sapington
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posted on December 4, 2002 09:14:03 PM new
I just received my first neutral feedback today. The guy never even emailed to say he wasn't happy. I was looking at the feedback he has left and it seems to be a common thing if everything isn't perfect. Take a look and see if sellers ought to be warned about this by giving him a negative in return http://cgi2.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedbackMemberLeft&memberId=whwing&items=25
He even gives negatives without emailing the seller first. I think he deserves the negative I will probably give him.
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ahc3
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posted on December 4, 2002 09:47:55 PM new
In this situation, I would. If there is a problem, I expect the buyer to contact me. If they were not satisfied, I would have offered a refund. When they leave poor feedback without trying to resolve the situation (which ebay says you are supposed to do) I see no reason why not to leave a neg, and then move on. I don't know if it will help other sellers, except maybe it will teach him a lesson that you should work out a problem first instead of leaving poor feedback...
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inot
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posted on December 4, 2002 10:06:59 PM new
I read the feedback he has left for others before reading his name...after the third page I looked up to see his name and I could have sworn it said "whining".
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sparkz
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posted on December 4, 2002 10:29:58 PM new
Not only would I give him a neg, I would send him an email telling him exactly WHY he got it and how to prevent more in the future. Buying and selling isn't the only thing to look at on Ebay. The key to any successful transaction is communication. It's sometimes difficult to conduct business face to face in a B&M, and the problem is compounded in cyberspace. If a person can't communicate, they have no business on Ebay. I'd tell this turkey that if he can't master a few basic keyboard skills, he should stick to Wal Mart for his future purchases.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
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sarniaflower
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posted on December 5, 2002 03:47:31 AM new
No offence and I am sure your feelings are hurt that the purchaser left you a neutral.
But Wow how unprofessional to send a negative because the purchaser left a neutral.
The purchaser did there part "PAID"
That is what the negs & pos are for exposing non-payers and late shippers, bad merchandise
Was the item dirty...? could you have described the item better.
I have not sold on ebay that long but I have been in sales for 25 years and frankly you can't please them all purchasers/sellers (you & I) are not perfect and that is just something to accept.
Correct me if I am wrong but the idea is to make money... do you think leaving a neg will get you more sales or make you look petty...?
Maybe instead of leaving a neg email the client a nice email apologize make it your fault get him to feel a little bad for not contacting you turn the client around.
I received a negative early in the game but I got it all fixed and now he is one of best repeat clients.... that’s is what it is all about making money!
Just a thought
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rarriffle
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posted on December 5, 2002 04:56:52 AM new
Seems like he is using feedback system as it should be used...to give factual feelings about the transactions.
should he have notified you first? probably, but was the item dirty?
if he paid promptly then he deserves a positive...not a retaliatory neg which will show to other people just what it is...makes you look bad, not him.
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dautcom
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posted on December 5, 2002 05:39:11 AM new
If I had paid $34.00 plus $6.00 shipping. I would have expected to have the knobs clean also. You made a big hit, so why not just go on and forget about it. Save the neg for when you get a stiff.
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Libra63
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posted on December 5, 2002 07:47:46 AM new
I don't think he deserves a negative. I see that he must have paid promptly and you mailed promptly because he got his items in less that two weeks but then when he received the items he felt they were not as described that is what he is basically saying in your feedback. In your description you don't describe what he is saying and if he is saying is true then he is giving you a warning that either you have clean items or say that in your description. I am sure he probably would have bought them anyway if your description was accurate. This is the reason your description must be accurate.
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lowprofile
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posted on December 5, 2002 08:11:29 AM new
You said they were NEW...if they were new they should not have been so dirty. ou should have said...
I would have left you a big fat neg!
Any no you should leave him a POSITIVE..he did his part.
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ahc3
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posted on December 5, 2002 08:15:59 AM new
One person's definition of clean may vary. What if he is obsessive/compulsive. The point is he should have communicated with the seller that he was unpleased, perhaps something could have been done about it. I would not return a negative if it were my fault - i.e. I sent out the wrong item, etc. This is more gray area than anything, and at a minimum there should have been communication from the buyer, as is suggested in Ebay's guidelines.
