Defective item & closed case need help reopening SNAD / refund
Hi everyone, I’m hoping someone here can help or point me in the right direction. I purchased Snapchat Spectacles from an eBay seller called [Edited by Moderator], and the item arrived defective and not as described:
• Only powers on inside the charging case and shuts off immediately when removed
• Battery does not hold a charge
• Internal storage appears corrupted and videos recorded can’t be deleted
I opened a return / Money Back Guarantee claim, but the system closed the case automatically due to missing the return shipping deadline. When I called eBay support, they refused to reopen the claim despite the item clearly being defective on arrival and not as advertised.
I’ve tried all the return options and even customer service escalation, but nothing has worked so far.
Can someone advise how to:
• get help from a team that can manually override a closed SNAD case, or
• escalate this to a higher-level eBay support team?
I have video evidence showing the defects and am ready to upload it if needed. Any suggestions on the best way to get eBay to review this would be really appreciated.
Thanks!
ryry-jj
·8 months agoAs it pertains to e-commerce, buyers need to know and understand how to follow return policies. If a buyer cant do that, then they shouldn't be buying on that platform. They need to know this before ever purchasing...can I follow the platform's policy? If you think the return window is "condensed" then you needed to be on it asap, not at your convenience or your pace. We all know this going in and have agreed to ebay's policies when we agree to sell and buy.
There will always be poor sellers and poor buyers, and eBay has policies in place to help when you face one, you just have to use it correctly
mtgraves7984
·8 months ago@fth328
Since I've never used Venmo, enlighten me. Do you pay using a CC on file, or do you pay with your funds from an account?
If the former, I'd surely be investigating filing a claim with the CC you paid with. The eBay Return got botched, but that's water under the bridge now. I'd still like to see you made whole, and am trying to think of remedies...
house*of*paws
·8 months agoHi @fth328
I'm very sorry this happened, but if you know beforehand that you often require extended timelines or accommodations when dealing with tasks like returns ... then you really need to pay by a source that allows you more than 30 days to do that.
eBay has both buyers and sellers as its customers, and it needs to be fair to both in its procedures. It has strict timelines for completing returns and other procedures. Credit card companies often allow as much as 10 months to begin a return.
I don't know of any way to make eBay change its mind about allowing a return. I recommend you pursue the case with Venmo.
roccotacodad54
·8 months agoSnapChat Spectacales.....
Ahhh. Another wannabe Central Scrutinizer at least temporarily slowed down......................
tobaccocardyahoo
·8 months agoLets summarize the problem.
The seller was incompetent or dishonest and sold a defective item.
The buyer was clueless or lazy or had a problem which made making an online purchase unduly risky and proceeded to buy on Ebay, anyway.
To complicate resolving this problem, the buyer used Venmo, a PayPal service to pay for this purchase.
How he funded Venmo was anyone's guess, I am willing to bet it was not with a credit card unless he did and is unable to realize he still has dispute rights.
There are no good guys in this story. Everyone is guilty.
fth328
OP8 months agoThank you all for taking the time to respond.
I want to clarify a few things based on the comments. I understand that eBay first provides "Money back guarantee'' and then sets strict return deadlines. Those condensed deadlines do not justify a seller misrepresenting an item or sending a completely defective product. Missing an arbitrary shipping window does not magically turn a broken device into a working one.
I also want to mention that I often require extended timelines or accommodations when dealing with tasks like returns, troubleshooting, or submitting evidence. The seller’s misrepresentation combined with an inaccessible timeline placed me at an artificial disadvantage.
Regarding chargebacks: Venmo denied my dispute, even though the item was defective from day one. Because of this experience, I have decided to close my Venmo account entirely and will not be using the platform for purchases again.
I have already submitted a complaint to the CFPB and will continue using every available channel: federal, state, platform-level, and consumer protection agencies to confront being sold a broken device. I am committed to pursuing this until I receive a refund, even if it takes months or years. No consumer should be expected to simply absorb a loss due to someone else’s dishonesty.
I appreciate everyone’s input, even if the refund policies can be rigid, they do not excuse fraud, nor do they erase the seller’s responsibility for providing a functional product. This was my first and last time using eBay!
Thank you again for the guidance, let me know if there are any other internal and external consumer regulator agencies that would be interested in investigating this.
jonathanbrightlight
·8 months ago@fth328
If Venmo also denied your dispute, there’s likely details you haven’t shared. No one is saying that missing a return window makes the item a working one. But it was your responsibility to ship it back within that window, and you need to own that you missed it. You weren’t denied a claim, but no company can leave that type of claim open indefinitely, nor is there allowances for exceptions. You had your chance, and you did not meet the requirements of the policy.
fth328
OP8 months agoI want to respond to this because it repeats a pattern I’ve now seen at both eBay and Venmo. Venmo also denied the dispute specifically due to a compressed timeline, not because the item was functional. Here is your hidden detail.
This is a recurring issue for me personally and for millions of consumers: compressed, inflexible timelines are not something a considerable amount of people can meet. Framing this as “owning my mistake†ignores that the issue here is a misrepresented sale, and not everyone operates on the same capacity or pace. Calling for strict compliance without acknowledging real-world limitations and providing accomodations is, frankly, ableist.
More importantly:
refund timelines and fraud are not the same issue. A seller misrepresenting a broken product does not suddenly become legitimate because the clock ran out. Consumer protection exists to prevent exactly this, buyers being stuck with defective items because of technical deadlines.
