EBAY'S TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE

[4mersunse]

Hello all,

This is the text of a message I sent to a mentor:

I mistakenly sent the wrong album to a customer.  On my instructions, the customer requested a return shipping label.  I received the item and then shipped the correct album to the customer, updating his purchase with an additional tracking number, and sending the tracking number to him via the eBay message service.

NOW, eBay wants me to give the customer a refund, and will probably issue a refund to the customer when I don't move on their request. 

How do I stop this?

I sent a reply to the Email address on the Email from eBay advising me of the refund.  No one appears to be watching the store; I did not receive a refund.

Is anybody at eBay watching the store?  I am increasingly frustrated with eBay and its help, which from where I sit is non-existent.

Any help is very much appreciated.

I did not receive a reply.  I did not get an answer I didn't like; I just didn't get an answer.  That's not the first time either.  I am sooooo Frustrated with eBay customer service!  It's non-existent.

I can't seem to get anyone's attention.  There is nobody watching the store.

I have had two issues in the past few months; and, I have gotten no reply from eBay.  I'm about to be screwed out of a payment a second time because of the eBay system and lake of oversight by eBay.

Do they monitor an Email address? [The chat service is useless!]

Do they have a phone number?

Is anyone watching the store?

[wastingtime101]

Dude, no need to yell at us. This isn't eBay CS, it's other sellers volunteering their time to help you.

The system is automated and the bots will force the refund unless you can get the buyer to close out the return request. Have you asked the buyer to close out the request yet @4mersunse?

Unless you change your return settings to offer exchanges which would apply to future transactions, then the way to handle a situation like this without the system taking over is to do a straight up return for refund, then have the buyer re-purchase the correct item.

When a buyer contacts you through messaging you can do things "off the books" the way you did. But when the buyer files a formal return request the system is automated. CS won't close out the return because the buyer has to do it.

Ask the buyer to close out the return request or ask the buyer to re-pay once the refund is issued. You can relist the item and once the buyer purchases it just upload the tracking number that was on the replacement package.

FYI: If the system forces the refund instead of you volunteering it (or getting the return closed first) then you'll get an unresolved case defect and your fees won't be credited.

[lacemaker3]

The Mentor board is not eBay customer service. It's just volunteer responders, but only approved responders can reply there, and it appears that some questions there are not being answered nowadays.

You can just ask here, and you will be able to get answers. There are lots of responders here that know just as much, and may be more helpful. You can be pretty sure you'll get answers. Unfortunately, you may not like some of the answers (partly because not being employees, we don't have to accept being yelled at).

I'll start the answers:

It sounds like there is a return request case open, since eBay is expecting you to refund the buyer. When the case was opened, did the buyer request a refund or a replacement? If they asked for a refund, then that could be the issue. I'm not sure if eBay will support you  if you don't send a refund if that's what the buyer asked for when they returned it.

However, since you sent a replacement, you need to go to the case and make sure that the tracking number for the replacement shipment is attached to the case. Maybe also take a screenshot of the delivery scan on the replacement shipment, and add that picture too. Add a note saying that you have sent the buyer a replacement item.

Once you have done that, contact eBay customer service by asking them to call you, then ask them to review the case and close it because you have sent a replacement item. Hopefully, they will be able to sort this out, as long as the buyer is happy with the replacement.