B**tard bloody buyer - please help

[catsmother]

I could really do with some help here.

First of all, I have 100% feedback .... (almost 200) always pay immediately, always send stuff out 1st class straight away. Have never had any problems until now.

17 days ago I "sold" some unused fake tan spray, and never received payment.

After sending an informal reminder for payment, I got an email purporting to be from the buyer's husband who said she was in hospital with a brain tumour !! I smelled a rat then, but gave him the benefit of the doubt and agreed he could send me a cheque even though I only accept PayPal (this was clear on the auction).

I waited and waited ...... got a couple more mails, 1 of which was a bit shirty ..... he promised to send me cheque last Friday. Of course I received nothing.

So this morning I filed an unpaid item report and clearly stated I was doing this so I didn't have to incur selling fees.

And the bastard has replied saying they sent me a Postal Order (which I didn't effing want) and that I have cashed it, and that I would be reported !!

The bastard has now filed an "item not received" dispute !!

Now, I have checked the Post Office's website and these days Postal Orders apparently come with a receipt so it can be tracked. Also, it can be printed with the payee's name and also crossed, for extra security. In my response to both disputes, I have asked for details of said receipt so that either myself or eBay (don't know if they would, but mentioned it in order to shame them into doing the right thing) can check the details and find out when it was purchased, when and where it was cashed.

I suspect this is all a load of bullshit and that no such PO exists.

However, what I am most concerned about is that I retain my 100% rating rather than be accused by a conman waste of time little shit. I know I can close the dispute at any time, but obviously I can't close their dispute, and I am worried they might be vindictive enough to lie about me on feedback. After all, I am sure the brain tumour story and PO is a load of bull.

Strangely enough, all THEIR feedback is private, though I can see they have had 43 (!!) negatives in the last month ! I am sure when my auction ended that this wasn't the case - both all the negs and the private bit - and I suspect quite a few people have been the victim of this little sht recently. Obviously, with feedback being private, I don't know what's been happening elsewhere.

All my feedback is there to see, and all of it complimentary. Unlike them, I am not hiding anything.

Is there ANY way I can prevent, for sure, a vindictive little sht from ruining my score. I can't trust them to do the "right thing", even if I "agree" (through gritted teeth) to withdraw my dispute. They only filed THEIR report BTW, once I had filed mine. What a co-incidence.

I'd really like to "speak" to someone at eBay about this as I have been on the back end of fromj this person right from auction end - no payment, and then a sob story, and then promises to pay by a method I did NOT want - on the basis that their wife was in hospital and they "didn't understand" PayPal. However, I can't seem to find a way to do this ???

Can anyone help ?

[whomovedmychocolate]

Hopefully he'll be banned very shortly. If he's got loads of strikes against him.

It's a bugger when this happens. It's happened to me.

[Saturn74]

I think Paypal are highly likely to judge in your favour, based on the evidence.
Then the bidder will be given a non-paying bidder strike, and will not be allowed to leave feedback - or rather, they can leave a comment, but it will not be counted towards your feedback score, and it comes up on your feedback with 'feedback removed by ebay as bidder did not complete transaction', or something similar.
I had an almost identical situation a year or so ago, and was similarly worried.

[sixlostmonkeys]

You filed first so providing you end at the first opportununity and give him a strike he will be unable to leave you feedback.

he has no claim re the postal order unless he sent it recorded delivery and you signed for it.

Don't worry about getting a neg from him - it will be clear to everyone what has happened if you remain calm and factual in your response (but as I say i don't believe he will be able to leave fb)

Get your fees back and relist.

You won't be able to 'speak' to anyone at ebay - it's simply not possible.
i often hear people say they are going to 'report to ebay' 'send in a complaint' etc etc - unfortunately (for genuine cases anyway) there isn't anyone there, it's all automated.

Don't try to bargain with this guy - anyone who lies about brain tumours is seriously deranged and would certainly enjoy stringing you along and then negging for the hell of it.

[catsmother]

Thanks ...... I was under the impression though that these disputes were, at this stage, simply between me and them.

Do you mean HC that some bod at eBay themselves will be watching each dispute - and taking some sort of action if they think it necessary ? (sorry to sound thick)

Or alternatively, does a certain amount of time elapse, and if the dispute(s) aren't closed by then, then it's flagged to eBay's admin ?

Strange isn't it ..... since I left comments, on both disputes, asking for tracking details of this "postal order", it's all gone quiet.

If one's been sent, and if it's been cashed, then the only way they could know that would be by tracking it ...... so an honest person should have no problem providing the relevant details should they ?

I really hope it does turn out as you suggest HC ..... I'm just a bit confused about how you get to that point.

