feedback extortion.

[sixlostmonkeys]

I reported a buyer for feedback extortion.

I've received this back from ebay CS

"I gathered from your email that the buyer has threatened to leave negative feedback on your account if you will not send them money.

We've looked into the situation again and can see that this isn't a case of feedback extortion"

[sixlostmonkeys]

Once this all over, either the end of the court case or the discovery she hasn't even submitted the papers, then I'll explain in more detail what it's all about.

At the moment I just want to be careful what I write here in case it's googleable (made up word)

I think she has finally stopped harassing me. She has gone to great lengths to try and cover her tracks - it's very funny.
I ignored her when she began sending the crazy emails. She must have taken my silence as me being scared. After a month I replied. Once I sent a couple of calm emails detailing all her mistakes, errors, law breaking activities she dug herself a deeper hole and then more or less started screaming "shut up! shut up! shut up!

The way I'm thinking now is; if I receive the papers, then I'll use all I have to make a case against her. I admit to being extremely curious. Like I said above, there are indicators that she is hiding (from) something, or has been up to no good for a long time.

I'll come back here and share her 'finer moments' when it's all over (if anyone is interested that it.

[lljkk]

.

[ginmakesitallok]

Buy what is she taking you to court for??

[TheFallenNinja]

How much did she want?

[PurpleFrog]

It all sounds very intriguing...

A seller threatened to take me to court a few years ago... but I didn't find out for a few months. I had purchased a product, used it and washed it and was very suspicious about its performance. I looked at the genuine version in some shops and decided the product I had been sent was a cheaper copy. I e-mailed the seller and when he didn't reply within 10 days I left negative feedback. [I now know that I should have opened a "not as described" case.] I bought a proper version elsewhere and chalked it up to experience.

A couple of months later I was contacted via eBay by another buyer saying she had had the same problems as me and asking if the seller taken me to court as he had threatened! It turned out he had replied to my feedback on eBay (but hadn't contacted me directly) saying he was going to sue me as I had said that the product wasn't genuine. Of course, I never heard anything more from him.

It has meant that I am now very careful to check and use items thoroughly before leaving feedback.

[LineRunner]

Well, I'm definitely intrigued.

[DoodlesNoodles]

This is why I don't use EBay. It is a shame that there are so many crazies about.

[YouOldSlag]

Doodles- the benefits of ebay far outweight the small risk of landing a lunatic!

It's been a huge help to me during periods of being skint. It's also enabled me to buy perfume I couldn't normally affors.

Don't knock it til you tried it! It's been a lifeline sometimes and no crazies after 500 transactions.

[YouOldSlag]

sorry about typos, distracted by DH

[SavoyCabbage]

I agree that most people are not nutters. I have come across some lovely people in my ebaying years.

I think I would go to,the police so you can get an incident number so you can give that to eBay and ask them to reassess your case.

[YouOldSlag]

Good advice Savoy. get an incident number and get ebay to block her for harrassment. Don't let ebay fob you off. Go higher, go to Head Office, whatever it takes. She will do this to somebody else who is not as strong as you and they may give in to her.

[DoodlesNoodles]

Youoldslag. That is good to hear. I know that despite the naysayers like me it does provide a great service. Otherwise it wouldnt be so popular would it. I am a firm believer that most people are honest. The problem with eBay is that you generally only hear about the bad transactions.
My only direct experience was when a friend sold a table for me and the winning buyer messed us about terribly. Having consulted Furgoose I sold it too the second bidder so all good in the end. It was nice when the guy collected it. He was delighted with the table and I was delighted with the cash. The charity that I normally donate things too would have sold it for a third of the cost.

I am still thinking that sixlostmonkeys pram will still turn up

[ChristianGreyIsAJackass]

in no way marking my place to hear about the crazy

[DeafLeopard]

there are some crazy people on ebay

[sixlostmonkeys]

update -

I phoned the courts yesterday and they told me she has submitted a claim.
The papers are with the solicitor and it could be a month before I receive them.

This is what annoys me - this is going to take months. Months of my time.

I'll try and explain briefly what this is about (I said I would) :)

I sold an item for £10. Postage was £5.30. She told me it was damaged in the post. I told her to return it for a full refund plus return postage (private seller so not actually obliged to pay for the return postage but offered it as a gesture of goodwill - hoping to put an end to this swiftly)
She told me she wanted the refund plus £8 before she returned it. I replied telling her to return it first then I would give full refund plus actual postage (£5.30)
She then told me it would cost £15 to return and became abusive. I reported her to ebay (for being abusive) and then ignored her. I had already told her 4 times to return for a full refund + return postage (goodwill gesture)
She continued to harass me, also using 'John Smith' to harass me.
Eventually she told me she had spoke to ebay and they told her to return it for a refund. (doh!)
She returned it. In a BIG box. A BIG box full of paper and cardboard which increased the weight massively.
I issued a full refund.
She told me she wanted £15.

