Seller Integrity

[autumngoose]

As a regular buyer I've had my share of ups and downs with sellers. 99% of them offer great products and super service. But  really let me down this week. I bought a fountain pen from them a year ago. I don't use a fountain pen every day, so when I started having difficulty with this one I was surprised. I'd barely used it. I contacted the seller to ask about my options. All I wanted was a replacement converter. They cost $2 a piece. They replied by asking if I had issues with the pen when I bought it, and I said no, because the converter was not drawing ink the way it should so I had to dip the pen in the ink to use it. Since I replied with that I wrote back Tuesday to say as long as they weren't going to offer me a replacement converter, did they have anything I could BUY. I didn't like doing this but I bit the bullet. They did not reply at all. I don't like when sellers don't stand by their products. The least they could have done was explain their position and they didn't even bother with that. Very sad. Very different from the vast majority of sellers here. Ebay is a great community, but  puts a stain on that.

[house*of*paws]

Hi @autumngoose 

Are you saying that you’ve received free replacement parts from other eBay sellers after having the product for a year?

I’m surprised that you would expect from any seller … but I may not be understanding your point.

[*lady*madonna*]

@autumngoose 

Very few sellers will accommodate you a year after your purchase.

[ed8108]

Question presented

Upon your request are you entitled to  receive a free or to purchase a replacement converter from your seller ?

You may wish to read ebay's money back guarantee it's terms, & limitations for a possible answer 

[kathiec]

Had the pen been defective when you received it you would have had 30 days to open a case to return for a full refund. At that time the seller could have offered to provide the replacement part instead of you returning the pen. But to expect that the seller is going to provide complimentary upkeep for this pen for life is totally unreasonable.

[autumngoose]

I believe you are missing my point.

Of course I understood the 30-day replacement agreement. I was not expecting the pen to be replaced, only the part that was defective. This pen was used a total of 4-5 times. It is ridiculous that something that is  used so infrequently would fail. If I am the seller I replace the $2.00 part  no questions asked, pre-agreement or  not. It's a matter of standing by your product. The part was obviously flawed, but as I mention in my post, it does not get regular use, and so it took several months, AND a previous complaint to the same vendor three months ago, to discover that the converter was actually flawed. I'm old school. I believe that the customer is always right. Of course we have rules to play by. I understand that. But there are always exceptions. For the seller to simply stop writing to me was wrong. They could simply have said they do have the part available to replace the pen and the matter would have been solved. They did not. But the other people responding here are putting the onus on me and saying they basically think I'm in the wrong to expect a seller to do ANYTHING past the return date. They could not be more incorrect in making such a judgment. They must not have read my post the way it was written.

[autumngoose]

Why not? What's wrong with standing by your product? What about the idea that the customer is always right? Of course such an idea must be given limits, but in this case the solution would have been so simple, and yet the solution the vendor in my case chose was to ignore me. I purchased something from them in good faith. I expected to have that good faith reciprocated.

[autumngoose]

You may wish to re-read my original post because apparently you did not understand what I was saying.

[*lady*madonna*]

@autumngoose 

This is no longer an Ebay issue since you bought it last year. This is between you and the seller. The seller has the right to not respond. Ebay cannot go strongarm the seller into giving you a replacement part or any type of compensation.

[autumngoose]

It often takes time for a defect to show  up. I had wondered why the converter wasn't working correctly. I emailed vendor three months ago to explain. I attempted to use their suggestions. When the suggestion finally worked, a new problem came up. I didn't think this was going to be a problem that required moving heaven and earth. The problem was simple. My unit was defective. I wanted a replacement. Instead I was ignored. I was certainly not expecting complimentary upkeep, as you put it. I was totally within my rights to ask for a replacement for a part that should have lasted longer than a few uses; the amount of time was  immaterial. And yet the seller chose to ignore me rather than offer other solutions. Next time please read my entire post before offering your opinion.

[kathiec]

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@autumngoose wrote:

It often takes time for a defect to show  up. I had wondered why the converter wasn't working correctly. I emailed vendor three months ago to explain. I attempted to use their suggestions. When the suggestion finally worked, a new problem came up. I didn't think this was going to be a problem that required moving heaven and earth. The problem was simple. My unit was defective. I wanted a replacement. Instead I was ignored. I was certainly not expecting complimentary upkeep, as you put it. I was totally within my rights to ask for a replacement for a part that should have lasted longer than a few uses; the amount of time was  immaterial. And yet the seller chose to ignore me rather than offer other solutions. Next time please read my entire post before offering your opinion.

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I did read your entire post (all of them, actually). My opinion stands. The seller has no way to verify that the pen was seldom used or that you waited months to use it. You say their first suggestion worked but "another problem came up". How many problems are you going to expect them to be responsible for?

It's no different than the car wash or parking garage refusing to compensate damage you report two weeks after your visit. 

[earthdreamer]

At a guess, the seller probably considered you a problem buyer and placed you on their  Blocked Buyers list. 

Had they offered you something further to buy, they may have thought you would leave them a negative feedback.

[mr_lincoln]

@autumngoose 

-Clean the pen ... ink can dry over time and degrade functionality.

-I used to always clean my calligraphy nibs, ink paths etc. after use so the next time I got them out to use they worked.

[house*of*paws]

@autumngoose 

Thanks for your very detailed explanation.  🙂   I’m afraid your expectations of sellers belongs to a long bygone era.  

Also, with respect to online selling venues … the seller is more likely to be a retired or disabled or care-giving person than an established company.  It’s simply not possible /realistic for them to be responsible to all their buyers for a year.  

I recall some aspects of the old days fondly myself … but they’re gone with the wind.

[mudshark61369]

@autumngoose,

I honestly think your expectations of the seller are overblown. You message them a year after making the purchase, they try to help you, then something else goes wrong, and you hope to get a free replacement part.   I would not expect that if I bought from a brick and mortar store. Good customer service extends only so far, and the customer is always right doesn't always hold true for online purchases.  Why you did not check the pen out when you received it and if the converter was not drawing ink, bring that up to the seller at that time, I do not understand.

In reading the topic and your other replies, I notice that you do not give the Brand of the pen, or say if the pen was vintage or new.  You also do not say if the seller sells fountain pens regularly and if the seller is an authorized dealer who would probably have the replacement converter.  You do not detail the issue you had that the seller's suggestions fixed.

We also do not know how well you care for your pens if you do not use them often. Do you drain and clean the converter, feed, and breather hole after your infrequent uses.  I have 6 vintage fountain pens that I use occasionally for signing birthday & holiday cards and writing some letters.  I clean them after each use knowing that dried ink can cause issues with the cartridge or converter, feed and breather hole. I even filter the Ink I use in them before filling them.