posted on January 22, 2001 01:30:25 PM new
Yesterday, I posed a question in Pocono's thread in the eBay Outlook. Much to my surprise, today I received an e-mail from an eBay rep, providing the answer.
Not liking the answer, and feeling a little bit devilish (I know how corporations work), I promptly e-mailed back, asking permission to post the e-mail on AW.
Not unexpectedly, I received a response back that the rep has to check with the "policy guru" and will get back to me tomorrow.
posted on January 22, 2001 01:37:14 PM new
This is why I no longer use my eBay ID as my AuctionWatch ID. I posted an opinion once and received a PHONE CALL from an eBay Vice President, basically strongly advising me to pipe down "or else."
They read this board. It's not necessarily a Good Thing.
posted on January 22, 2001 01:52:51 PM new
Silkmoth: An eBay VP pulled your contact information for something not related to an eBay transaction - I'm shocked!
posted on January 22, 2001 02:18:34 PM new
So, If you can't post the actual e-mail, will you post the substance? After all, if you were provided with an "official" answer, it must be information that would be provided to any one of us, were we to but ask.
Right?
posted on January 22, 2001 02:31:55 PM new
Victoria: I suspect that the eBay rep expected/wanted me to post the e-mail or the substance of it without asking permission. I won't be anyone's stodge.
Edited to add: I think that eBay is on shaky legal ground and they know it.
[ edited by stockticker on Jan 22, 2001 02:36 PM ]
posted on January 22, 2001 02:43:17 PM new
Yes please if the guru comes back and invalidates the previous statement still please advize us of the final out come.
posted on January 22, 2001 02:46:22 PM new
Ah Gravid - the dilemma is a little more complicated than that. Is the AW message board the proper place for eBay to clarify a policy that they purposely keep vague on their own site?
posted on January 22, 2001 04:17:43 PM new
Stockticker feeling a little devilish? Who would have thought?
LOL...I can just hear that eBay rep's loud gulp when you asked if you could publish the email. The answer should be interesting.
An eBay VP calling SilkMoth, or anyone for that matter, for something said on a board off their site is the height of arrogancy. All it would have taken for me to push it was to be told "or else". Threats don't sit well with me.
posted on January 22, 2001 04:46:27 PM new
After going and reading the question and the thread you are refering to I would say that eBay had best consider what a court would say rather than quickly formulating some self serving rule.
This could be similar to the problems some manufacturers have had trying to cut off retailers who are not marketing items in a way that pleases them or trying to exercise control over territories and prices of retailers
But then we all know they are only a venue.
Perhaps they meant to say they are the only venue?
posted on January 22, 2001 04:52:29 PM new
Threatening some people is dangerous. There are those that take a threat for a promise and launch on warning with a preemptive strike. Dot coms are vulnerable by nature. A court might take a clearly stated threat as extortion.
Edited to add - I can't see where the communication would be confidential or they would have any expectation of privacy.
[ edited by gravid on Jan 22, 2001 05:09 PM ]
