Should I leave neutral feedback for this?

[firefly11]

I bought a second hand Asus EEEPC for my daughter off Ebay. It was poorly packaged. Although it shipped in the original box, the part of the original box that secures the netbook so it doesn't slip and slide around the box during transit is missing. So when it arrived the netbook was just bumping around all over the place when the box was carried by the postman and us. I was half expecting it not to work but I opened the packaging and charged up the netbook and tried reinstalling Windows on it to see what happened.

Luckily it worked fine. The seller didn't forget to include anything listed in the auction. But the entire package stank heavily of ciggie smoke. The soft foamy fabric protective ASUS pouch that comes with it was so smelly I gagged. I think I might try to wash it in the machine to see if its salvageable. The seller didn't mention anything about this of course but I sort of don't expect him to, as I've never seen Ebay sellers mention their items smell of ciggies.

The item luckily sold at quite a low price compared to other simipar models. The photo on the auction wasn't great and the seller mentioned putting this up for sale on other sites so auction "may end early"... All factors which I think may have affected the final auction price.

So I don't feel like leaving a neg. But I feel I should leave a neutral. What do you think? I have just emailed the seller about this although I wasn't angry or rude, just said the item stank of ciggie smoke and the item was poirly packaged. I don't know if the seller is going to reply. I didn't ask for a refund or return and have no intention of doing so because it still works and if the pouch isn't salvageable I will consider buying a new one.

[SoupDragon]

Expressing an opinion that differs from your own is not siding with anyone. It is also not rude. Only one person has been rude out of you and me and it certainly isn't me.

Also, I am hardly "fixated" with your use of the word junk I did not question your use of the word at all, simply wondering how your opinion of the item had changed completely.

[firefly11]

And you still can't understand how my opinion of the item had changed completely? After all I've said?

[SoupDragon]

I did not side with the "nasty" posters.
I am not jumping on any bandwagon.
I simply have a different opinion to you.

Plenty of people, including me, said that you shouldn't assume something would not smell of smoke without being nasty.

[SoupDragon]

I cant understand why you feel the need to be so rude and aggressive towards me, no.

[firefly11]

Okay fair enough. I'll take you on your word now that you were not siding with any posters, you were not jumping on any bandwagon, and that you simply have a different opinion from mine.

But you know, if you read what I've said before, it's that I never assumed my items would not smell of smoke. In fact I said I don't even come from a smoke free household. But this item I won was very very smelly... It is like what I am used to, but many degrees more. That's what I had a problem with. Do you mean to say that if an item isn't smoke free then it can stink to high heaven of smoke and people who don't expect it to be smoke free must still accept that? No matter how much stronger the smoke smell is on this item compared to what they are used to on a daily basis in a smoking household?

[firefly11]

I am now rude and aggressive? ... okay.

[SushiPaws]

I'm sorry, I was one of the two people who disagreed with leaving neutral feedback. Am I one of the nasty people?

I think you'll find if you open a dispute with eBay they'll want to know what is wrong with the item. You have opened it and it works. Your only complaint is the smell of the cover sleeve which you've said you're washing. So once washed it'll be fine, no?

So your asking for a refund on the basis that it might have internal damage?? Surely any machine that you buy might have internal damage if its not new?

Just think about the fact that the seller has sold this item in good faith, you've received it in working condition, he'll be paying fees. Other than the smelly cover, really what is there to complain about?

[LilQueenie]

lilqueen whats is matter now? op won the auction & recvd the goods - sigh.....

ok.... no idea what I did wrong there.

[firefly11]

sushi You sound much more polite this time compared to your previous post. You were more snarky then. Look, some posters were more nasty than others. I didn't expect to come on here asking for advice for a genuine problem only to be rebutted by some... angry, chip-on-their-shoulder, ex-Ebay sellers who got done for apparently by some unscrupulous buyers in the past. I don't know why people here have treated me with venom as if I was one of their ex-customers. I am not them and am finding their responses a bit crazy to be honest.

I have opened a case. That's done.
The seller has replied saying he will offer a partial refund of £5. He insists the laptop is in great condition and admits the notebook case stinks. That's why. In my mind, I'm thinking it may be - before he posted it in such shoddy packaging. But now? Who knows? Can you guarantee that this thing won't break if I keep this laptop and look after it well, that it will not break in a month's time like another poster suggested, because of the way in which it was transported to me (by it being jostled about and banged about inside a cardboard box wrapped in one layer of bin liner)?

[firefly11]

LilQueenie she was referring to your post : "sellers are not allowed to advertise elsewhere on ebay. Although lots of sellers do ebay dont allow it."

I don't know ... I think perhaps she was making a reference to the fact that you are somehow "helping" me by offering that bit of information in your post?

[Snazzyfeelingfestive]

Surely any second hand electrical item might previously have been dropped or bashed, though, and you would just never know? Plus I'm not sure why, if that had happened, it would work fine now but might suddenly break down at some later point. If it does, that might just be by random chance anyway. I wouldn't like the smoke smelling cover either, but would see both these things as inherent risks of buying second hand.

[firefly11]

I accept second hand electrical items may have previously been dropped or bashed, but also I would never bid for a laptop for my daughter IF it was mentioned in the listing that it had been dropped or bashed before. It might have fetched a lower price, yes, but I would not want to risk it.

In normal auction listings, sellers can choose to omit the information about their laptop having been dropped or bashed. And if they sent it to the buyer properly packaged, and the item works upon all initial inspection, the buyer would have been none the wiser and would have been pretty pleased about their purchase too. If the item breaks very soon not due to the buyer being rough with it or anything like, then that's only when the penny drops?

But this time it is quite obvious it had been bashed about during transit because of the poor packaging. The seller can't even lie about that. I'm not happy about this. And it doesn't help of course that the seller admits to all these faults.