This can't be true can it? Ebay.

[lollilou]

Is there any way I can find out if this email from a seller on Ebay is true? I am in floods of tears over this. Heres what he wrote,
"I hope your lil keyboard warrior efforts made you feel good - the reason I have not been in touch or dealt with the issue was the fact that my daughter sadly passed away just before Christmas and I held her funeral on the 28th of December so forgive me if having some stranger twist about 2.50 second hand tshirts were not top of my priority list!! Here is hopin you never ever have to experience the pain of losing a child and then have someone twist and twine on at you about a postal service which is beyond anyone's control!"
I'm shaking and crying how was I to know?

Its hard to know whether they are spinning you a line or telling the truth.

I would respond with something like i have no way of knowing your personal circumstances if you do not contact me. and continue with your complaint as laurie says
Dont apologise, keep it formal and tell him/her that you would like the matter resolved.

Yes it could be true but then it could be and is more than likely to be a load of bull (have heard some right old sob stories from ebay members trying to shirk thier responsibilty to me!!)

Dont get emotionally involved, contact ebay if you have to!!

Thanks I knew I could turn to you lot, I've stopped crying now

It's not true. I would bet my life's savings all £43.50 of them on it! I actually think you should report them to ebay.

I'd actually send the email to ebay as it is against their terms

Then block and ignore

Please don't be upset. I would stake a very large sum that it is a load of rubbish.

If my daughter had just died I certainly wouldn't be wasting my time worrying about a negative feedback on Ebay and sending nasty messages. They are almost certainly fibbing.

I have just seen that ebay have already refunded you, so in that case forward any agressive emails to ebay, block and ignore.
You dont need to feel guilty and you dont need any further contact.

I once had a lady tell me she had fallen out of a chair-lift whilst skiing in France and shattered her leg and thats why she hadn't paid me or contacted me for 3 and a half weeks, yet i was in contact with her an hour before the auction ended!!

There really are some nutjobs on ebay so dont waste any more headspace on them!!

forward the email to ebay and let them deal with it.

don't respond.

i don't think it's true either.
if i'd had a death in the family, i wouldn't be checking ebay (or if i did "going through the motions") i would have sent the items.

I doubt it is true - in fact I'd bet my mortgage it isn't!

If it was an apologetic email explaining the situation then I might feel bad.

I would report the emails to ebay. Do not get drawn in to any discussion with them - it is likely untrue especially as they are responding to negative feedback. Do not remove your feedback and continue to report any harassment.

I agree - I don't believe the seller at all. Don't you dare get upset and do not respond or reply. Delete and ignore, and if it is via ebay messages scroll down and report the message to ebay.

Actually I did once have to write something similar (but a lot more polite!) to a seller on eBay who had sent me several unpleasant and angry demands for payment - when I'd not been able to pay or check my email because a close family member had been urgently hospitalised with an aggressive cancer. So it's not necessarily a lie, but I agree even if not, you couldn't have known - just send back a short sympathetic apology and don't think about it any more.

I wouldn't reply as you have already had your refund. As some others have said forward it to ebay. If it's true its unlikely they would want any more correspondence from you anyway as they'll be dealing with so much. I doubt it is true unless they deal with grief in a very strange way...

Yes forward to ebay and don't reply to them.

Sounds like a load of bollocks to me. Very quick to arrange a funeral (a lot of deaths this time of year sadly) and also if you were that upset about losing your child why would you be on ebay anyway?! I don't think I would.

how long does organising a funeral take? in some communities the body is buried asap.

I remember when my dad died. I did check my ebay account about a week after he died.

His death was unexpected, I was in shock, and struggling to process what had happened - I was just doing normal everyday things like checking my messages to keep myself going - I was on autopilot a lot of the time, not thinking straight at all.

An ebay seller contacted me chasing payment for an item which I'd bought on the day he died, before news of his death reached me. They were going to open a dispute on me. I told them what had happened. I wasn't malicious - How were they to know I was grieving? - I just kept things short and factual.

Just typing the words "My dad has died" made what had happened feel more real, and it helped.

I don't think I would believe the message you have received, as it just doesn't read write or ring true somehow.

I do hope the person I sent my message to believed me though. It hurt a lot to type those words.
The idea that someone would lie about something like that to avoid bad feedback hadn't occurred to me before. It makes me feel a little bit queasy to think that. I hope the condolences the seller sent in response were real too.

I had a seller who didn't believe me three years ago when it took me nearly a month to notice my bundle of baby clothes hadn't arrived. I told her that I'd given birth to twins, 17 weeks early, and both were very poorly on ventilators in intensive care so it had taken me a while to get round to checking everything.

I got a nasty email me back basically accusing me of having the items and wanting to con her. I didn't have the energy nor the inclination to respond, so I left it.

For what it's worth I was telling the truth but I wouldn't believe a sob story either, so couldn't blame her.

I doubt it's true. My Grandad died just before christmas and he didn't get a funeral until the 3rd. Somebody else I knew years ago didn't get buried until the 7th.

If he is genuine, there is no need to take it out on you, although I am sure a grief stricken parent is someone we could all cut some slack for.

However, interestingly enough I have had three people tell me that their lack of response/payment is due to a death in the family. It's either true or it's a cop out to avoid neg feedback.

I would delete and ignore. None of this is your fault, you have behaved correctly.

Check earlier feedback. Some sellers' feedback all says "great item - sorry for your loss" or "as described, well packaged, not fast but understandable in the circumstances" so you have a clue they use that line often.