posted on September 6, 2002 02:19:30 PM new
As a born cynic (and yet, human at heart) I sometimes wonder if my job forces me to be too hard on people. I do eBay for a living. If someone fails to pay, I have to work harder to make sure there's enough money to pay the bills.
There's this lady who bid on a pearl necklace. She lives right here in this county and in fact, works for the county. Even uses her county account to bid on eBay. Right after the auction closed, she wrote me to say her husband had had a heart attack and she couldn't honor her bid. She was, however, willing to give me positive feedback anyway, if I would do the same for her.
I wrote back to express my sympathy but pointed out that her bid was a contract and I expected her to uphold it. I expressed disappointment that she continued to bid on other items and that she hadn't simply requested additional time to pay, which we would have been happy to grant.
I got blasted with a number of angry responses: her electricity would be turned off in a few days, her sick husband was the main breadwinner, other sellers had honored her request and actually *did* leave her positive feedback though she didn't complete the transaction. (You should see her feedback file! It really milks the ol' tear glands!)
She offered to send me her husband's angiogram and chest films. She claimed her other bids could not be cancelled.
I responded simply that I had a $3,000 mortgage payment coming up and I expected her to fulfill her contract.
She was so persistent with email -- I must have gotten twenty from her in the space of two days -- that I started to feel almost fond of her. After all, there was the chance she wasn't actually lying to me.
She sent the payment. Then she went back to bidding.
It's ten days later and she's won over $500 worth of jewelry.
And there's a county worker here who is cheating the taxpayers and (most likely) more gullible eBay sellers.
What do you think: Should I turn her in to the county? I don't see how they could justify her spending so much of her work time on eBay bidding and personal correspondence.
posted on September 6, 2002 02:29:38 PM new
I don'tknow what others think (& I don't care) I would turn her in. You have her name & address, so it wouldn't be hard to do it. It is evident to me that she just decided she didn't want that item. Doid you ever check to see if her husband really had a heart attack? Most likely a lie.
posted on September 6, 2002 02:58:23 PM new
I took a closer look at her bidding and while you can't tell for sure how someone else is paying for their items, it really looks like she is putting it all on a credit card or two.
That may have been the root of her anger against me. We don't take credit cards.
I don't want her to lose her job. But as a taxpayer, it's a bit galling to be hammered by someone doing this crap on county time.
I suppose I could call the county offices and ask what their policy is on personal use of government computers.
posted on September 6, 2002 03:29:54 PM new
Reminds me of the Sanford and Son show. Sanford - Red Foxx {spelling?} always faked a heart attack when he was in some sort of mischief. "Oh my heart, I'm comin Lord! Oh Elizabeth, it's the big one."
posted on September 6, 2002 03:46:43 PM new
Yep, that's one way to look at it. I did get paid, even if the process was like pulling someone's wisdom teeth.
posted on September 6, 2002 04:30:57 PM new
fluffy; Your idea of checking on policy is a good idea. When I was Business administrator for a small company, (250 employees) his was a BIG NO NO, during working hours. After an employee had punched out, they could use the computer for 1 hour for email etc. Get caught during working hours & 3 strikes, your out!! Every body knew it & we had no problems
posted on September 7, 2002 12:51:13 AM new
I wonder if this would even be posted here about her being a county employee if she had paid on time without sending any of the emails?
With that in mind, if you would of turned her in then... then you should turn her in now, if not; then let it be...
posted on September 8, 2002 11:59:55 PM new
Might I point out here that if you turn her in it might be the 'straw that broke the camel's back'. The county might start auditing the city's computer usage and time wasted. All of our sales could be effected. I don't want to miss a single bid because someone can no longer access ebay from their work computer.
posted on September 9, 2002 10:34:08 AM new
She was POed at you because she could not put it on her County CC and she did not read your terms very well and tried to wiggle out of it by LYING about her Poor husband ( Dripping with sarcasm ),with all the husbands and wifes sisters brothers ect, ect, dying, dead, crashes, the freeways should have no back ups US pop is at all time low and I should sell funneral caskets and accsessories on Ebay.
posted on September 9, 2002 11:19:01 AM new
I recommend staying out of your customer's personal lives, even when they try to draw you in themselves. There's nothing to gain and the only result ends up being on the downside.
This buyer owes payment on your auction. Focus on this fact alone and take steps to insure payment. Forget all the static this buyer is throwing at you and focus only on the business end of your transaction. If the buyer fails to pay, take the appropriate action by leaving a negative, relisting and moving on to other business.
The fact that this individual is a county worker should also not be of concern to you. This individual will someday face the consequences of their business performance. Let his/her employer worry about this. You have product to sell and this should be your primary focus. Just as your mortgage company fails to care about the fact that you might be stiffed by an eBay buyer, you also shouldn't have to involve yourself in your buyer's financial/personal matters. You need to be paid and to be on your way to bigger and better business transactions. Save the small talk and personal concerns to family and friends, the folks that are deserving of your thoughts and time.
posted on September 9, 2002 03:08:51 PM new
Computerboy said exactly what I was thinking. As long as I get paid, I'm willing to let karma balance the cosmic books on people like this.
