eBay's system has me going in an endless loop. Is there really no way to contact eBay any more?

[tfr888]

I need to contact eBay. The instructions say that an option to ask eBay to step in should appear after three business days have elapsed following the date on which a return is opened. But no such option has appeared and three full business days have passed between the date the return was opened and today.  All of the Contact Us options inevitably return me to the item, where the status is "You must take action" and the action is that I need to return the item.  The system thinks Seller has sent me a shipping label but they have not. Seller sold a non-functioning item as "Open Box". It was missing a critical necessary part,  obvious to Seller. When I message Seller about the label, Seller insists that "Open Box" allows items to be non-functional. But that is not how that listing category is defined by eBay.  Is there no way to reach eBay now? Is this is some sort of catch-22 limbo? I will happily return the item but not at my own expense. It should have been listed as "For parts or not working".  I have spent over an hour trying to navigate my way through eBay's Contact Us decision tree, but it seems designed to prevent me from ever contacting eBay.

[twinkling.smile · Accepted solution]

@tfr888 

For contacting eBay, make here a choice for a chat or a call to you:  https://www.ebay.com/help/eua?id=5275&mkpid

Ask eBay to step in: https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/returns-items-not-received-refunds-buyers/ask-ebay-step-help-buyers...

[dryophelia]

@tfr888 

Have you actually opened a return or just sent messages to the seller?

What was the reason you chose for the return? This will determine who pays for return shipping.

3 days will mean 72 hours. 

[tfr888]

I have actually opened an official return request. The status page of the return request is Seller approved the request and and it also says Seller sent you a return label. But they haven't sent a label, just a mailing address.  I messaged Seller after receiving that status update about the return label. Instead of sending the label, Seller insisted that "Open Box" allows an item to be non-functional and missing necessary parts.

[tfr888]

Thank you for the chat or call option. I will try it when they open at 5 pacific time.  The "step-in" link, however, is one of the ones that sends me in an endless loop, always coming back to rest at "You must take action -- return the item".

[tfr888]

That 72-hour answer does not jibe with other answers people have given me, referring to three business days. But neither answer reflects actual practice. I don't think the eBay automated return system is dealing correctly with the situation when the Seller claims to have sent a shipping label but has not actually done so.  There is no way for me to report that fact through the website because the eBay algorithm thinks the ball is in my court and that I need to send the item back.