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Original poster

Buyer with strange feedback offering to pay by bank transfer instead of Paypal

54 replies

vacaloca · 30/04/2009 13:50

Could there be something dodgy there? her feedback is '0', although she has a couple of comments from 2007, one of them negative. Why don't they count?

She won something yesterday and she wrote first thing today to say she was having problems with paypal and could she send a bank transfer instead. I've now sent her my bank details, but suddenly got a bit worried in case this is a know scam of some sort.

OP posts:
Original poster
vacaloca · 07/05/2009 13:42

Hmm... this may well not be over yet. I just got an email from the seller saying that Royal Mail had returned the parcel to me and could I please post it back as soon as possible to a different address. Strange as she sent an email on the 4th saying 'Received, thanks. Any feedback please.'

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WriggleJiggle · 07/05/2009 13:46

Do not delete any emails, particularly the one saying 'received'. Maybe worth saving a copy of the emails in a word document just incase.

Original poster
vacaloca · 07/05/2009 14:34

Yes, good idea. I've been keeping copies of all the emails but it's a good idea to paste them somewhere else just in case.

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cuppachar · 07/05/2009 15:24

hmmm... does sound dodgy. maybe though she emailed saying she'd received it when she got a card through the door from Royal Mail, but then didn't go and collect the parcel in time so it's being returned?

cuppachar · 07/05/2009 15:31

just a thought: did you send it recorded? I'm guessing not though, as otherwise you could track it online?

Original poster
vacaloca · 07/05/2009 17:04

oh, good point. I did send it special delivery next day so I should be able to track it. Will go find the ticket.

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Original poster
vacaloca · 09/05/2009 18:11

Spoke too soon. It looks like I'm dealing with a nutter after all.

Quick summary:

  • Item posted Friday 1 May. She gets in touch later on that day to ask me which address I posted to because the address on ebay may be an old one. So I reply with the address and she says 'Fine, thanks.'
  • She emails to say 'Received, thanks. Any feedback please.' on 4 May and leaves positive feedback saying 'very good communication and happy ' so I leave feedback for her saying something similar.
  • She gets in touch on Thursday 7th to say she's having a nightmare with the package because it's being sent back to me and could I post to a different address when I get it. When questioned she claims a neighbour picked up the card but when he went to collect the item from the post office it'd already been sent back to me. In the meantime I also get a 'Sorry you were out' card from the post office but haven't had a chance to collect it yet so I don't know if it's the phone or anything else (though I can't remember ordering anything else that would come signed for.). I replied saying that if I got it back I would get in touch with her.
  • Today Saturday she sends me an email saying she's got a few concerns and to ring her or her partner straight away. 3 minutes later another email saying to ring her urgently. 2 hours later an email saying 'I HAVE RECIEVED THE ITEM AND VERY DISSATISFIED. IF THERE IS NO SATISFACTORY REPLY OR PHONECALL WITHING 24HOURS I WILL TAKE ACTION AGAINST YOU.' I only just saw all the emails.

I am confident there's nothing wrong with the item. It works perfectly and there was a small scratch which I mentioned in the description.

I will email and ask what's wrong. There's no way I'm going to ring her. Just the emails sound quite aggressive.

But there's nothing she can do, is there? She paid by bank transfer and she left positive feedback. What 'action' can she possibly take?

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Original poster
vacaloca · 09/05/2009 18:13

Forgot to say that I can't track the item because the post office only gave me a normal ticket for it and forgot to give me the 'special delivery' ticket. Apparently they could possibly track it from the ticket I've got. The post office manager knows me fairly well and offered to try and do it but it would take him a good half hour. This is before I received today's emails so I told him not to bother.

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InternationalFlight · 09/05/2009 18:35

Well firstly you need to get back to the PO and get them to trace the parcel - if you paid for SD it should be possible to track it as your nice Postperson said

Secondly this is a bit confusing, that she says it's been received (so, maybe she moved house and her neighbour at the old house signed for it - but why didn't she TELL you any of those details, unless she was trying to pull some scam?)

then she says it's been sent back to you

Then it turns up at hers again while you've had that card to pick it up yourself.

I would take the card, go to the sorting office and ask for the parcel. If they have it, she obv has a different phone from someone else and thinks it's yours (thus possibly the dissatisfaction, ie that opne is in a state or somehting)
or is trying to con you somehow.

You need to get either tracking pronto, or take your card to collect your parcel.
She does sound completely bonkers, good luck!

Jambuttie · 09/05/2009 19:35

caertainly sounds like she's trying some kinda scam.

Deffo get PO to trya nd trace it for you

Original poster
vacaloca · 11/05/2009 10:02

Well, I went to collect the stuff from the postoffice, but it wasn't the phone, so she definitely received it.

I emailed her on Saturday evening to ask what it was that she was dissatisified with and she hasn't replied since!

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cuppachar · 11/05/2009 14:18

It all sounds quite bizarre, and a bit of a pain, but it's hard to see what she can do now. I definitely wouldn't fancy ringing her - email sounds a much better option!