Funnily enough I didn't feel any goodwill by this point and knew that even if I sent £5.30 she would still be harassing me for the extra. So I ignored her - for a month.

After a month I eventually replied. I calmly explained the facts of the matter. I explained that she wasn't actually entitled to the return postage anyway, but I had offered a goodwill gesture of the actual postage. I explained that it was her choice to post the contents of her recycle bin and I am not prepared to pay for that.

Many crazy emails followed (I may share later)

So now I'm going to court for £15!

[Flibbertyjibbet]

when the court papers arrive, there is a space to put details in if you dispute the claim. Simply fill it in with everything you've put in your post above. Attach copies of the listing, all the emails, the pdf court notice etc etc. This will then be sent back to her and she can rant and rave and resubmit with reasons why you SHOULD pay, but all this can take months.

this will be costing her over £30 to issue the claim, she is obviously a nutter. NO-ONE with even half a brain spends money UP FRONT to dispute £15. You would only have to pay the extra £30 if you admit fault.

When you do not pay, her options then are to let it go, or to actually take you to a court date, which has to be at the nearest court to you, and thus hopefully inconvenient to her. I am pretty sure that the costs of this court visit have to be paid by her, and added on to any winnings that she may get from you.

I have been to one such sitting of a judge at a small claims thingy. I accompanied company's in house solicitor. The judges see everything under the sun and quickly work out when one person is being unreasonable and bullying. Honeslty I don't think you have anything to worry about. She will end up with all the costs etc.

However, if you pay even one penny, this throws the whole thing out.If it were me I'd now paypal her, or send a cheque recorded delivery, for the £5.30. That way to get the rest she has to start again with the whole court costs and papers and everything, and you have proved indisputably what a reasonable person you are.

I have 800 ebay transactions and only ever had one or two 'difficult' ones and one that I reported to ebay for FB extortion and they came down firmly on my side and gave the seller a warning. So its not totally full of nutters!

[fergoose]

wow - just bloody wow. Fruitloop doesn't even come close does it?

[sarahtigh]

this is why in my conditions I say that when an item is returned it must be by the same method it was sent and return costs will be met upto a maximum of what it cost to send ( i would pay return cost if item damaged or misdescribed but not for a change of mind wrong size return)

so if I sent it second class for 2.20 I will pay you 2.20 to return not 3.65 to send back 1st class signed for if you want to send it like that it is up to you but I will only pay you 2,20

[tutu100]

Was the item actually damaged when you got it back?

[lljkk]

I thought it cost £60 or so to open a small claims case. Then there are extra fees you have to pay before it proceeds before a judge. Those are added to damages in case of successful win, but it's easy enough to lose a case.

All for £5.30 or £15...

[lljkk]

ps: I want to see the crazy emails.

[sixlostmonkeys]

It was damaged yes. It is my opinion that it wasn't damaged in the post though but by her. there are chip marks to it as though she was trying to see what was under the paint (silver or bronze?) It was neither (which obviously disappointed her) and it cracked.

I have the court papers now. Boy oh boy are they amazing!!!!! She is a complete nutcase.

I've had to go to the police with all this as the threats, harassment and probably fraud are just too massive

She has so far paid £80 to the court. She will have to make another payment should she want the case to be given a hearing. Of course she will also have travelling costs. She has also paid an accountant to provide her with a C/O address because apparently I (that's ME!!!) am a danger to her and she fears for her safety. lala

oh, and she has stated that should I defend the case she will take me to court for other things (no idea what these other things are, but hey oh)

[PostBellumBugsy]

Blardy hell sixlostmonkeys!!!!!! What a tale. I'm glad you've gone to the police though. I think some people get off on this kind of tussle & it sounds like Ms Fruitloop is one of them. I'm really disappointed to hear how rubbish ebay have been. You should keep them in the loop though and tell them you are being take to court about this.

Please keep us updated & when it is all done, you should seriously think about going to the press with it all.

[sixlostmonkeys]

oh I dare say when all this is over I could write a book on it never mind the press!!

the saga just continues to get more and more bizarre. Unfortunately i can not share the gems on here until it's over - but I may keep posting back here if only to ask some of you to say to me "there there" and remind me what the real world is about! : I have so much paperwork to deal with that I am becoming immersed in lala land.

[LineRunner]

Wow. You should blog this.

Might help eBay buck up their ideas a bit as well.