Denied Feedback Removal – Order #27-15076-01854 (Admitted Item Destruction & Feedback Extortion)
Summary: jk_audiolab asked for help regarding a denied feedback removal on eBay, despite evidence of the buyer violating policies, such as feedback extortion. grann-4629 and pls-consignments mentioned that automated systems typically handle these processes now, with limited human intervention. christworks provided a detailed analysis, suggesting the feedback does not meet eBay's criteria for removal under extortion or abuse policies and advised submitting the specific violated policy in appeals. jk_audiolab expressed concerns about being pressured to issue refunds without product returns. broto_64 suggested ignoring the feedback, while christworks encouraged understanding the buyer's viewpoint and finding a resolution, like issuing a partial refund or offering a replacement.
Hello Community Managers,
I am requesting assistance with a feedback removal that keeps getting denied as an "Item Quality / Product Experience" issue, despite clear messages showing policy violations.
Order Details:
Order ID: 27-15076-01854
Case Summary:
Feedback Extortion (6:36 AM): The buyer explicitly messaged stating: "i will remove my review if i am refunded."
Admitted Buyer Abuse (6:42 AM): When offered a full refund upon returning the item, the buyer admitted: "i already destroyed them out of frustration."
Under eBay’s Abusive Buyer Policy, buyers cannot intentionally alter or destroy merchandise, demand a refund without returning the item, or condition feedback removal on monetary compensation.
Phone agents agree this violates policy, but automated ticket reviews keep rejecting it because the public review comment mentions headphone performance ("quiet/distorted"). I kindly ask a Community Manager to review the message log for this order and flag it for a manual override.
I'm just confused by these interactions because the support team keeps telling me not to refund a buyer who destroyed the product but asked for a refund, but the buyer won't remove the feedback unless I refund them for the self-destroyed item.
Thank you for your help!
Best,
JK
rosemary6525
·3 weeks agoThey probably AIN'T gonna remove the FB even if u refund them. SO I would NOT refund them. Maybe ebay will remove the FB but despite the BUYER clearly violating a policy by trying to extort a refund I doubt ebay will do anything to him. Maybe send email warning.
jk_audiolab
OP3 weeks ago · Editedon third appeal this feedback was marked for removal. Thank you for all of the helpful feedback and assistance.
broto_64
·3 weeks agoMeh, it's not the most elegant solution but I'd keep the money and the feedback.
christworks
·3 weeks ago · Edited@jk_audiolab Note: I spent way too much time on this but after reading your polite response to the buyer's feedback and my belief you have changed your return poilcy as a result of this, I thought you were worth investing some time in. Don't make me regret that.
As others have noted, feedback removal is primarily handled by AI. The AI reviews the feedback and compares it with eBay’s feedback removal policy. However, you must specifically cite the policy you believe was violated. I tell people to copy and paste the relevant policy into the initial removal request. Since the AI has been given the exact policy, it does not have to guess which policy was violated based on how you word your request.
So that everyone reading this does not have to track down the feedback, I’m going to post it here. That will make it easier for you and others to follow my advice:
There is something very wrong with the headphones I received! They are incredibly quiet and distorted above 70 percent volume. Additionally, the active noise cancellation does not function. Beware of seller.
The feedback the buyer left does not violate eBay’s feedback removal policy, which is why your appeals have been denied. A weak argument could be made that the portion of the feedback directing readers to “beware of seller” is potentially nonconstructive wording that could harm your reputation. However, it does not sound as though you appealed the feedback on that basis. Instead, it sounds as though you appealed based on eBay’s policy against extortion and its Abusive Buyer Policy. I think there are a couple of problems with approaching it from those angles.
First, it is against eBay policy to extort sellers. The exact text from that policy reads:
“We remove all feedback that:
Is used as a means to extort another member”
Here is the example eBay provides:
Jasmine sold a camera, but along with payment she received an email from the buyer stating, “If you don’t include an upgraded memory card and a case at no additional charge, I’ll leave you negative feedback.” This is feedback extortion, and as such, the feedback is removable.
In that example, the buyer threatens to leave negative feedback if the seller does not give them additional items. That is not what happened in your situation. Your buyer left valid negative feedback about the item they received. They did not leave it in retaliation for your refusal to do something. They might have had retaliatory motives, but they did not state that in the feedback, and you have not said that they expressed such a motive in their messages. We cannot get inside their head, so we cannot assume that they left the feedback merely to get back at you.
Based on the only example eBay provides, the context of extortion is that the threat of negative feedback must be used as leverage. The buyer did not do that here, and I believe eBay correctly decided not to remove the feedback on that basis.
Now, let’s discuss eBay’s Abusive Buyer Policy. Although the buyer threw away the product and you have the right to refuse a refund if they do not return it, eBay does not require you to have the item returned before issuing a refund. Many sellers issue refunds without requiring a return. In fact, eBay offers that option when a return is opened.
The item belonged to the buyer. They had every right to throw it in the garbage if that was what they wanted to do. Buyers may alter or destroy merchandise because it belongs to them. What they cannot do is alter the merchandise and then return it to you in a different condition. That is not what happened here. Your buyer, perhaps out of frustration, threw away the headphones and then left negative feedback.
Wasn’t that a logical thing for them to do? The listing for the headphones clearly stated that you did not accept returns. In the buyer’s mind, any hope of returning them was lost because you advertised that you did not accept returns. How is it somehow the buyer’s fault that they threw the broken headphones in the garbage? Why would they have saved them if they believed you would not allow a return?
It is clear to me that you realize your no-returns policy is part of the reason you are in this mess. All the sold listings I reviewed had a no-returns policy, while all your active listings offer 30-day returns at the buyer’s expense. That does not relieve you of the responsibility to pay return shipping for an item-not-as-described return, which was the issue in this case. You have apparently changed your return policy.
