Hope someone can help me with this

[starone]

I bought something from an eBay seller which cost me £24.95 paid for via PayPal. The item was damaged and so I complained to the seller. I wrote to him twice and he didn't answer so I opened a complaint in the resolution section of eBay. After a couple of days I had an email from eBay and one from Paypal saying that the matter had been resolved and the seller was making a refund of the full amount. It was supposed to arrive by 2nd September. On that date I had a further email from Paypal to say the refund had failed. I then contacted the seller, as instructed, but needless to say I have heard nothing from him. I have tried to get back to eBay or Paypal but they insist the problem has been resolved and will not let me reopen the complaint. Any suggestions, apart from don't buy anything else from eBay?

[Old_Geezer]

No real advice, just to say best of luck, console yourself it is only £25, and no, I never found eBay nor Paypal particularly eager to look after the rights of the buyer either.

If you can contact the seller, you can always threaten to take them to the small claims court.

[mjwman]

You should be able to email PayPal from a link. I have always found them most helpful.

[starone]

I've got an email address, but of course they do not put the addresses in the website. I have also got a name somewhere if I can find it. But not enough to pursue him with. I know it is only £25 and I am consoling myself it is not more OG but I hate to let him get away with anything. I will give money away but I hate being swindled out of it.

[starone]

Where do you find the email address mjw? I have looked through my account with them and can find nothing except a place to ask questions and hopefully get an answer from someone else who has had the same problem. Which incidentally was completely useless.

[welshlibranr]

have a similiar thing going on star, waiting to see if I get a refund!....will let you know how it ends up for me!.....E bay is good when it works!...when it doesn't, who know!.......we win some, and we lose some I guess!.........

[Dagman]

Hi Starbuckone, I have tried to resolve a similar situation, but ebay's get out clause was that the purchase I made was more than 45 days ago beyond their deadline. I returned a faulty item but the seller wasted time over this period and now I get no replies at all. So like you, no refund, no item! I even laughed at ebay's suggestion I phone the seller....IN CHINA, erm...I don't think so. I've given up the chase and will put this down to experience, no more buying abroad too. Good luck with yours.

[grasscarp]

I think you may still get your refund. They take a long time sometimes. When they insist it has been resolved, be equally insistant it hasnt. I wrote to paypal (old fashioned letter) about something which I dont want to go into here, and they gave me all my money back in due course. Not quickly, but in full "as a gesture of goodwill".

[keithlbw]

PAYPAL CUSTOMER SERVICES.
08707 307 191
PayPal Customer Service opening times are from Monday-Friday 8am-10pm, Saturday 8am-9pm or Sunday 9am-9pm. If your call is about a limitation placed on your account, please phone Monday-Friday 8am-8.30pm or Saturday-Sunday 9.30am-6.30pm. If your call is about a claim, please phone Monday-Friday 9.30am-8.30pm or Saturday-Sunday 9.30am-6.30pm. You may be charged more for calling from a mobile phone. You can also call PayPal Customer Services directly on 00 353 1 436 9004. This is an international phone number and international calling rates apply.

[gingejbee]

I've never bought anything off eBay- and, looking at the above tales, am I glad!

[grasscarp]

I have bought and sold lost of things on ebay and mostly uneventfully. The times it goes wrong Gingelbee are the only ones you get to hear about. I have got most of the kit for my forthcoming bootcamp off ebay. I have also got rid of masses of things and watching items you dont want getting bid up to a higher price than you anticipated is very satisfying. There is no other way I know of that gets you a world wide interest in your cast offs.

[gingejbee]

Yes, I can understand why people do it, but it's not for me. Stuff I don't want goes to charity shops and stuff I want I get new from shops or online. ( Yes, I know - we have too much cash!).

[grasscarp]

I too donate to charity shops but there are some things - eg Concorde memorabilia that are a bit too special to just give away, and they usually go to collectors. However, I am not trying to win anyone over to ebay, just explaining that as well as the transactions that go bad it can be fun.

[I.Don No]

A while ago a segment on a consumer prog investigated the way ebay deal with occurrences such as yours.

The prog came to the conclusion that ebay just don't give a chuff if things go wrong...not much consolation, I know, but at least you are in good company.

Take this as one of life's lessons, you lost £25, not your will to live!

[mjwman]

I just checked for you and at the bottom of your login account page is "contact us" in there is an "email us " link.
I have done it and they are helpful. I have over 415 transactions now and it has all been mostly uneventful but there have been odd instances where I have had to get a refund.