Frustration With Posters Sometimes

[soh.maryl]

It can't be just me.  Buyer titles his post something about breaking Federal law.

He received an item that is apparently not as described, sounds like mainly the wrong size, although the item is so technical that I'm not sure.

Last sentence:  What can be done about this?

Wrote back in detail about opening a NAD case.  Several people came along and kudo'd my answer.

He returns and says something like" Thanks, but it would have better if you had answered my question.

 I thought I HAD answered his question.

Mulling this over, I think he wanted to be told that eBay would gather up a posse, they would ride to the seller's house after dark, take his dog and cat and burn down his home.  

And, before you reply that it could be an ESL issue, let me assure you that this is definitely an English-speaking person.  

[pburn · Accepted solution]

---

@soh.maryl wrote:

"Thanks, but it would have better if you had answered my question."

 I thought I HAD answered his question.

---

And, in hindsight, isn't there something deep down inside of you that wishes you hadn't answered his question?   

I would have been tempted to respond to his comment with, "You're welcome."

[glorytogod]

I feel your fustration, have gotten a few nastygrams as well.

[sunnysouth1]

@soh.maryl ,

As you know, this happens every day on the boards. It's a common occurrence and you just have to let it roll right off. I will admit that most of the time I do go back and let them have an earful though. 

You answer a lot of questions on the M2M board so it's bound to happen. Don't let it get to you.

[emerald1830]

Good thing we have some that are ESL speakers that are so appreciative of being told what they have to do to get their money back or return an item, etc..But some of the posters are just so hard to please...

I cannot remember that particular thread..Can you post a link?...

[pburn]

---

@emerald1830 wrote:

I cannot remember that particular thread..Can you post a link?...

---

@soh.maryl 

I would not post a link at this point. As I'm sure you'd agree, I would think it would easily be construed as "naming and shaming" to post a link that included your "offending" poster's member id. 

@emerald1830 

Discussing it here without naming the poster is acceptable; however, linking to a thread that identifies the poster would not be. It would be considered a violation of Rule #8 of the Community Guidelines.

[emerald1830]

@pburn  Yeah, I thought about that once I hot the submit button..lord knows I have received enough time-outs..

[eburtonlab]

Many posters come to the boards seeking help and answers to their questions, and if they are pointed in the right direction, most of those folks are quite appreciative.

Some posters, on the other hand, just want to vent about the latest setback they have encountered and how it is emblematic of all the undeserved suffering they have ever endured. Such posters will often become enraged if anyone dares to offer suggestions or help. Obviously any suggestion that such a poster do anything at all different is equivalent to saying the poster is at fault -- which we all know is the worst form of victim shaming -- particularly when the lousy victim-shamer offering phony "help" has a magic button on their desk that could fix everything forever and yet out of sheer spite THEY SIMPLY REFUSE TO PRESS THE BUTTON!!!1!!

The trick is to be able to tell the difference between the first kind of poster and the second kind. With skill and practice, eventually you can probably approach the accuracy of a coin flip. If you are lucky and also good at flipping coins.

Still, it is worth risking stepping on the rage landmine to try to help the folks that really need help.

[sierras1160]

I like to add that I enjoy seeing your posts on here. You are very helpful and informative in your comments. You are obviously very knowledgeable and experienced.

I think I saw that thread you're referring to. I remember thinking, "They did answer the question".

[soh.maryl]

Please do let me know when/if you have found a way to tell the difference between those two kinds of posts.

It is irritating when someone asks a question, a responder not only answers that question but gives an answer that encompasses just about every possibly variation of the question, using three paragraphs to do so and the OP comes back with, "But you did not answer my question."  

As I've mentioned previously, I have a granddaughter who works in one of the local schools as a Reading Comprehension Specialist (or a similar title).  There are apparently also adults who could use that kind of help. 

[soh.maryl]

Thank you for your kind words.  

[sierras1160]

You're welcome.

[eburtonlab]

Please do let me know when/if you have found a way to tell the difference between those two kinds of posts.

Unfortunately the only sure way to identify a buried landmine is to actually step on it. At which point your options are... limited.

Sometimes you can get a feeling for a poster when they mention or hint at government/laws/lawsuits/shadowy corporations/space aliens/vast forces arrayed against them. But on other occasions that might just be a sign of a user's frustration or odd sense of humor. And some posters will just provide the barest minimum of information from which to divine their issue and state of mind.

A poster on the Member-to-Member board left a one-line "how do I sign out of eBay" message. Thinking the poster might be stuck at a public terminal somewhere unsure what to do, I sent a quick message describing how to sign out of eBay, since I could not post a public followup on that board. The next day I received a note in reply: "Obviously I know how to sign out, moron. What I actually want to know is how to stay signed out and prevent my information from being remembered." So I composed a message about clearing credentials from a browser, but when I tried to send it I discovered that the poster had blocked me. It happens.

Another poster responded to one of my explanations about how search results counted multiple variation listings with: "You are wrong. I wish there was an unhelpful button."

And there was this recent exchange:

OP: Why doesn't the app have feature X?

Me: Here is how to find feature X in the settings [2 screenshots]

OP: Why are you telling me what to do? Why don't you just implement feature X like I asked?

Sometimes there is nothing else you can do but shake your head and move on to the next one.