Victim of same-ZIP-code fraud. eBay denied my appeal.
I ordered a Rode shotgun microphone for about $115 including shipping. The tracking number showed the item as delivered a week ago Monday. But it was not delivered.
I went to the post office that Wednesday to see if they could figure it out. I finally spoke with a supervisor who looked up the tracking number and told me the "pen" (which I took to be the scanner that scans the package at the delivery address) showed it was delivered in the neighborhood a few blocks away. She would not give me the address.
I contacted the seller and reported the item as not delivered as soon as I could. But in the classic ZIP-code fraud manner, the item was marked as delivered so eBay sided with the seller. It is entirely possible it was mistakenly delivered to the wrong address, but the USPS tried to retrieve and failed.
I decided to appeal after getting a letter signed and stamped with the local post office letterhead and date. I attached the letter but eBay denied my appeal pointing back to the tracking number showing it was delivered.
I received an email from someone in customer service suggesting I contact the shipper. I have been to the post office THREE TIMES already about this.
eBay must be aware of this practice. It's a shame they're siding with the seller. They are failing their buyers.
I reported the issue with PayPal and instantly received a reply (I assume this is all automated) that because the tracking number showed it was delivered, my claim was denied. I appealed and hope a real human will read my case.
Come on eBay! Come on PayPal! It didn't take much research to find countless examples of people getting defrauded like this. I have a letter from the supervisor at the local post office saying the item wasn't delivered, but you insist it was based on what the tracking says?
I'm trying not to rant here, but the way it feels to get scammed even for $100 is ruining my day. Best of luck to everyone else in this situation.
mudshark61369
·2 years ago@fatschoonerrat,
While I'm glad you were able to get a refund through PayPal you should have been able to win the appeal with the letter from the Post Office if you added a clear readable photo or better yet a scan of it. The wording too can be important, since you said the USPS letter was confusing. Open the link below and click on the Go to Best Answer button to find out exactly what you need to win. There is more info in that answer that explains why ebay denies claims, and how to get a refund through them even if an appeal fails.
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/Fake-Tracking-information/m-p/34266951#M475809
fatschoonerrat
OP2 years agoThanks for the reply. I found your post before I posted here, but only after I exhausted my appeal process. Does contact with eBay support ever overturn an appeal? They did finally respond to my customer service email and said the letter wasn't there -- which it clearly was, attached as PDF. Maybe I should have also attached a jpg. Anyway, if I knew then what I know now, I would have asked the postal supervisor to rewrite her letter a bit.
fatschoonerrat
OP2 years agoUPDATE: PayPal ruled in my favor. I was able to speak with someone, and apparently because the post office employee's letter was somewhat confusing, they needed to call the post office directly. After speaking with the post office, the matter was cleared up, and they decided I was right. Yay!
I don't think this will carry any weight with eBay since my case was closed. But it goes to show how important real human connection is rather than attempting to resolve through their system.
fatschoonerrat
OP2 years agoThanks, good idea! I hadn't considered trying to talk to a real person after hitting so many dead ends at eBay. I'm on hold with a human now. I paid with PayPal but with cash. Last time I do that.
fatschoonerrat
OP2 years agop.s. - I know you're saving lots of money by forcing us human beings through your automated systems. I know you're making millions off of defrauded buyers. No wonder new marketplaces like Reverb are showing up. How can I actually speak with a real human in real time? ðŸ˜
az93
·2 years agoI would call the credit card company i used. If you paid with existing paypal funds and paypal says delivered, you might be out the money. At least you can call paypal and credit card and talk to humans. Usps should be required to tell you what address the item was delivered to. Unbelievable.