Frustrated with APPEALS process as the BUYER on a mistakenly closed case

[closet*cash]

I bought a purse from a seller & BEFORE bidding, I explicitly asked about the strap condition & the seller assured me it was in good condition, no damage. Well, I receive it & there are at least 4 cracks in it not to mention other defects not mentioned/pictured in the listing.  I contacted the seller & asked how we could resolve it--I explicitly asked her NOT to DO anything until I opened a return request.  So, she offered a partial refund amount & went ahead & sent it before I could agree or open a return request.  I replied to her & discussed a higher partial refund which she agreed to & I said, hold on until I open the return request to formalize it.  I opened it & she sent me a "partial refund OFFER" of the incremental amount.  Less than 24 hours later, she escalated the case to ebay & the case was closed in HER favor saying I would not receive a refund because I already did.  Mind you--I had not accepted the incremental partial refund OFFER she sent. 

I immediately explained the situation to a CSR who clearly understood the situation & told me she was filing an appeal.  (I had already tried to look up how to appeal on the ebay site & just ended up in a circular loop with nowhere to actually enter information for an appeal.)  She said I should hear something in 24-48 hours. 

Didn't hear anything 5 days later, so called again. That agent said they would call the 1st agent & I should hear in 24-48 hours.  I got an email from ebay customer support that sounded like a canned generic response telling me they were sorry the case was closed, happy I received a partial refund & go deal with the seller if I now want to return it.  Clearly, no one read the details of the appeal I called in.

So, I called AGAIN & the CSR agent again clearly understood & agreed the ebay MBG was not followed & I should be able to return for a full refund.  She said I should hear back in 24-48 hours.

Meanwhile, I'm emailing back & forth with ebay customer support & each email response is more maddening than the last.  No one is reading anything I'm saying & one even said, "You have a good one!" after smugly telling me to deal with the seller to return the item.  Well, guess what? The seller is telling me to bug off because the case was decided in their favor!

All said, ebay mistakenly ruled in the seller's favor because she sent me a partial refund in the amount of her choosing without agreement from me, the buyer.  She escalated the case & it appears ebay ruled in her favor WITHOUT reviewing the actual amounts of the refund nor having agreement in an open claim from the buyer.  The case notes even clearly show there was no agreement on the partial refund amount (not to mention an open "partial refund offer" I never accepted).

At this point, I called AGAIN & spoke to another agent who said they would escalate the appeal to their supervisor & I should hear in 24-48 hours. I'm guessing I won't hear back again.  😞

Anyways, I believe my next step is to arbitrate this as outlined in the ebay user agreement because I'm getting the runaround from the sham "appeals" process.  How do you even PROVE your filing an appeal when there's no notifications & the email responses don't even acknowledge your appeal info?

SO--I'm posting this to see if anyone has experienced anything like this as a BUYER. OR, if anyone has had any success with the appeals process & can provide some guidance. 

Overall, it seems like ebay favors the buyer, but in this case, I received an INAD & provided plenty of pictures to prove it. The seller agreed to accept the return or a partial refund, but she was too impatient to wait for me to agree to the partial refund amount before escalating it & ebay agreed with her & ruled in her favor totally disregarding the MBG just because she sent me "something".  So, as a seller, this is a potential way to "game" the ebay system. Just send your buyer any partial refund ($1?) & ebay will rule in the seller's favor because they already received a partial refund!

Net net, I absolutely 100% want to return it now that the seller has been so impatient & unreasonable.

Any tips/pointers would help. 

[bonjourami]

I expect filing an appeal is going to do nothing for you. I wonder if you can file a snad case at Paypal for the rest of your refund? Might be worth a shot..if that doesnt work, and you paid by cc, try them for a chargeback..good luck.

[closet*cash]

Is it generally well-known that ebay appeals never work (they seem like a runaround so far)? Or, never work for the buyer? Honestly, I'm shocked that such a simple mistake couldn't be overturned & worked out since the seller was 100% willing to accept the return even after the case was closed (she messaged me as much), BUT of course, she felt no obligation to send me a return label (nor could she really) since ebay ruled in her favor.

Also, regarding a PP case. Do you know if I'm still eligible since I received a partial refund (even if it's in amount I didn't accept)?  I'll have to check PP eligibility details...have never filed a claim with them.

