eBay Customer Service is No Help with Feedback Problem

[lu12-deals]

Background:

We have a buyer who demanded a full refund last month without returning an item. We tell them, whether or not she physically returns the item, please start a return. In her reply, she's adamant she won't mail the item back, demands her money refunded, then says "Do you want a bad review?"

This reads like Feedback Extortion to me! At this point, we don't have a return request yet and we also don't yet have feedback from this customer. So, I follow-up with eBay for Business on Facebook: how should i proceed on this? isn't this extortion?

eBfB agrees, yes this certainly qualifies as Feedback Extortion and I should immediately file a 'Request to Remove Feedback' if the customer leaves a negative. 

The customer left a negative this week and our removal request was denied! eBfB said they'd resubmit the request but it's been a couple of days, and we've heard nothing. I can't get past the AI on Help & Contact about this, but I do have the option to email customer service. I've tried emailing twice, simply asking for an explanation of how this buyer could be considered to not be committing Feedback Extortion. All I get in reply is a canned response, telling me to try resolving the issue with buyer. The verbiage is exactly the same in both replies. 

This is horrible customer service. It's really not service by any stretch. How does eBay think they're helping you by telling you to do stuff you're already done? 

[klhmdg]

I would reach back out to eBay for Business FB.

BUT eBay has this "new" thing where they are not removing FB even if it goes against policy.

[slati_2013]

Bad buyer. leaves a negative over a $4 item? I have noticed that buyers buying cheap items seem to leave the most negatives. Maybe they assume sellers won't put up a fight over a few dollars. If they do this enough times, they can get lots of stuff for free.

Yes, you were right. Return for a full refund. The feedback should be removed and the buyer banned in a just world, but this is eBay. 

[ckimodog]

@lu12-deals 

Sorry for your situation.  As others have posted here on this forum, eBay customer service is poor at best.  They are outsourced overseas agents who read from scripts.  Most of the time the info they provide is either incorrect or completely false.

You may be better served by reaching out on social media via FB:

 https://www.facebook.com/ebayForBusiness/

These US CS agents who are employed by eBay and been known to be very helpful.  Many positive posts on this forum concerning a positive outcome.  Reach out to them today and let them know your issue. 

Good luck to you!

[lu12-deals]

Thanks for the tip on Ebay for Business on FB. Yes, I've talked to them about this twice.  

What really gets me about this is that if I had refunded the buyer without a return simply because she threatened to leave a bad review, then we would have been in violation of eBay policy. Sellers are not supposed to offer refunds in exchange for feedback consideration. 

[ckimodog]

@lu12-deals 

You can report this buyer thru this link:

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/rules-policies-buyers/abusive-buyer-policy?id=4374&st=3&pos=3&que...

Do it.  No one here should never have to be threatened or abused.  

[buyselljack2016]

if I had refunded the buyer without a return simply because she threatened to leave a bad review, then we would have been in violation of eBay policy. 

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I find that to be a bit of a twist, and stretch 

You would not be "in violation"

[albertabrightalberta]

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@lu12-deals wrote:

What really gets me about this is that if I had refunded the buyer without a return simply because she threatened to leave a bad review, then we would have been in violation of eBay policy. Sellers are not supposed to offer refunds in exchange for feedback consideration. 

---

Nope, not quite! 

What would have been a violation would be if you'd offered the buyer a refund in exchange for a feedback revision. 

[lu12-deals]

Per https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/feedback-policies/feedback-extortion-policy?id=4230&st=3&pos=1&qu...

Sellers aren't allowed to:

• Offer refunds or other monetary compensation, or additional items or services that weren't part of the original listing, in exchange for buyers leaving specific feedback or revising negative or neutral feedback

Doesn't sound like a stretch to me.

[lu12-deals]

See my post above:

The policy specifically says

" in exchange for buyers leaving specific feedback " OR for revising feedback, as you mentioned.

[mordecai8614]

Offer refunds or other monetary compensation, or additional items or services that weren't part of the original listing, in exchange for buyers leaving specific feedback or revising negative or neutral feedback

The key word there is "offer". You didn't offer, they did. eBay is looking at who initiated. They're looking at the predator, not the prey

[inhawaii]

"I offer free returns. Buyer upset because I require you return the item in order to received a refund. You can't keep the item AND  received a refund."

[chapeau-noir]

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@inhawaii wrote:

"I offer free returns. Buyer upset because I require you return the item in order to received a refund. You can't keep the item AND  received a refund."

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Perfect response if they leave a negative. Do NOT let them bully you. 

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@lu12-deals wrote:

See my post above:

The policy specifically says

" in exchange for buyers leaving specific feedback " OR for revising feedback, as you mentioned.

---

The feedback you left is this:

”Buyer wanted to be refunded without returning the item. We have free returns for any reason and the customer was encouraged more than once to simply initiate a return. The buyer never started a return. It is also against policy on this platform for sellers to refund money if buyers threaten a bad review via messaging.”  

(I bolded the above.) This last statement in your feedback left response is incorrect. (Just let me say that no one wants to be mistaken or told their interpretation is wrong, so please forgive me for correcting your assertion. I do not want others to follow this lead.)

It is NOT a violation for a seller to refund when a buyer threatens extortion. It is only a violation if a seller promises a refund if  the buyer will revise their feedback left. If there is negotiation, then one might be able to argue your point, but if there was none on the seller’s part, then no blame. You could have safely refunded if you chose to.

eBay is not going to punish a seller even for caving to a buyer’s demands. The point is that a seller would have to instigate the matter, or do a quid pro quo, for a violation or culpability to exist.