posted on March 2, 2004 10:03:29 PM new
I had an auction close on February 9. My terms are payment due within 7 days, but I am flexible as long as the buyer emails me. The WBN from Vendio bounces back - yep, you guessed it, an AOL address. All my emails bounce back ("550 MAILBOX NOT FOUND". I email through eBay, and never hear anything.
I filed "Reminder to Pay Your Seller" on February 18 - still no word from buyer (and I emailed him again through eBay). I filed the "Request for Final Value Fees" on Feburary 28.
LO AND BEHOLD, I just now get this email from the buyer....
"I am glad to see we have the winning bid on the item.
You have probably attempted to contact us and have been unable to do so.
We bid for the item using an old eBay account with an outdated email address.
Now that we have found out about the winning bid, we can complete the transaction.
The next step is to pay for this item. It is my understanding that paypal is the only form of payment you will accept for this auction. My paypal account includes information that is out of date. We will have to contact paypal to update our account profile. I don't know how long that takes, but you should expect to see payment in a day or two.
Thanks for your patience. If you want to contact us, please use this email address.
Jane at [email protected]
Thanks,
-Chris"
I accept plenty of other payment methods - don't know where he gets the notion I accept PP only!
My reply to him?
"Hi Chris,
Thank you very much for your email. Unfortunately the item has been relisted. The auction ended on February 9. My terms state payment is due within seven days, which was February 16. I filed a "Reminder to Pay Your Seller" on February 18, and still had no word from you. I filed for credit for my fees on this auction February 28.
Yes, I have sent repeated emails. If I had bid on an auction and won it, only not to hear from the seller, I would surely have emailed him/her. If you bid on an item, it is understandable to expect you to watch the auction and see if you win.
I find it coincidental that you email me about this auction only after eBay has issued a Non-Paying Bidder warning against your account. As I stated above, the item was relisted and the auction is no longer valid. eBay clearly states that when you bid on an auction, you accept the seller's terms. Since you did not abide by my terms, I am under no obligation to hold an item for you.
Thank you again, Me"
Okay, venting over
__________________________________
"I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to the people who sleep under the very blanket of freedom I provide, and then question the manner in which I provide it." - A Few Good Men
posted on March 2, 2004 10:18:56 PM new
LOL sparkz!
Funny thing is...I have been so crazy lately as I had a virus and my little boy did also, so am running behind. When things get hectic, my priorities are emails, shipping....and lastly feedback.
Well, I haven't left feedback for him YET. At first it wasn't intentional - now it is. I just want him to sweat a little about his 100% selling feedback taking a negative for being a non-paying bidder.
__________________________________
"I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to the people who sleep under the very blanket of freedom I provide, and then question the manner in which I provide it." - A Few Good Men
posted on March 2, 2004 10:35:44 PM new
About a month ago I got hit by a virus and it really put me behind. I had a customer email that she was in bed with the flu and was apologizing for not getting payment out the day after the auction ended, but she didn't feel up to going to the P.O. to get a M.O. I told her to wait a week and send payment because I was sick also and didn't feel like driving out to FedEx to ship her item. Everything worked out great. 99% of any transaction depends on communication. Probably nothing gets my blood pressure to rise any faster than a bidder with an invalid email address and the first thing that comes to mind when that wbn bounces back is NPB alert. Your answer to them was great. In fact I may plagerize it the next time I'm faced with the same situation.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on March 2, 2004 11:10:11 PM new
Ditto for me, wgm. I'm impressed with your calm in the face of stupidity.
It blows my mind that people will bid on an item and "forget" to see if they won it. Surely, at least, they will get the EOA notice from Ebay? (Unless that bounced, too.)
I don't buy that many things on Ebay--maybe one or two per month at most--and I'm always extremely excited to see if my bidding strategy, whatever it was at the time, worked. I like to bid and win. Don't most people?
Finally, if people just bid on items in a sort of casual way, they should stop bidding for a while until their lives are calmer and they can pay attention. End of sermon
___________________________________
Give a person a fish and you feed him for a day; teach that person to use
the Internet and he
won't bother you for weeks.
posted on March 3, 2004 02:09:19 AM new
My response may be calm, but I tell you my blood was boiling when I wrote that! Believe me, I was thinking some fluffy-size thoughts as I was typing!
My previous job, before eBay, I had to deal with similar situations - so I learned to just state the facts. As tempted as I get when leaving a negative, I simply state "did not complete transaction". I guess I have read one too many threads of sellers getting sued over feedback
You are more than welcome to use it! It would make my father proud to know I am putting my education to use - he is one of the non-eBayers who thinks eBay is just a hobby.
__________________________________
"I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to the people who sleep under the very blanket of freedom I provide, and then question the manner in which I provide it." - A Few Good Men
posted on March 3, 2004 06:53:31 AM new
"Chris" didn't get any of your emails except possibly the last one where s/he gave you a different email address.
What prompted this person to get in touch with you was that their bidding privileges were restricted after you filed for FVF. The miscreant gets a pop-up window the next time they log in.
Remember, folks, if a mailbox doesn't exist, eBay can't contact them by mail either.
--
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
posted on March 3, 2004 12:16:07 PM new
Yes, be rigid and unaccommodating! There is no excuse for making a mistake! Off with their heads! You are all right! Remove EVERY bidder from eBay that has ever made a mistake, that'll teach those rip-offs! It's a conspiracy and it is the sellers on the high road against the buyers on the low road! eBay only for perfectionists! Here, here!
There, that is much better than the brief descriptive and uncomplimentary word I was tempted to post.
. I email through eBay, and never hear anything.
