Negative Feedback

[mwtt6]

I think it is wrong that a customer can provide negative feedback BEFORE contacting seller and asking for a refund.

Can it be changed to where the buyer has to ask for a refund before being allowed to post feedback? I will always refund rather than get negative feedback and I think most sellers feel the same.

[rfmtm]

Best you can do now is refund, then apologize and reassure the buyer that the item did work before shipping and possibly was dropped causing unseen damaged in shipping.   Give them a couple of days to cool down, and then ask if they would consider revising their feedback, as you would never have intentionally shipped a non-working item, and that feedback is very important to your account.  Only if they agree, send them a Feedback Revision Request.

[soh.maryl]

This is just my personal opinion:  We see posts here sometimes where the buyer DID contact the seller, only to be met with arguments or stalling tactics, trying to get the buyer to wait too long to open a case with eBay.  Once that has happened to you as a buyer, you are understandably leery of going the "contact the seller" route.  

[mwtt6]

 I wish they buyer had contacted me first. I'd much rather refund than deal with negative feedback.

[fern*wood]

It's a shame the buyer threw their money away instead of reading the money back guarantee.  I have to wonder if they read somewhere that giving negative feedback is the best way to get a refund.  I don't want to encourage that.