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Greengate
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posted on December 5, 2002 08:35:49 AM new
If the customer did his part he deserves a positive.
Who leaves feedback first has been an issue on this board many times. I leave glowing feedback if the customer has done their part and I leave it the minute the box leaves my door along with a tracking number and a thankyou for purchasing.
The customer already knows they are appreciated by my feedback before they even receive their package. I have held back a few times when a customer is demanding but still if they have done their part they get a positive.
Im sure many of us have dropped the ball more than once and made a mistake or need to improve their service. The feedback is a wakeup call to improve your product or service. Use it wisely and the neg will get buried way back in your feedback listing. Regarding clean items, always present your customer with a clean product and a clean box even if it is used, or at least explain in the auction about its condition. "Needs TLC" in the auction might invite a question from the seller so they know whats up. It helps build the auction community and the rest of the sellers like to know that Ebay is a great place to find treasures.
You can't please everyone but if 98% are happy then you have done the job right.
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quickdraw29
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posted on December 5, 2002 08:53:02 AM new
"how unprofessional to send a negative because the purchaser left a neutral.
The purchaser did there part "PAID."
Sending a message that the buyer is a problem that should be avoided is not unprofessional. Credit Card companies report your credit history to a credit agency; Movie Rental businesses share info on deadbeats; Casino's contact each other about Card Counters; smaller stores post bad checks by the registar, my 7-11 puts pictures of shoplifters on the counter.
We're not discussing revenge, we're discussing warning other users about a problem buyer.
The buyer paid, that's all feedback is based on? So what you're saying is if a seller sends the item, as described, out they should always receive a positive feedback? What if the seller sends the exact item, quickly, but he sends nasty emails because he (the seller) is a complete idiot? Should the buyer still leave positive feedback because the seller completed the deal?
Come on, think things through!
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kiara
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posted on December 5, 2002 09:03:26 AM new
Complaint: Came quick in good shape BUT minus smoothing tip mentioned. Tricky description.
Response by casey0 - Buyer NEVER emailed about issue. Didn't know tip missing & would refund if asked
Another example of this buyer not communicating.
Just because he paid he does not deserve a positive. The transaction is based on how it evolves from start to finish.
I agree with ahc3 about failure to communicate. If a buyer doesn't e-mail to express that something is wrong, how can the seller help him? We are not perfect people and if we sell enough items, sooner or later we may make a mistake.
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ahc3
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posted on December 5, 2002 09:06:54 AM new
Look at the seller's feeback:
977 positives. 657 are from unique users and count toward the final rating.
1 neutrals.
0 negatives. 0 are from unique users and count toward the final rating.
That is pretty impressive. He also has a good ratio of repeat bidders. A simple email message to the seller from the buyer (as is suggested in ebay's guidelines before leaving poor feedback) would have cleared this up.
How about this scenario: What if you send a package, and the post office takes 10 days to deliver a priority mail package, and the buyer gives you a negative. What would all these people saying that if the buyer has paid on time, and you should give a positive no matter what do? Just curious...
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koto1
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posted on December 5, 2002 10:23:51 AM new
I wouldn't leave a negative for the buyer, but probably would leave a neutral. Why? To tell future sellers of the potential for a communication problem with this buyer.
"Who's tending the bar?  Sniping works up a thirst"
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bkmunroe
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posted on December 5, 2002 03:05:54 PM new
I think leaving negative feedback would make you look childish.
I think it's in the buyer's best interest to communicate with the seller if there is a problem. Maybe he would have received a partial refund. The worst that could happen is that the seller would say, "Tough luck!".
Since the buyer felt there was a problem, I see nothing wrong with a neutral.
To me, a problem that goes unfixed deserves a negative. A problem that is fixed deserves a neutral or no feedback. A problem that is fixed beyond my expectations gets a positive.
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Roadsmith
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posted on December 5, 2002 08:56:47 PM new
Kiara is right! Reading everything here and thinking it through, I think her answer is the best.
