Abusive Buyer

[bdcarlton2000]

We recently had a buyer complain that a $20 item wasn't accurately described in a listing which had been acurrately described and we had some good pictures as well.  I don't know why buyers just don't say they changed their mind or this isn't what they thought and just request to return as we accept returns.  We offered to fully refund but this buyer went on a tirade and accused us of defrauding her.  Also threatened to give us bad negative feedback which she did. We've been with ebay since 1999 with 100% positive feedback. Filed a buyer report and requested that the feedback be taken off as buyer abused ebay policy with abusive language, threats and not being truthful about listing not being accurate. Ebay first responded they were taking actions against her but have still not removed the negative feedback even after we refunded the buyer.  We used to just call ebay and get issues resolved but now they seem to want a feedback removal request filed. They do seem to be using this COVID issue as cover right now. Should we rely on this online communication or how do we call/elevate this to speak with a decision maker. Not sure if this process has changed or if it's related to COVID currently. Any ideas?

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi, i have heard folks getting good response from customer service on eBay’s Facebook page. You might also try the get-a-return-call button sometimes found under Help & Contact links on most pages.

[femmefan1946 · Accepted solution]

Also threatened to give us bad negative feedback which she did....

...requested that the feedback be taken off as buyer abused ebay policy with abusive language, threats and not being truthful about listing not being accurate....

The reason you should have given was her threat to leave negative feedback. That's Feedback Extortion.

What was she demanding, since you offered return shipping and a refund.?

Should we rely on this online communication or how do we call/elevate this to speak with a decision maker.

Call back and politely explain the problem, this time with the words Feedback Extortion, and ask to be passed to a supervisor on the grounds that the other clerk evidently did not have the authority to remove the FB.

Lay it on thick.

You can add a Response to her FB "Refused shipping label and refund", for the few buyers who actually read feedback.

In addition to the phone service, eBay now has Twitter and FaceBook accounts dealing with customer problems.

[aldente28]

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@bdcarlton2000 wrote:

Ebay first responded they were taking actions against her but have still not removed the negative feedback even after we refunded the buyer...Any ideas?

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Idea: Feedback removal via the submission form can take up to 3 days. I'll remain hopeful that the delay is just part of the normal processing time. Did you get a message from ebay confirming the feedback removal?

[bdcarlton2000]

Thanks for replies and ideas. Right off the bat her first response was that we intentionally defrauded her. Not that the item wasn't what she thought it was but that we were essentially crooks. That was her first communication to us. We responded that we didn't intentionally misrepresent items and said we would refund her cost and shipping after return. She basically didn't like our response and threatened feedback which she said "would be very bad". By the way this is a beautiful 1940s piece, one of the best we've ever come across so this is really perplexing.

[bdcarlton2000]

They said not eligible until return case closed which we just did today after receiving the item back. They said removal is automatic once case is closed "if they rule in our favor". Their responses are so encrypted we can tell what their doing. They wont tell me what they decided. Is that normal now?

[bdcarlton2000]

I tried the return call button yesterday which was not available since mid April but started back up thursday I think. The person that called was not helpful. I need to try that and ask for a supervisor. Interesting thing we found out during this pandemic in using the chat feature is that they must man it with their rookies because no one on chat knows anything.

[aldente28]

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@bdcarlton2000 wrote:
They said not eligible until return case closed which we just did today after receiving the item back. They said removal is automatic once case is closed "if they rule in our favor". Their responses are so encrypted we can tell what their doing. They wont tell me what they decided. Is that normal now?

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From your description, I can't tell either. I think it all sounds pretty normal. In my experience, they don't like to talk about their processes. They like to make decisions, then act on them. They will describe the rules, and the results, but not so much the process...again, in my experience.

[moondogblues]

I'm so sorry this has happened to you! I took a look at your listings and you have some great stuff! Esp the sci fi...nice that there are still fanzines out there for sale. Hang in there, this is a crazy time.

[bdcarlton2000]

I did get ebay to remove the negative feedback after about 8 or 9 tries through email and calls. I found you need to be very persistent and not accept no for an answer. Of course you do have to have a good basis for the request. Using the term "feedback extortion" seemed to open their eyes to focus on the buyers comments. I found if they say no then try again and keep trying because you reach someone different at ebay with each contact and that one person out of 10 may help you. Worked for me. Thanks for that advice.