I know I might be sounding a bit over the top but I'm a very honest person and hate feeling like someone unscrupulous is being vindictive and lying. In fact, when I saw that I'd been accused of dishonesty I was shaking, hard as that may be to believe.

[catsmother]

Thanks 6lostmonkeys ..... I certainly have no intention of trying to negotiate with this scum. The whole thing doesn't add up at all.

Are you sure that if I end MY dispute first, and file a strike, that he won't be able to leave me any feedback ? That sounds ideal, but I have been all over the site trying to find confirmation of something like that and can't find anything. Of course I might be looking in the wrong place - although I have probably made about 30 or so sales, I have never had any problems before so have never needed to look at the troubleshooting stuff.

And sorry to be a pain, but what do you mean by "strike" (I am so ignorant) ..... I know I have the option of ending MY dispute by ticking the box that says I no longer want to communicate with them, but how would that leave me so far as THEIR dispute is concerned ?

Thanks again ..... and you're absolutely, reassuringly, right about the PO. How can he prove that I cashed it (if it ever existed at all) unless it was sent recorded delivery, and/or it was crossed (which it can be) and it was paid into a bank account with my name on it ?!

[sixlostmonkeys]

Once you go through the dispute, after a length of time you can choose to end it, get your fees back and the buyer receives a strike.
A strike can result in suspension of account. By the sounds of it he must be close to this already.
"While your account is suspended, you will have very limited access to My eBay. You can?t bid, list, leave feedback or contact eBay members. You will be able to contact your buyers and sellers if and when your account is reinstated."

Read through carefully regarding the actions to take within a dispute. If you have to wait a certain number of days, then set your alarm and click that button.

I'll continue to search for other info for you

[sixlostmonkeys]

any chance you can give us his id? is he selling at the mo?

[PeachyChocolateEClair]

I've had one of these sorry my child died people recently- its horrod as you dont know if its true or not and feel awful (this one was struck off after and I think it was a con).

There is someone on the end of e-mail at ebay but you have to keep clicking the other problem buttons to get the, years ago now a competitor e-mailed all DH's buyers with details of where they could get the items with cheaper and harassed us for ages with swearing and threats, we ahd to use it to sort itout- he was struck off.

[catsmother]

This person isn't selling at the moment. They have only been a member since Feb, yet have a feedback score in the 300s (96.6% positive). It says all positive feedback is in the 500s, so I guess that people may have bought multiple items, when feedback only counts as 1 ?

In the last month, they have 166 positive, but 43 negative ! In the seller ratings bit they have 126 ratings.

I am nervous - is that stupid, irrational ?? - about IDing them here just in case they are reading. I know it's a long shot ... though there's enough detail above I suppose.

You're absolutely right Peachy - you do feel horrid for doubting them, yet I doubt in a real crisis that people would bother keeping up to date with eBay at all. In any case, I took the original communication at face value, was perfectly polite, and agreed to an alternative method of payment - because I felt sh*t for doubting them - and now this.

[catsmother]

I've found this:

"Closing the dispute

The seller can close the dispute after the buyer has responded at least once, or if the buyer does not respond within eight days. A seller can find all Unpaid Item disputes they have filed in their Dispute Console. The seller has several options to close the dispute:

We've completed the transaction and we're both satisfied. With this option, the seller does not receive a Final Value Fee credit and the buyer does not receive an Unpaid Item strike.
We've agreed not to complete the transaction. With this option, the buyer does not receive an Unpaid Item strike, the seller receives a Final Value Fee credit, and the item is eligible for a relist credit.
I no longer wish to communicate with or wait for the buyer. With this option, the buyer receives an Unpaid Item strike, the seller receives a Final Value Fee credit, and the item is eligible for a relist credit.
Note: A dispute can only be open for 60 days after the transaction date (i.e. the date when the buyer commits to buying the item and the seller commits to selling it). If the seller has not closed the dispute within 60 days, it will be closed automatically . When this automatic closure takes place the seller does not receive a Final Value Fee credit and the buyer does not receive an Unpaid Item strike.

Feedback and Unpaid Items

Buyers and sellers may leave Feedback for each other on transactions involving Unpaid Items even if there was a mutual agreement not to complete the transaction. eBay encourages all users to leave appropriate Feedback about their trading partners.
Unpaid Item strikes do not affect a user's Feedback Score or Feedback Profile."


So ..... if I close it, the buyer gets an unpaid item strike, but it doesn't make it clear whether or not they would still be able to leave (grot) feedback against me.

[sixlostmonkeys]

(I think )I've just discovered that - if the other party doesn't respond to the dispute they can not leave feedback.

has he responded at all to the dispute you started?