No one is asking for an “indefinite†window. I am asking for the seller’s misrepresentation to be taken more seriously than compressed deadlines. Deadlines don’t transform a defective device into a working one, and platforms shouldn’t allow policies to be used as shields for dishonest sellers.
For what it’s worth, I am taking responsibility:
I’m submitting complaints to the every relevant state and federal organization while also publishing my first and last eBay experience. I’m returning the device anyway and continuing every avenue available and talking about this every day until the fraud is addressed.
Policies should protect buyers from deceit, not excuse it.
jonathanbrightlight
·8 months agoYou're trying to force someone else to take responsibility for your mistake, actually.
If you return the device anyway, you will not be entitled to a refund, so keep that in mind.
Policies should protect both buyers and sellers from those who would abuse those policies.
hotwheelsbum
·8 months agoIt's not an Arbitrary Shipping Window, it is a Policy you agreed to with the TOS, Terms Of Service you agreed to adhere by when opening your account. Ebay is not your Brother In Law with whom loaned you money to not get your electric turned off, was supposed to pay back next Friday, next Friday came and when you didn't have it, he was like, Ehhhh, that's OK, pay me back when you can. You had a deadline, a deadline you agreed to, you missed that deadline, case is closed. I don't get what you're not understanding about that. It's called being responsible by following the Policy you agreed to from the beginning.
albertabrightalberta
·8 months ago@fth328
"I understand that eBay first provides "Money back guarantee'' and then sets strict return deadlines. Those condensed deadlines do not justify a seller misrepresenting an item or sending a completely defective product. Missing an arbitrary shipping window does not magically turn a broken device into a working one."
It's not a "condensed deadline" (whatever that means). It's very specific and of course doesn't "justify" a seller misrepresenting an item. That's why there is a MBG.
"The seller’s misrepresentation combined with an inaccessible timeline placed me at an artificial disadvantage."
You are not "at an artificial disadvantage." EVERY single buyer has the same requirements in order to take advantage of their MBG.
"This is a recurring issue for me personally and for millions of consumers: compressed, inflexible timelines are not something a considerable amount of people can meet. "
I have to strongly disagree. You have (or had) 30 days from the date of delivery to open your return claim which appears to have been done within the timeline.
After the seller accepts the claim and you're given a return shipping label, you had another 22 days in which to ship it.
Although you claim (and I quote) "even though the item was defective from day one" and you knew that, why wouldn't you have shipped it back in the following 3+ weeks ebay allowed?
And in case you are going to claim some reason why you couldn't get to the post office to drop it off, you could have handed it to your mail carrier to ship it.
@fth328
You're the one who messed up with this transaction and the reason your loss is because of your own error in procrastinating.
kensgiftshop
·8 months agoEbay already gives you 30 days to start a return, then a couple more weeks to get the item shipped back.
If that's not enough time, maybe buying on Ebay isn't right for you.
If you opened a case with Venmo and they denied it, you're done.
mtgraves7984
·8 months agoIf you opened a case with Venmo and they denied it, you're done.
@kensgiftshop
I've never used Venmo. Is it not like PayPal, where you can choose a CC from your 'Wallet' to pay with? And, if so, can the OP file a CC claim, in the case that the OP paid with a CC (from a Venmo 'Wallet), for example? 🤔
kensgiftshop
·8 months agoI don't know, never used it.
I always thought it was one where you had to have the funds in the account.
If they can fund a purchase with a credit card through Venmo, then OP can try that.
Unavailable member
·8 months ago@fth328
From reading your post, it sounds like you waited too long to return the item and the case closed because you didn’t return within the timeframe given when you opened the return.
Once a return is closed you can try to appeal. https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/returns-items-not-received-refunds-buyers/appeal-outcome-case-buyer?id=4039
Otherwise file a chargeback through your credit card.
soh.maryl
·8 months agoYou missed the return shipping deadline per your statement here.
eBay does not offer second chances.
Do a chargeback on your credit card.
hotwheelsbum
·8 months agoNo. Not in this case.
Buyer bought item. Item was defective. Buyer filed to return item. Seller and ebay allowed, agreed for Buyer to return item. Buyer was to receive Refund when item was Returned. Per ebay Policy, Buyer didn't have 396 Days to Return item at their will, Buyer had a window to Return item. Buyer missed that window. All this is under Policies the Buyer agreed to within the TOS.
This is on the Buyer. Not ebay or the Seller. No, they should NOT do a Chargeback on their Credit Card.
albertabrightalberta
·8 months agoIn this case, they already tried and failed in their chargeback attempt. They used Venmo and even Venmo denied the chargeback claim (as stated in post #5) because the buyer didn't follow the timeline for returning an item.
hotwheelsbum
·8 months agoThat's what I was kind of getting at. Buyer's request for a refund was denied because they didn't follow protocol to get that refund. As in what's been pointed out already. Mary immediately jumped on the "do a chargeback" on your CC bandwagon. That's not going to fly with this case. Whether the attempt failed or not, this just was not a case where it warranted a chargeback attempt. This is all on Buyer. 100%. ðŸ‘
lisa5768
·8 months ago@fth328
Sorry but you needed to send it back before the deadline to receive a refund. You opened a return and were given a date to return the items by. When you did not return them within the deadline eBay closed the return and it can not be reopened or a new one started.