Original poster
vacaloca · 11/05/2009 20:56

Well, here we go. She didn't get back to me but she has opened a case in ebay saying:


Additional Details: in the item description it states there is a tiny scratch on the screen and NO OTHER PROBLEMS WITH
THE PHONE. when i recieved the phone, i cannot make calls as the mouth piece is broken, i cannot
hear the other person on the end of the phone as the ear piece is broken. the bluetooth is broken and
the internet does not work. i have taken this phone to the the vodafone shop (it is a vodafone) and
they said i have to pay to get it fixed. i will call the police as this is a crime if not dealt with!
__

This soooo looked like it was going to be dodgy from the very beginning... Starting with her weird feedback, wanting to pay by bank transfer, having an old address on ebay, claiming the item was being returned to me and now, suprise, surprise, the item is broken.

How the hell do I deal with this now? She's trying it on but I really can't work out what they're trying to achieve here. What's the con?! They can't get the money back (can they?) and they've already left positive feedback, so I'm really struggling to work out what they're trying to do. I'll post on the ebay community board see if anyone's got any idea there, but I'd be grateful for any comments.

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Original poster
vacaloca · 11/05/2009 20:58

oops, hang on, I can see now that she can add a 'follow-up' in my feedback where she's said the phone doesn't work and I'm ignoring her. Bloody hell, I'm so .

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Jambuttie · 11/05/2009 21:20

You get a chance to respond to the dispute- I would send copies of all the emails she has sent u regarding old address, not received etc.

Sounds like this little madam is trying to con u

Original poster
vacaloca · 11/05/2009 21:28

When I got to 'respond' to the dispute, it gives me the chance to either refund or communicate with the buyer - so should I address that message to the buyer? or to ebay and paste a copy of all the emails as you say?

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Horton · 11/05/2009 22:42

Go directly to eBay, I think, with copies of all the mail etc. But also carry on communicating with her so she doesn't know you are escalating it, IYSWIM. Point out to her that the phone was in perfect working condition when it left you etc and that (presuming you packed it okay) you can't be held responsible for anything that may have happened to it since it left your hands. And send a really cross email to eBay and ask them to communicate directly with her on your behalf, maybe?

ilovesprouts · 11/05/2009 22:54

she sounds like a fruit cake

Original poster
vacaloca · 11/05/2009 23:08

The guys at the ebay community board seem to think maybe she's going to return a damaged phone that is not the one I sent her. They've suggested I reply saying that I have a copy of the phone's IMEI number and it is security marked. And to say that she can take me to court if she wants to. They can't work out why she's doing all this when she paid by bank transfer though, as she must know that she won't be able to get a refund. Very odd .

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InternationalFlight · 12/05/2009 07:18

This is freaky, as I didn't think you could even open a dispute if you didn't use paypal...ebay certainly won't be able to refund her.

Sounds very likely that she wants to return another phone.

Although it is NOT dodgy wanting to pay by bank transfer as (unless I am missing something) there's no way she can get her money back.

If she had paid by paypal you'd be in trouble.

Do you have the original IMEI number, i mean did you register the phone with the company when you bought it? If so you can prove it's not the one.

In your reply it doesn't matter who you address it to - I usually address it in the third person, ie 'the buyer claims that..etc etc. State the facts, nothing else.

She sounds bonkers.

InternationalFlight · 12/05/2009 07:29

Ah I see now. From here

To close the case:
Go to the Resolution Centre and log in to your case.

Select one of the following options to close the case.

Option
What happens next

My concerns have been resolved ? I want to close the case
The problem is resolved if you've received the item and it's as described, or you've received a refund.

My concerns haven?t been resolved ? I want to report this seller to the eBay Trust and Safety team.
Our Trust and Safety team is alerted. Possible actions against the seller may include: restriction or suspension of the seller's account, listing cancellation, forfeit of fees, selling fee schedule adjustments, loss of PowerSeller status, or referral to law enforcement.

Ok, so it looks as though ebay will enable communication between you and her in order to try and resolve the problem.
They won't act further - my guess is that unless she has concrete proof that you are a proper scammer, they won't 'refer it to law enforcement'! that would be extreme and you should see the people with dozens of negs for taking people's money, that ebay does zero about.

Don't worry.
Try the imei thing and tell her it was security marked so you'll know it's yours.

Don't offer a refund
Don't sign for anything from her in case she tries to send you a phone
Let us know how it goes.

InternationalFlight · 12/05/2009 07:29

Although the fact she was ;having problems with paypal' would suggest either she's a newbie and hasn't set it up properly, or that she's already in a dispute with someone else...

Original poster
vacaloca · 12/05/2009 09:31

Good point about the fact that she couldn't use paypal in the first place. I really don't think she's got a leg to stand on. It's putting me off selling stuff on ebay though. Grr.

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InternationalFlight · 12/05/2009 09:58

Is she new? I'd be interested to see her feedback - it's unusual for a buyer to have their paypal account frozen but if she is a regular seller it could be that someone has a dispute with her.

Have you heard any more?

Ebay is generally not great for sellers, although in this case you probably have the upper hand as she didn't use paypal

Original poster
vacaloca · 12/05/2009 10:06

here. I am now laughing at the irony of my feedback comment to her 'No hassle transation'. Oh how we laughed...

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