Partial Refund Scammers

[lpdistributing]

I am getting pretty tired of dealing with these partial refund scammers. And every time I contact eBay I get no where with them. It's either bend over to the buyer's demands or take the negative feedback. These scammers are getting smarter by not mentioning feedback in their messages so customer service refuses to do anything. Oh it's not extortion we don't see them say the word feedback. We have no logical thinking skills here at customer service. Here is my most recent scenario:

Sold phone for parts for $25. Part of the LCD was dead. 

Get a message "sim card port because does not red perfectly it and sometimes pull it out of service."

"Sorry for the troubles you have had with this item, please open up a return request so we can provide a return shipping label" 

"i will carry the phone to lg store to see if they can help me with this problem, if you can make me a partial refund of us10 and i will keep it and pay for the repair of the card."

"LG store will charge more than $10, please request a return so we can provide a return shipping label"

"I was thinking cover the other part of the cost but dont worry thank anyway"

We go back and forth and then I get hit with a negative feedback. Call customer service 3 times they do not see this as extortion since feedback was never mentioned.

Negative Feedback: "The phone came with other problem apart of the digitizer"

Revised Feedback After $10 Sent: "Phone came as the seller said recomended"

No matter what I said I could not get customer service to remove the feedback. What this customer was telling me was he wanted $10 so he could take the phone to a LG store (doesn't exist) and have them remove the motherboard from the device, remove the sim reader through heat and solder a new one. A technique that requires a skilled board repair tech. And every time I tried to get the customer service rep to critically think if they heard of any phone repair of that level that was $10 they responded with "there's no way for us to tell if the customer isn't telling the truth". 

How is this not extortion when I only have two options of give him $10 or take a negative? 

[emerald40]

Did any of those emails happen to be worded like - if you do not give me the $10 then I will give you a negative.  That is feedback extortion.  But some buyers have gotten wiser onn how they word the emails.

But kudos to you for not falling for these partial refund scams.  It is one of the dumbest thing ebay did to put this idea in buyers' heads.

Return for refund.  Rinse and repeat.Follow up negative with very professional response - offered full refund upon return of item.  That response would not make me hesitate at all to buy from you.

Report to ebay and ask them to put a note in the buyer's file.  Enough people do this and they become a headache to ebay and ebay will pull their buyer potection.

Block immediately.

[ittybitnot]

It's either bend over to the buyer's demands or take the negative feedback. 

Feedback no long counts for or against your seller rating.  It has taken all the wind out of the sails of any buyer "demanding" or even suggesting a partial refund will make things better.  Personally, I like money better than paying the blackmail to avoid a red donut. 

The extortion only works if you give in.  

[whatmorefabric]

I have 2 negatives,  both from buyers that wanted a partial or free fabric.

I wear them proudly.   

I never give partials.     Let them find someone else to scam.

[smileytown18]

I stopped getting worked up about negative feedback. I feel that if your feedback is mostly positive your ok and anyway ebay doesn't use it anyway. I have a feedback that randomly gave negative without contact, when finally replied to my email, she gave no proof of what she said and refused to open return, asked for 50% back...
I asked her to please return for full refund
In all my years selling, I've only received 2 negatives and I was TRS for many years. But I stopped being paranoid about it.

[buyselljack2016]

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@emerald40 wrote:

Did any of those emails happen to be worded like - if you do not give me the $10 then I will give you a negative.  That is feedback extortion.  But some buyers have gotten wiser onn how they word the emails.

But kudos to you for not falling for these partial refund scams.  It is one of the dumbest thing ebay did to put this idea in buyers' heads.

Return for refund.  Rinse and repeat.Follow up negative with very professional response - offered full refund upon return of item.  That response would not make me hesitate at all to buy from you.

Report to ebay and ask them to put a note in the buyer's file.  Enough people do this and they become a headache to ebay and ebay will pull their buyer potection.

Block immediately.

---

The OP did give the partial refund.

[or_couture]

Couldn't agree more. Always say "return for a full refund". No partials, period.

I had 1 negative for one year. Can't say my sales were higher before the negative or after it was removed from the calculation. In fact, ever since it was removed my sales are down as 2018 is down. So I don't think there's any collerlation (as long as it's only 1-2 negatives I think most people won't care).

[2015mhfashions]

Never give in to partials, only encourages them to do it again and again, return for refund, end of, this place is rife with this now because sellers are bending over and doing it, Stop doing it they will stop. Leave your Negative, Professional response is all that's needed.

[softersilk]

Once you give in to these scammers, they put your name on a suckers list. You WILL get hit up more.  Never do it.

In fact, study this policy: https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/rules-policies-buyers/buying-practices-policy?id=4374

eBay prohibits such behavior.  When it happens:

• Click Report a buyer and quote policy
• Reply, "If you are not happy with your purchase, please return for a refund" with no apologies or further explanation.

Every seller who gives these weasels free money is responsible for the cult of people who do it.

Last month I was successful in fighting one of these.  He was whining about a very small purchase, carefully hinting at getting money.  I reported him for feedback extortion.  Told him no.  He kept trying.  Finally he left a negative.  Called and it got removed.

Don't fight them and don't give in.  Report and tell them to return if they are not happy.