[morste_3351]

All the seller would have to do is show PayPal they did a partial refund and get the case closed

[closet*cash]

@morst3_3351 - Really? Paypal wouldn't consider the fact that the seller decided the partial refund amount themself with no acceptance by the buyer?

If so, seems like an iron-clad way for sellers to win both ebay & PP cases! 

[morste_3351]

Really

[stephenmorgan]

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@closet*cash wrote:

Anyways, I believe my next step is to arbitrate this as outlined in the ebay user agreement because I'm getting the runaround from the sham "appeals" process.  How do you even PROVE your filing an appeal when there's no notifications & the email responses don't even acknowledge your appeal info?

Any tips/pointers would help. 

---

If you follow eBay procedures for a Arbitration Hearing, eBay will pay for the cost of the Hearing.

You want to know how you would file a appeal when you have not been notified of a decision because you did not file a claim?  Is this what you are asking?  I am sorry if I am misunderstanding you question.

I think this is the decision that you would be appealing.

" I got an email from ebay customer support that sounded like a canned generic response telling me they were sorry the case was closed, happy I received a partial refund & go deal with the seller if I now want to return it."

If you follow thru with the Arbitration Hearing procedures, I suspect once eBay receives their notification from you, someone of meaningful authority will review your appeal.  If they can, they will grant your claim.  If not, then you proceed with the Hearing.

Your claim sounds simple enough. 

You were not happy with your purchase and in leu of returning the item for a full refund the seller discussed a partial refund.  You did not agree to a specific amount and only had a  discussion about an acceptable refund amount.  Buyer gave you a partial refund that you did not agree to nor accept and now eBay has closed the claim.

Sounds like you should have been able to get this worked out with the phone calls you made.

[zoin3580_cdcqgfel]

I bought 3 items from a seller and my package never arrived. So I contact the seller, the seller tried to "stole" time so I couldn't ask for a refund through ebay. I open a case just in time, and the seller refunds for 1 item instead of 3! Next thing I see is that "case is closed" and I can't open it again or do something for the other 2 items I paid and didn't receive!

Then I contact paypal, explained the situation, showed the transactions where it was clear that I got 1/3 of my money, they contact the seller, search my case and they made the seller to refund the rest.

So go with paypal.

Good luck.

[ise710]

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@morste_3351 wrote:

All the seller would have to do is show PayPal they did a partial refund and get the case closed

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False, one or more preceding partial refunds have no bearing on a not as described dispute. It matters not if the refunds are for postage overage, dissatisfaction, a bribe, etc.

To help pay for return shipping, @closet*cash can first activate Return Shipping on Us at PayPal.

Then file the not as described dispute here

and request that additional partial refund in lieu of a return.

[closet*cash]

The appeal I'm talking about is after ebay closed the case.  In the User Agreement, it states either buyer or seller can "appeal" the closed case decision, but there's nowhere to do it on the ebay site & after talking to 3 CSR agents (one in Dublin, one in Philippines & one in Columbia) specifically about an appeal---I never get a response that even references the details of my appeal.  Basically, I get canned emails from ebay customer support that sound like they haven't read any of the appeals (which is a shame since the CSRs I spoke to all seem to put such dedication into typing up the appeal & summarizing it to me on the phone.  They truly & honestly get it & give you hope (false?) that someone will actually be reviewing it.

Anyways, since there's no formal "appeal" on the ebay site (to write it up, attach documents, etc)--I've worked with the phone appeal method (3X) & also explained my case to at least 3 agents by email on the customer support team to no avail. 

I was just asking if anyone knows how to file a formal appeal on the ebay site OR if phoning it in is really the way to "appeal".  Long story short--has anyone filed an appeal as a buyer? or even seller at this point that was successfully reviewed & a decision made (other than to tell you to deal with your seller/buyer???)

Appreciate the summary--I may use it for notice of dispute I have to send to kick off arbitration!  Agree--this is such a simple mistake, shocking that TEN ebay employees could not help rectify it. 

[closet*cash]

Wow, this is super helpful, thanks!!! 

I didn't know PP covered return shipping like the MBG. So, since ebay has closed the case on me (in seller's favor)--am I still eligible for PP purchase protection or will they see that ebay has ruled against me (wrongly as it were)? 

This seller could've just sent me the remaining incremental refund, but once ebay ruled against me, she's gotten quite bold about not having any obligation to deal with me anymore & "take it up with ebay".  It would be good to know that I have recourse with PP if I keep going round & round with ebay.