Your buyer did not approach you and attempt to extort you. You contacted them only after they left negative feedback. In response, they told you they would remove the feedback if you issued a refund. That is not extortion. It was a response to your request that they remove the feedback. In fact, someone could view your offer of a refund as a bribe to persuade them to remove the feedback. Should I view it through that lens?
One important point about the Abusive Buyer Policy and feedback removal is that you must report the buyer, and eBay must determine that the buyer’s behavior was indeed abusive. Only then will eBay remove the feedback on that basis. You did not mention reporting the buyer, so a request to have the feedback removed under that policy should be denied. I also happen to believe that the buyer’s behavior does not meet the context or meaning of eBay’s extortion policy, which means the buyer is not guilty of abusive behavior anyway.
In my view, the feedback should stand. eBay—whether the decision was made by AI or a person—got this right. If you still have an option to appeal, you can try using the “beware of seller” argument I mentioned above. That is the only possible avenue I see. Even then, eBay could simply remove that portion of the comment while leaving the negative rating in place, since the buyer’s complaint was relevant and on point through approximately 90 percent of the feedback.
Your best hope is to apologize to the buyer for sending them defective headphones and issue a refund even though they no longer have the product. You could even acknowledge that, in retrospect, your no-returns policy may have signaled that you would not help them if there were a problem and that you have learned from the experience. They may then be willing to revise the feedback.
Your response to the feedback is well written. I have no issues with it. You seem like a sincere seller, so take the loss and refund the buyer. You have already taken corrective action by changing your return policy, which will hopefully prevent future buyers from assuming that you will not help them and that their only recourse is to throw away the item and leave negative feedback.
jk_audiolab
OP3 weeks ago · EditedThank you for the time you put into this.
Still, all sales are covered by the eBay money back guarantee, and so if the headphones are indeed broken (and I test them quite rigorously before sending them out), the buyer could have opened a return regardless of my policy.
What we’re left with is a basic question: should a seller be pressured into refunding without possibility of a return when negative feedback is left but the buyer has destroyed the product?
If true, I’m not sure why any buyer would ever return a product. Rather, use negative feedback as a bludgeon to obtain a refund outside of the eBay defect policy. To me, that’s exactly what the extortion policy aims to prevent.
Also, to be clear—I never mentioned feedback while talking to the buyer. I offered a refund for return. They raised removing the negative feedback in response.
christworks
·3 weeks ago@jk_audiolab Yes, all sales are covered by eBay's 30 Day MBG. Judging by my experience with buyers both on this board and elsewhere, I'd argue at least 50% do not know about it or don't understand it. In fact, you have a fair number of sellers who either don't know about it or don't understand it.
Buyers should read and understand it. Even if they do, eBay does not highlight anywhere I've seen that their 30 Day MBG policy overrides a seller's no return policy when an item never arrives or arrives in a different condition. I know that it does. You apparently know that it does. Many buyers don't. They see sellers on eBay as individual business owners who set their own policy. If a place says no returns, it means no returns. While I do understand the point you are attempting to make, I must disagree with you that this is on the buyer. Your listing is what they read and saw. You say no returns. Can't fault a buyer for taking that to heart. I'm sorry. You are hardly the first no returns seller to find themselves in this situation.
Should a seller be pressured into refunding without the possibility of a return when negative feedback is left but the buyer tossed the product? I'd argue you aren't pressured. You responded to the feedback in a professional manner. If I had not read your post and I stumbled upon your feedback as a buyer, I would say to myself, "That seller took ownership of the issue and took care of their buyer." I understand with a low sales volume one negative impacts your score more than it would mine. I wouldn't want a 96% either. I think you can easily bring that up by making good sales. You've been at this a little over a month. You will be fine whether the feedback is there or not.
This would be extortion as eBay defines it: "Hey, those headphones arrived broken. I destroyed them and tossed them in the garbage. I demand a refund and if you don't give it to me, I am going to leave you a negative feedback."
I'm not saying you couldn't have gotten that feedback removed by claiming the buyer was abusive. I don't think they were, but in the age of AI that really does not matter. What matters is that you reported the buyer for the abuse, give it a couple of days so their account is marked as abusive, and then you appeal the feedback citing the abusive feedback policy as the reason. This way when the AI looks at it, it sees their account has been marked as abusive, and the feedback comes off as a result.
That's fine that you didn't bring up the feedback and I think it is fine the buyer did. You offered a refund for return, the buyer no longer has it, so they offered they would change their feedback. That's all they could offer you. If they had the headphones and sent them back, you could refund but they would not have any obligation to change the feedback. The feedback really bothers you, and the buyer has offered you something you want since they no longer have the item. I do not see the big deal here. I think you are letting this eat at you for really no reason. Make a decision one way or the other. Six months from now, no matter what decision you make today, this will be long forgotten. It isn't going to keep you from having sales, but if it is going to keep you up at night then pay them their $40 and be done. Or maybe work a compromise. You have other headphones. Offer to send them a different pair and to give part of their money back. There are lots of ways to work this out. Try to see where your buyer is coming from, even if you disagree with them.
pls-consignments
·3 weeks agoYou should be aware that both the review and appeal processes are now done via AI. You can request "human" review. However, human CS now appears to be in subjection to AI decisions. Since eBay has already given AI such authority, well..... "resistence is futile".
grann-4629
·3 weeks agoThere are no eBay people here ... just buyers and sellers like you. Hopefully, a member will see your post and offer suggestions on how to resolve your issue. Best of luck getting this fixed.