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kiara
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posted on December 5, 2002 09:41:24 PM new
No, I didn't give the best answer because I didn't say whether I would leave a neutral or neg if this happened to me.
It did happen once and I left a neutral back. But it still ticks me off so if it happened again I may leave a neg depending on my mood and what kind of day I had. Some may think it's childish but I'm just being honest.
[ edited by kiara on Dec 5, 2002 09:42 PM ]
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sparkz
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posted on December 5, 2002 10:53:47 PM new
I still think JACKSWEBB summed it up best when he stated that a neutral is a negative in sheep's clothing.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
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sapington
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posted on December 5, 2002 11:07:31 PM new
Well I give it to him. In my opinion it was WELL deserved. He emailed me to complain a whole day after leaving feedback. I am guessing that someone read this post warned him. Maybe he will think twice before doing this next time. I still can't believe he got away with it this long. I consider leaving 10% bad feedback absolutly unnecessary.
[ edited by sapington on Dec 5, 2002 11:09 PM ]
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kiara
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posted on December 5, 2002 11:17:45 PM new
Yes, JACKSWEBB summed it up best. 
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CapYoda
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posted on December 6, 2002 01:55:20 AM new
neutral seems like a good way to let other sellers know whats up.
there's no need for a neg, IMO.
plus, your impressive feedback rating is hardly hurt, IMO.
he really should have contacted you though. guess he just likes to tag people right away.
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tomwiii
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posted on December 6, 2002 02:01:04 AM new
Hopefully, everybody here has blocked this pretzel-choker from bidding on their auctions -- I know I sure have!!
"What we have heah is a fail-ure to communicate!"
http://tinyurl.com/315v
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thedewey
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posted on December 6, 2002 03:21:28 AM new
I'm sorry, but I think a negative was a bit "overboard". A neutral or nothing would've been a better response, IMO.
I think a seller who takes "the high road" is more admirable than a seller who retaliates.
One of the hardest things I've ever done was to leave a positive for a bidder who negged me without bothering to e-mail. But I'm glad that I did, because in the long run, it made her look that much "wronger" and me look that much more professional. 
The feedback that you leave not only tells about the person that the feedback is for, but about you as a seller.
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Libra63
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posted on December 6, 2002 05:32:05 AM new
I am sure you could have been more professional about the feedback you left this bidder. I honestly don't think he deserved what you said. You buyer was upset about the condition of the item and stated that in his neutral feedback. I think your negative one was a retalitory one and sellers and buyers will see that.
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HaveToHaveIt
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posted on December 6, 2002 07:27:37 AM new
Two words:
Anal Retentive
But I'm sure he's a very nice guy anyway.
:>
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trai
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posted on December 6, 2002 08:54:14 AM new
One of the hardest things I've ever done was to leave a positive for a bidder who negged me without bothering to e-mail. But I'm glad that I did, because in the long run, it made her look that much "wronger" and me look that much more professional
And what did your bidder learn from this? Nothing! You have that big red mark and they walk away with a positive.
All they learned from you was a bad habit, that its ok not to cumunicate and you will still get your reward.
Just because they paid you does not mean the deal is over. Even ebay states that.
If they do not even give you a chance to fix a problem then I do not feel they deserve a positive.
I wish ebay would get rid of that neutral crap. It should be positive or negative only. There is no middle ground.
The way I see it, a neutral is a neg with sugar coating no matter how you look at it.
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kiara
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posted on December 6, 2002 09:31:12 AM new
sapington, I see he now accuses you of being "Hysterical" about the feedback you received. When you do a follow-up response perhaps state that the negative is to warn other sellers about this fellow's failure to communicate if a problem arises.
As for those that take the high road? How many bidders look at that and think, "Wow! Look at this weenie, I can get away with anything I want to." How many bidders think "Wow! I better not screw with this guy because he means business!" None of us will ever really know but it is food for thought.
[ edited by kiara on Dec 6, 2002 09:36 AM ]
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