and no negative ratings. I think even roofguy will have trouble calling him a crook. But that didnt stop PP from hitting him with two charge backs and ignoring him after he sent them the proof they requested. I have invited him to come in and post. I hope it's okay for him to post his own ID. Here is the letter he sent me:
1. I sold a Swarovski Crystal bowl piece to xxxxx through PayPal.
2. About a week or so after receiving it and leaving positive feedback, she notified me that she wanted to return it because of a "very slight chip or scratch" in the bowl. She stated that she was a perfectionist and it bothered her.
3. Although the item had been carefully inspected prior to selling it, I agreed to refund her money if there was a small chip and would accept the return based upon my inspection. If she or shipping had caused a slight mar, expert repairs by the Swaorvski Company are available for modest amounts.
4. Upon my receipt of the returned item, I found severe and non-repairable damage to the piece. The damage was obviously caused by a blunt force or by dropping the bowl. The damage constituted a deep gouge of approximately 1/2 by 1/4 inch and a severely bent prong and chipped crystal. Additionally, the original gift box was damaged (by forcible and incorrect repacking) and the Certificate of Authenticity was missing (the Certificates are valuable by themselves, on the "gray" market).
5. The item was returned with a detailed explanation.
6. She then filed a complaint with PayPal.
7. PayPal notified me of the chargebacks (two of them, at $244.20 and $191.39) and placed a "pending" on my account on 3/24/01. PayPal also asked for proof of delivery, which I supplied the same day (and several times since).
8. It is now 35 days since the "pending" chargebacks were instituted and I have not been able to get PayPal to respond to any contacts.
I have sent PayPal dozens of e-mails and tried to get to them via telephone, all to no avail. It is important to note, I believe, that xxx still has the item, left me positive feedback on Ebay, refused to make a USPS insurance claim, refused binding arbitration, damaged the gift carton (which is an important part of the product's value), and -when she returned it for inspection - kept the Certificate of Authenticity (value of over $50.00). Just
as important, I have proven delivery to and receipt by xxx to PayPal.
I have well over 500 positive feedbacks on Ebay and NO negatives. If the product hadn't been damaged beyond repair, I would have refunded her money (assuming "buyer remorse". I have done so for others (less postage and fees).
I am already in dicsussion with the user. The Buyer Protection Program does not cover quality of merchandise, but the buyer could still file a charge back.
The seller has been asked to provide the information from the Seller Protection Program. As long as they meet the criteria, they should be fine.
posted on May 3, 2001 05:56:35 PM new
Why is it that Damon always ends up being "Customer Service rep of last resort(only resort?) whenever there is a problem regarding a PayPal transaction?
Damon does a superb job in getting these issues resolved once they are brought to his attention, and he deserves a great deal of credit for that. Thanks Damon.
That being said, the fact that he even has to get involved in the first place reflects very poorly on PayPal the company. These issues should have been resolved long before they are even brought to Damon's attention. Especially ones like the case described in this thread. Seller has met each and every requirement for protection under the Seller Protection Plan, yet it takes Damon's intervention to get the issue resolved when it should have been closed immediately upon PayPal's receipt of the seller's documentation.
posted on May 3, 2001 08:03:39 PM new
lakesideagain,
Welcome to AuctionWatch!
You are welcome to join in on this discussion but it is against the CG's to promote your auctions.
You may have your email address or your homepage URL in your sig line but with no promotional wording. Do this by going to 'My Account' tab upper right of this screen and create a sig line there.
We encourage everyone to review the Community Guidelines before posting as well.
posted on May 7, 2001 08:00:59 AM new
I am now in the second week of waiting (on top of the five weeks I waited before learning about "Damon" via this site).
Damon stated in an e-mail that this issue would be resolved immediately since I had proof of shipment. No problem. No sweat. Just hang loose for a second or two.
Meanwhile, $400.00 plus sits out there in limbo somewhere!
posted on May 7, 2001 12:18:01 PM new
PayPal takes its time because it can.
Unlike credit cards or banks which are regulated under FCBA and EFTA and have 90 days, PayPal is not restricted in this manner.
I will say that you can be sure your credit card or bank would also take its sweet time if there were not regulations to protect consumers who use credit/debit cards.
I hope in the future person-to-person transactions will be amended to fall under EFTA.
posted on May 9, 2001 08:12:56 AM new
Some good news:
I had one-part of my account "pending" charges
reversed. It was for $191.39.
If you recall, there were two payments by this
person (one using up her cash and the other using a
credit card). For some reason, PayPal's "mysterious
decision maker" didn't connect the obvious or look
at the account (both charges are under the same
"case" number).
Not too bright. But at least Damon, the only brains
at the place, helped quite a bit.
It will probably take many more e-mails to get the
other half ($244.20) that is still "pending" to be
released.
Thanks to you for all the advice. I wouldn't have gotten this far without this site's help and influence.
posted on May 14, 2001 08:33:39 PM new
Unfortunately, I am still here posting my continuing problem with PayPal. I did get a portion of the money refunded, but it looks like getting the rest may be a bigger problem.
Now, I don't even get the "feel good" replies from Damon and here I am in the 2nd week of this problem and the 7th week of the original problem...all because some idiot can't see beyond his/her nose and envision the whole problem (i.e. same person, same case number, two "pending" chargebacks).
Any suggestions anyone?
posted on May 15, 2001 05:03:30 PM new
Hi Lakesideagain,
Damon is on vacation--please send an email to [email protected] and I will see if I can help with your second claim.
posted on May 15, 2001 10:03:42 PM newI can just imagine what he might say if he were here...
Hi Lakesideagain,
We have 7 million users. I know you just said you supplied us the info, so let me repeat again the same procedure so as to imply you were the one at fault. Once the seller has provided the information from the Seller Protection Program, as long as they meet the criteria, they should be fine.
posted on May 16, 2001 04:07:51 AM new
I don't want to be the spoil sport here but the "Seller Protection Policy" plainly requires "The seller accepted a single payment from one PayPal account for a purchase." This seller accepted two payments. So it looks like the decision will be made by the buyers credit card company, not PayPal.
Glad to see that you are alive and flame proff after the "battle" with your aunt in Ohio yesterday on eBay boards.
A single payment from one PayPal account is the same as two payments from different sources through the same buyer's account.
When it first happened to me - I called PayPal and was told that as long as both payments for a service, purchase or auction was from the same buyer's account - it was covered by their protections for sellers.
It happens alot when buyers first send the fee for the auction and then needs to send a fee for P/H.
