Received Spiteful Revenge Feedback But We Don't Know Why

[thenewhopeworldbazaar]

Hello, we were hoping that someone here could offer some guidance.  We are a very young account and work very hard on sourcing items, writing great descriptions and fulfilling our orders.  So far we have received glowing reviews and our account has done very well.  Recently we received our first negative feedback.  The buyer wrote the word "DAMAGED" in all caps.  When we saw which buyer it was and the item they were offering feedback on it was a little confusing.  The item was a Norman Rockwell print rendered upon a piece of solid wood.  The item was packed better than an Egyptian mummy and got to the buyer quickly.  We were skeptical from the start about the item being damaged.  We have shipped many delicate items and this was not one of them.  The buyer never reached out to us, never asked for a refund and never opened a case.  So, we reached out to the buyer to ask in what manner the item was damaged.  We knew that if it was damaged it would have been damaged in transit.

When the buyer responded they said they left us a negative feedback for an item that we allegedly shipped to her niece some time ago.  But she did not identify her niece and described the item as a framed glass piece.  We have shipped many framed glass pieces as of late and have not idea who this person's niece is.

So from where we are sitting it appears that this person purchased and item from us which arrived in perfect condition then left us a negative review on the behalf of someone else who allegedly received a damaged item from us and whose identity and item we cannot confirm.  Looking at the "DAMAGED" in all caps now felt extremely personal and vindictive.  

This individual bought something from us just to leave a negative review.  We feel that this is grossly inappropriate as there is plenty of recourse for the buyer.  We offer free returns and in each and every listing we welcome buyers to reach out to us.  We don't understand why the person who allegedly received a damaged item from us never reached out or left their own feedback.  

This comes at a bad time as it is difficult for us to source new items right now.  We had 31 very nice reviews and now this one is a big stain at the top.  Being that we are a young account, by percentage the has knocked us down from 100% to 96.9%.  It is so ugly to look at that number as it does not reflect the work we have done.  We don't know who this person is, who their niece is or what item they are talking about and thus far the buyer has not responded with that information.  We never received any message about a damaged item.

We feel this is extremely inappropriate.  We even have correspondence from the buyer stating that the review she left is not even for an item she received.  We would like to have this review removed but we are not sure of the steps to take.  After reading through the forum a bit it seems that Ebay is not very willing to remove a negative mark for any reason.  We feel that if there is a good case to do so this would be it.

This person literally bought an item from us out of spite just to leave a bad review.  We can't even confirm that her reason for doing so is true.  Her review, as it stands is a lie.  Please help if you can.  Thanks.

NewHopeSue

[redboop2012]

Hi Call eBay and explain the situation and ask them to remove the negative feedback.

[sunnysouth1]

Contact eBay and explain what happened and ask the rep to read the buyer's message to you. They should remove the feedback and the negative rating.

Add this buyer to your blocked list so they don't come back.

Blocked bidder/buyer link:
http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?bidderblocklogin

Set your buyer requirements:
Go to your My eBay > Account tab > Site Preferences > Selling Preferences > Buyer requirements and block buyers who:

Have received 2 Unpaid Item strike(s) within 12 Month(s)
Have a primary shipping address in a location I don't ship to
Have a feedback score of -1 or lower
Check the box to block members on your blocked list from contacting you.

[southern*sweet*tea]

You have the messages from the buyer. Contact Ebay via email, Facebook or Twitter. Have them read the buyer messages. Reference the feedback manipulation  policy:

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/feedback-policies/feedback-manipulation-policy?id=4231

"Feedback manipulation, which is any attempt to artificially increase your feedback score or lower another member's, is not allowed."

Have them remove the feedback.

[thenewhopeworldbazaar]

Thanks, I appreciate that last line about advice:)

[thenewhopeworldbazaar]

Thank you very much. We will follow these steps.

[thenewhopeworldbazaar]

We will. Thank you for your response.

[sunnysouth1]

@thenewhopeworldbazaar 

You are welcome.

[southern*sweet*tea]

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@thenewhopeworldbazaar wrote:
Thanks, I appreciate that last line about advice:)

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lol thanks, that's my signature line 😁

[dhbookds]

I don't understand.........she bought something for the niece and it was broken......so instead of leaving feed back for it, she bought something else for $40 so she could leave bad feedback for the lst item? 

Was the lst piece bought on another site? 

[thenewhopeworldbazaar]

No, we are not currently selling on another site. She didn't buy something for her niece. She says her niece bought something from us and that it was damaged. We don't know who her niece is or which item is being referenced. The "niece" in question never contacted us in any way and we don't even know it the story is true. She did buy an item from us for $40 with the explicit intent of leaving us a bad review. When we inquired about the "damage" which we assumed was for the item she purchased, she then told us that the negative review was not for her item but for the item that we allegedly sent to her niece. So in short, she says her niece bought an item that was damaged upon arrival. The "niece" never contacted us or left any review (again, we don't know who the niece is or the specific item being referenced). She then bought an item from us just to leave a bad review on behalf of her niece. It's just so weird.

[krazzykats]

Buy some cheap stuff, and push the feedback down, or even off the page.

[rdjsystemservices]

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@krazzykats wrote:

Buy some cheap stuff, and push the feedback down, or even off the page.

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This doesn't work. When a buyer clicks on your feedback they are immediately taken to the "Feedback received as a seller" tab.  So feedback obtained as the buyer won't push that down.

Edited to add: They are better off replying to the feedback left for them so that future buyers know that they are always willing to help. Something like: "Always happy to help a buyer with an issue if we are contacted."

[krazzykats]

When a buyer clicks on your feedback they are immediately taken to the "All Feedback Received " tab. Yes, it will push it down.

[luckythewinner]

Never forget that eBay is a business. Every second you waste getting emotionally involved in a transaction is a second of your life you will never get back.