Ebay - the scourge of mankind?

[Norman Verona]

As you may know I'm not an ebay fan.

 

A few weeks ago I was buying a pair of binoculars. I chose some and processed the sale. However when I got to the PayPal card details it would not accept my French address. I have UK credit cards but they are registered at my French address.

 

I sent an email to the vendor asking if I could phone and give him my card details. No answer.

 

I then spent about an hour working out how to raise an issue with Ebay. I fired of a complaint. I got an email response saying that I would hear from them in 24 hours. Then another email saying it would be 48 hours but if not it would be 72 hours. A few days later I got an email saying it would be 4 to 6 weeks.

 

This morning I get an email saying:

 

Hello Norman,

Payment for this item hasn't been received during the past 18 days.

presencepresents has cancelled the transaction, and you're no longer entitled to receive the item. Also, an unpaid item has been recorded on your account.

If you've paid and think payment should have been received by now, please contact Customer Support.
 

 

 

 

 

 

So, I find the original email with the case number and reply to this email telling them why it wasn't paid for and quoting the case number of my complaint.

 

Suspecting the email will not be seen I then log on to E bay and follow the link to "Customer support". Half hour later I give up. There is nowhere you can type the details of the problem and none of the preset responses fit the problem.

 

As I don't use Ebay that much I don't care but why waste my time like this.

 

 

As I said, a scourge on mankind.

[iain m]

My sons use ebay and it never ceases to amaze me how many times they sell something only for the buyer to not pay up. My youngest sold a motorbike to a guy in the north of Scotland, he thought West Sussex was local not 550 miles away, it was sold 3 more times and 3 more months and 3 more costs before he found a buyer that acually paid up. The worse they are the more money thay make.    

[SootySport]

I guess Ebay assume that everyone who has a UK credit card lives in the UK and uses the UK Ebay site and Everyone in France has a French Credit card, French address and shops on the French Ebay site.

If you are outside the normal parameters for these assumptions then you need to Contact Ebay before you try and buy anything and settle your Address, Credit card arrangement.

As with any compnay thats only deals in Email correspondance, it all takes time.

The no payment email is just an auto response to not receiving your dosh, takes no account of you sorting out the Card address problem.

[Nick Algar - Competition Secretary]

Sold a 2nd hand car wheel sunday. Buyer straight on the messenger, sorry won't fit, have to cancel.

 

Few years ago sold a sailing dinghy, buyer said his kid did it. Sellers have no recourse any more against crap buyers. That's the real problem.

 

But you are right, they are next to PayPal my most hated commercial organisations.

[stephenh]

I'm inclined to agree with you Norman, but the real scourge is Paypal; Why anyone would want to use them is beyond me.

edit to add: must learn to type faster!!

[johngill]

I have to admit being an Ebay fan out of 500+ transactions only two small issues and ebay refunded. Most of the westie built was off ebay. Latest purchase a Ikea table for wife, £140 in Ikea £70 delivered, arrived today its new. Few tips only buy/sell if buyer has a good record for me it has to be over 98%; always double check postage and if from abroad that international postage is enabled. Always check prices amazon can be cheaper these days.

[Mooch]

In defence of PayPal, my daughter bought a prom dress from what looked like a reputable company, but no delivery and no response to e-mails.  A quick note to PayPal and the whole lot was refunded without quibble.  They may take a cut, but for hassle free recovery of dosh, they get my vote.   

 

I've used e-bay around 60 times according to my feedback score and I have to say, I've never had a significant problem.  I've had 2 issues, both items I've sold and both mail related with one item lost without trace and another that took an age to deliver - but it got there in the end.  

[peterg]

I have to admit being an Ebay fan out of 500+ transactions only two small issues and ebay refunded. Most of the westie built was off ebay. Latest purchase a Ikea table for wife, £140 in Ikea £70 delivered, arrived today its new. Few tips only buy/sell if buyer has a good record for me it has to be over 98%; always double check postage and if from abroad that international postage is enabled. Always check prices amazon can be cheaper these days.

 

That reflects my experience, out of nearly 300 transactions I have taken back one item (old video camera) which didn't work in record mode when it arrived with the buyer so refunded him and it was returned and I sold it as spares or repair for only £10 less than when sold as a working one so just cost a bit of postage. I also bought a DVD that never arrived and the seller disappeared off eBay but PayPal refunded my money no problem.

 

Maybe I've been lucky but stuff I've sold included a set of bike carbs to Greece with DHL courier costs of £75 and the buyer paid up without any argument. I've bought and sold a boat, loads of camera gear, clothes and some car stuff and it has always been OK... so far  

[pickmaster Andy Lowe]

As an 800 plus eBay PayPal user it is a pain

It could be better

None paying bidders are a big issue

But I can get PayPal on the phone within 10 mins and eBay about 20 mins

Always sorted out things I've bought, but as a seller your left stuck with a long process to follow for refunds

[Norman Verona]

As far as I'm concerned PayPal is Ebay. 

 

I've bought before without a problem. I bought the binoculars that I did get using my French card. Last year I bought a rotovator from a gent in Leicester. I had emailed him to ask that if I bid and won would he mind if I picked it up 5 weeks later. He said it wasn't a problem. I bid with 10 seconds to go and then made payment using my French card. He emailed me back that night to say thanks as he'd never been paid so quickly. The payment was 1 minute 23 seconds after the bid.

 

The card situation is that there's nothing untoward about having a card registered outside the country of issue. There are 10's of thousands of UK cards in France. If PayPal would take the trouble to pass on the name and address to the issuing card company it would come back approved. But they don't A few times it said "card rejected" I telephoned MBNA who confirmed the card hadn't been presented for payment and they got lots of queries from PayPal transactions where it said "rejected". Now, it's even worse as it allows a French address but will not move on. It just stays on the page. To test it I entered an incorrect country code for the phone number and it came back asking for a correct code. But it will not move on.

 

For what it's worth, my view is that PayPal should have a list of cards they will not accept. If this list said cards registered in a different country to issue we'd all know and couldn't complain.

 

I also don't mind them saving a fortune by having fully automated complaint systems, but it wouldn't take much for the auto system look to see if there was any unresolved complaint before it sends out an email telling the customer that they are being marked as a non payer.

[Norman Verona]

Pickmaster, would you like to pm me the Ebay phone number. I've nothing better to do today as it's now raining and my grass is growing even longer.

[Norman Verona]

By the way, It would appear that sellers are losing out using PayPal to process transactions. At the moment I want to buy something from a company's web site But the PayPal transaction will not go through. I have tried a few times, I've emailed the user and I'll have to go elsewhere.

 

The reason many in France don't use French issued cards is that they are not free, the cost for a Visa card from my bank is 64€ per annum. The Carte Bancaire also costs but only a few Euros a year. However, it's a bank card not a credit card.

[Norman Verona]

OK, I found the phone number. But couldn't get through on my France Telecom internet free phone. 

 

So I started a chat session. Got through in about 3 minutes and chatted to Mary. She (or he - who knows) went off and checked all I'd said. After 7 minutes she/he came back and said the non payment notice had been removed.

 

The binoculars I did buy were from Amazon and came direct from the vendor. Postage was reasonable, the goods are OK and they arrived in a few days. www.ukhobbystore.co.uk they have a sister site: www.powersavebulbs.co.uk 

[Geoff101]

Did that take less time than typing all of the above?

[Nick Algar - Competition Secretary]

As a buyer eBay & PayPal are great in general. I am on over 500 transactions.

 

As a seller it's all stacked against you