posted on February 1, 2001 07:41:30 AM new
I am a seller and buyer on ebay. I love Paypal and just had my first bad experience with Billpoint. I purchased a $50 item I wanted quickly from a seller using BIN and BIP. I assumed that this would mean the person would ship the item later that day since it was 8:30 am. I get a message from the individual at 6 pm stating that he has not received notification from Billpoint of the completed sale and he will be holding the item until Feb 5th as Billpoint has told him it will take that long to complete. This is his first Billpoint sale. I contacted billpoint and they replied to me 6 hours later (not bad I guess) that they, in fact, have a bug in their system and did not send the seller the correct information. They suggest that I tell the seller to contact them for confirmation of the sale. THEY screw up and tell ME to get it corrected???? Personally I think they should contact the seller by telephone and correct the situation. This problem should have been resolved in BETA. This is financial stuff we are talking about here not just a word processor or something. Now because of them this item I had wanted by Sat. may not get to me until late next week. Has anyone had this problem??
posted on February 1, 2001 08:30:12 AM new
Sounds strange to me.
BillPoint has worked like a charm for my buyer's. Perhaps the sellers a little confused as this is his first time. I never use email notifications but check on the BillPoint site to verify a payment status. You could also check your account and see what's going on.
Good luck!
posted on February 1, 2001 08:37:30 AM new
I get about 10 BP payments per week and have never had any problems. The only time there is a delay is when the buyer uses e-check instead of a credit card, in which case BillPoint says to wait until notified that the e-check has cleared.
I agree, that if there was a BP screw-up, then they should contact the seller.
posted on February 1, 2001 08:43:36 AM new
I have used billpoint in the past with no problems. (except the automatic sweep nto my checking account that they make a bundle on). The thing here is not a problem for my seller it is a confirmed problem with Billpoint -- they told me so. I do think that the seller is not 100% up to speed on Billpoint and may perhaps be waiting for the money to show up in their checking account.
He is not clear on this. You know how some people are you send three specific questions and get a reply with an answer to one entirely different question and you say "huh?? did this guy read the email"
Prepare for the worst but hope for the best!! Spuddy98
posted on February 1, 2001 10:23:47 AM new
I once had Billpoint notify me of a buyer's payment 3 days after it was made! However, because the buyer notified me right away that they'd paid with Billpoint, I logged into my account to verify, so they didn't have to wait unduly for me to ship.
If the seller is withholding shipment based on a credit card payment being deposited in their account, that is wrong and they need to be set straight. But for an echeck payment, they do need to withhold.
But I have to take issue with the following statement for a couple of reasons:
I assumed that this would mean the person would ship the item later that day since it was 8:30 am.
First off, so what if you paid first thing in the morning? Maybe the seller has a full-time job and was already at work when you paid. Or maybe the seller ships packages first thing when they open at 7:30 so as not to wait in long lines or something. They get home, maybe check their email, find your payment, and they're supposed to run to the post office a second time? I don't think so.
Second, you should never assume when as seller will ship, especially prior to bidding, if it's not stated in the auction. See my reasons above. Also, unforseen circumstances do arise. Sellers can get sick, kids can get sick so sellers have to stay home and babysit said sick kids, sick spouses, vehicles for transporting those packages to the post office can break down, etc.
Third, (I know, I said a couple, alright already) how do you know how often a seller checks their email? Suppose a seller makes it a practice to check their email nightly after dinner, or after the kids are put in bed, or at 6:00 AM before the kids are up for school? Then, the seller wouldn't find out about your payment until the next day.
Now because of them this item I had wanted by Sat. may not get to me until late next week.
If it was so critical for you to have by Sat., perhaps buying it over the Internet wasn't the best idea since you have no control over when the item will be shipped. Is it really going to be so bad if the item doesn't arrive until next week?
And for the record, I am a stay-at-home Mom with a 6 year old in half-day kindergarten and a 3 1/2 year old at home all day. So I certainly can understand myself how family obligations might prevent a seller from shipping the same day payment is made. And not all sellers do this full time you know. Their job that pays them a paycheck has to come first, whether they like it or not. Your package will get shipped when their employer feels like giving them the time to do it.
Within a few days is reasonable, IMO, and not impossible, even given the set of above circumstances. But expecting same day shipment, come on!!!!
posted on February 1, 2001 12:32:30 PM new
I am interested in setting up a Billpoint account. Can anyone tell me if you can withdraw funds manually from your account like you can with Pay Pal or if Billpoint only offers the automatic fund sweep?
posted on February 1, 2001 02:46:05 PM new
I just received a neg feedback on eBay from a customer claiming I "refused sale" 8 days after the close of the auction and no emails from the bidder. Several hours later I get a two day old "request for invoice" from Billpoint. This all took place between 01-31 and 02-03 (3 days)
I would like to hear more about this problem as I am surely going to contact Ebay regarding my negative feedback.
posted on February 3, 2001 11:57:58 AM new
Guess my reply didn't get posted! Here is the update: Billpoint di not send the seller the notification of payment. Period that is the only problem. Seems the rela problem is that the seller had lost money before when he was paid via Paypal and the buyer backed out after the item was sent. Paypal took the money back and the guy was out the item. So now he has decided that he will wait until the deposit is made into his personal account from Billpoint. A delay of up to 5 days. So much for BIN and instant payments thru billpoint. As a seller if I don't trust something I won't use it.
BJGrolle don't you have some dishes to do or something thats an awfully long winded letter!
Prepare for the worst but hope for the best!! Spuddy98
posted on February 3, 2001 01:41:52 PM new
Well, sorry to hear that this happened to you. It's not right. I agree with you that the seller should not withhold shipment pending deposit just because of one bad experience. I don't believe in punishing everyone because of a few.
And, yep, but I need to cook dinner first before I do those dirty dishes!
posted on February 3, 2001 04:22:59 PM new
If it makes you feel any better, I for one have had several time-delay problems with Billpoint. I have had several buyers request an invoice through Billpoint within minutes of the auction ending. I do not get any notification from Billpoint for up to 2 days. Meanwhile, I get emails from winning bidder stating that they have requested an invoice through Billpoint.
I have about 20% of customers who want to pay with a credit card and use Billpoint. It always seems to work more smoothly if the buyer emails me first and requests that I send them an invoice through Billpoint. It seems that if the buyer initiates contact through Billpoint that it gets lost in the shuffle. This is just my experience. But I never have this problem using PayPal (for whatever that is worth -- probably nothing!)
Anyway, for some reason it does seem to throw a monkey wrench into the works when a buyer initiates payment contact through Billpoint. I have absolutely no idea why this happens???
