Apparent scam, no response from seller and no help from Ebay

[cassie2nd]

I purchased software that was listed as "legitimate" and "licensed" and permanent.  I received the software and license number.  The software worked fine for ONE YEAR.  Then, I received a message upon opening the software saying my trial period had ended and to enter the license code.  The next message said the code was invalid and that the program would no longer work with the claim that the program was obviously pirated and non-legitimate.

I sent the seller two messages, over the course of the past two months, and have received no response at all.

When I try to ask Ebay to help resolve this issue, the pages I'm sent to are on an endless loop that don't get me anywhere.

How do I get my money back from a seller who doesn't respond and/or Ebay, who has no way to actually ask for their help with this?

I would love to also report this seller as a scammer but that option is on a loop, too, it seems.

ANY help with this would be greatly appreciated.

-CMS

[*madison]

You won't get your money back, and you won't get any help from ebay or paypal, too much time has passed.

[fjbet13]

Don't think there's much you can expect from eBay or PayPal. Time has expired on any buyer help.  Possibly your credit card company would process a charge back, but one year is a long time for even that.

[greg5000]

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@cassie2nd wrote:

I purchased software that was listed as "legitimate" and "licensed" and permanent.  I received the software and license number.  The software worked fine for ONE YEAR.  Then, I received a message upon opening the software saying my trial period had ended and to enter the license code.  The next message said the code was invalid and that the program would no longer work with the claim that the program was obviously pirated and non-legitimate.

I sent the seller two messages, over the course of the past two months, and have received no response at all.

When I try to ask Ebay to help resolve this issue, the pages I'm sent to are on an endless loop that don't get me anywhere.

How do I get my money back from a seller who doesn't respond and/or Ebay, who has no way to actually ask for their help with this?

I would love to also report this seller as a scammer but that option is on a loop, too, it seems.

ANY help with this would be greatly appreciated.

-CMS

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Is the Seller still registered with eBay, do they have an active account, and are they still selling here?  

If yes, then I would call eBay and ask for Trust & Safety.  Trust & Safety may have a way to address a refund, but the main thing they need to do is assist to make sure the Seller is removed from eBay.

eBay needs to step-up to address Consumer Fraud.

[creoleorchid]

So it’s been 14 months now? eBay has 30 days and PayPal has 180 days to file a claim. I don’t think even a credit card chargeback would be a go at this point.

[pburn]

eBay's Money Back Guarantee covers a purchase for 30 days after the estimated delivery date. They do not have access to the transaction after 60 days and cannot, therefore, issue a refund a year later.

A buyer has 60 days to leave feedback. That's why you cannot leave feedback for a year-old transaction.

[andy-3278]

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Is the Seller still registered with eBay, do they have an active account, and are they still selling here?  

If yes, then I would call eBay and ask for Trust & Safety.  Trus & Safety may have a way to address a refund, but the main thing they need to do is assist to make sure the Seller is removed from eBay.

eBay needs to step-up to address Consumer Fraud.

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@greg5000  eBay won't do anything after this long. Period.

Fraud needs to be addressed when the buyer first gets the item, by calling Microsoft and verifying the software.

@cassie2nd I'm guessing the price on the software was low, and you thought you got an amazing deal?

[greg5000 · Accepted solution]

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@andy-3278 wrote:

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Is the Seller still registered with eBay, do they have an active account, and are they still selling here?  

If yes, then I would call eBay and ask for Trust & Safety.  Trus & Safety may have a way to address a refund, but the main thing they need to do is assist to make sure the Seller is removed from eBay.

eBay needs to step-up to address Consumer Fraud.

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@greg5000  eBay won't do anything after this long. Period.

Fraud needs to be addressed when the buyer first gets the item, by calling Microsoft and verifying the software.

@cassie2nd I'm guessing the price on the software was low, and you thought you got an amazing deal?

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This particular issue is in a gray area, as the OP did verify the software code with the manufacturer (by activating it) and believed the software was perpetual/permanent.  They didn't find out until 1 year later that is was not, when the license expired. 

They trusted the seller and the seller sent something other than what was in their listing description.  Trust & Safety should get involved, to see if the seller is still here at eBay, and address this.  This is one of those "goodwill - do the right thing" types of customer satisfaction resolutions that keeps Customers here.

[te_1556]

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@andy-3278 wrote:

Fraud needs to be addressed when the buyer first gets the item, by calling Microsoft and verifying the software.

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The ball is almost over and you're about to start over with another throwaway, but: What's this got to do with Microsoft?

[cassie2nd]

Thank you all for the replies and suggestions!

I figured it was late for a refund.  But, I'd still like to, as has been suggested, have this looked into to make sure this person can't do this to anyone else.

It is an Adobe product, an old version of Photoshop.  We did register and activate it through Adobe and everything was fine.  There was no mention, at the time, of it being invalid or a "trial" code/version.

The message we received, after the one that asked us to re-enter it, is "The serial number you entered has been revoked. this product cannot be licensed."  There there was some little "blurb" about pirated software.

At the time the seller had a positive feedback of nearly 300 (over a period of a year), so I trusted he was "safe" to deal with.  The last feedback he received was nearly a year ago, apparently.  His name still comes up as registered with Ebay, though there's nothing listed for sale from him at this time.  So, maybe he got his money and left.. ::shrugs::

This is the first time this sort of thing has happened, as I'm a very "wary" shopper for this reason.

I'll try the "Trust and Safety" route and see what happens, I guess.

Thank you, again, for the replies!

-CMS

[myangelandmyprincess]

Did it actually said trial version ended?   In my experience trial period with software products are usually only a month.  Along with that I recently had bought a legitiment product that the license was only good for a year when that year was up it gave a message about unlicensed and pirated but I bought it straight from the source it was obviously just standard message given when a license ran out.  

[pburn]

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@cassie2nd wrote:

I'll try the "Trust and Safety" route and see what happens, I guess.

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Please come back and update this thread or start a new one and let us know what Trust & Safety has to say about your situation. It will be really helpful for both current and future posters to know whether Trust & Safety can provide any support or assistance with a software purchase that is a year old.

[cassie2nd]

Replying back, as requested. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't get any help from Ebay in any way, even through the "Trust and Safety", because it's been too long and the item I purchased doesn't show up in my orders any longer.  I also can't leave negative feedback on the guy because it's been too long and there's no item to click on to leave feedback for.

I kept getting clicked around in a circle that ended with Ebay not finding a recent purchase.  😕

So, I guess I'm just SoL, and money, on this purchase.  It's a real shame, since I'm usually very cautious and only purchase from people with at least 300 positive feedback and upper 90's percentile.  Apparently, that's no longer a trustworthy way to shop here. 

-CMS

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