Seller not sending agreed refund

[wastedanyway]

I bought an item that broke on first use. I contacted the seller who at first offered a discount and did not require the item to be returned. I declined, advising that the item was unsafe to use and if I got a full refund I would not leave negative feedback. The seller eventually agreed to a refund but asked for positive feedback In return. I did this for them and the seller has now not responded to my  Last 2 messages. They first tried to suggest that there might be something wrong with my PayPal account and then nothing. What are my next steps?

[mtgraves7984]

You need to open a claim for 'Item Not as Described'. The seller will approve the return and you will get a refund when the seller receives the item. You are covered by eBay's Money Back Guarantee... no worries!

Too bad you left good feedback... you can't change it now. But, no worries!

[klickonline]

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@wastedanyway wrote:

I declined, advising that the item was unsafe to use and if I got a full refund I would not leave negative feedback.

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Unless things have changed (maybe they have), what you did was against Ebay policy and you have to be careful.  You can't threaten negative feedback if a seller doesn't do something.    The seller would be able to easily get the negative feedback removed in those cases by showing Ebay your messages.

As someone else said, open a return for Item Not As Described.    Just simply state "Item is broken" - don't get into a bunch of details like what is said in your message here.    Just use those 3 words and that's it.   It should be all taken care of from there.

[wastedanyway]

Thanks for replying. I’ve followed that up and put in a claim. I left the feedback on the back of the seller not being difficult at the time and appearing to be helpful. Lesson learned I suppose. 

[wastedanyway]

Thanks for replying. I’d have thought that any negative feedback I left would have been justified but I will take that advice on in future, thanks. 
I’ve put in a claim As suggested anyway. I thought I’d give the seller the opportunity without going through official channels as they did seem helpful at first. 

[7606dennis]

Did you request a return for a not as described reason which would open a dispute?  If so, the seller has to pay the return shipping if they want the item returned.  However, the procedure allows to seller to offer a partial refund which they did and you refused.  In that case, the seller should have sent a return label for you to return the entire purchase for a refund.  Of course, the return request would have had to be filed within the 30 day time limit of the MBG.

I'm not sure if the item breaking upon the first use qualifies as arriving not as described but that is something for eBay to decide if the seller decides to dispute the claim.  You will need to escalate the claim.

Your comment about not leaving negative feedback if you received a  full refund would, as I see it, be a case of blatant feedback extortion and put your case in jeopardy.    Feedback extortion is a policy violation, if memory serves, and could have consequences to you.

[wastedanyway]

A rookie mistake on my part which I accept. The seller not wanting the item returned suggests to me that they know it is not fit for purpose so I’d be very disappointed if I lost my money because of a silly mistake.
I have requested a return based on a faulty good. I contacted the seller First to resolve as numerous selling sites advise doing this and it appeared to be working. Whatever happens here, lessons have been learned.

[fern*wood]

There is nothing wrong with trying to work things out with a seller prior to opening a case, but just stick to the problem without bringing in threats.   Both you and the seller are guilty of playing games with feedback.   Just use the process provided by ebay if you have a problem and the seller won't fix it to your satisfaction.

[00pothole]

The additional trouble is "too bad" that feedback cannot be withdrawn, optionally, after the feedback is given by the buyer.  As there are sellers who choose to not later give feedback to buyers who rather pay very quick.  Some have an addition of paying their invoices too  quick.  As these types don't get the correct attention.

[7606dennis]

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@wastedanyway wrote:
A rookie mistake on my part which I accept. The seller not wanting the item returned suggests to me that they know it is not fit for purpose so I’d be very disappointed if I lost my money because of a silly mistake.
I have requested a return based on a faulty good. I contacted the seller First to resolve as numerous selling sites advise doing this and it appeared to be working. Whatever happens here, lessons have been learned.

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I'm not sure that your assumption that the seller knew or believes that the goods aren't suitable for their intended purpose.  By offering a partial they were probably merely hoping to salvage part of money you had paid.  However, since you didn't accept that, if you filed the return request using the proper reason, they would have had to pay the return shipping.  For lower value items some sellers would rather simply refund and write off the loss rather incur the cost of the return.  Of course, not following the correct procedure makes that a moot point.

However, if you paid with PayPal you may still be able to return the item for a refund although you will have to pay the return shipping yourself. 

[7606dennis]

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@00pothole wrote:

The additional trouble is "too bad" that feedback cannot be withdrawn, optionally, after the feedback is given by the buyer.  As there are sellers who choose to not later give feedback to buyers who rather pay very quick.  Some have an addition of paying their invoices too  quick.  As these types don't get the correct attention.

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Actually, the trouble is not with the OP leaving negative feedback for the seller, but rather threatening to do it unless the seller complied with what they wanted.  That comes under feedback extortion and violates eBay's feedback policy.  When communicating with a seller, especially when engaged in a dispute, it is not wise to even mention feedback at all.