Need Some Pay Pal Advice

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 7:58pm

I haven't had much experience with Ebay or Pay Pal. I recently ordered a 30G video iPod off of eBay. Big mistake! I got the iPod and found out it has a failed hard drive. I filed a dispute with Pay Pal. It's only been 3 days, so I decided not to file a claim with Pay Pal...yet.

I'm just wondering if anyone has had any experiences with filing claims with Pay Pal. How likely is it that you can get all of your money back? I obviously have good reasons...this product is completely useless. How does Pay Pal go about in deciding who gets what? Anything would be helpful!

P.S. Also, should I file a claim if I hadn't heard anything by the end of the week? I know this is an online business and they probably get tons of emails, but 1 week should be a sufficient amount of time. They seem to be poor communicators (I have seen other people's comments about this, plus they didn't reply to a question I asked after I ordered the iPod).

I made a big mistake...don't buy on impulse! Now I miss my iPod.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 8:22pm

"I filed a dispute with Pay Pal. It's only been 3 days, so I decided not to file a claim with Pay Pal...yet."

Huh?

[Fabrizio2]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 8:25pm

PayPal doesn't do ANYTHING I once had my Paypal account hacked through email phishing and all they did was send me emails about how to prevent it after I lost more than one hundred dollars off of my photography sales.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 8:32pm

I'm sorry...try this again. You bought something, and after three days want to call paypal?

Are you saying that who you bought it from has not contacted you in three days? What is their EBAY rating? If good, it probably means like you say it's too soon, but then you mention a week.

So, I don't understand what youa re saying

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 9:51pm

TheatreDiva: You file disputes/claims when there is a problem with your transaction or the item that was sold to you was not what you expected. A dispute and claim are different. A dispute is when you contact the seller and PayPal is able to see these messages, but it is up to you and the seller to come up with a resolution. If you can't agree to anything, you escalate it to a claim, which is when PayPal decides what happens with the transaction. I filed a dispute 3 days ago (5/13), and I said I haven't filed a claim "yet" because I want to see if the seller responds, but given their poor communication record, I doubt they're going to respond. Read below to see about when I ordered it.

Elphaba: I bought an iPod in late April/early May. I received it in about a week, but because I was in school, I waited about two weeks to actually get it into my hands. I brought it to an Apple store on Sunday (5/13) because it wasn't connecting to my computer, and they told me it had a failed hard drive. On 5/13, I filed the dispute. Since then, the Ebay store hasn't responded to my dispute. I mentioned that it had only been 3 days since I filed this dispute...and I still have yet to hear from the store. I don't know what to think of it, especially since a lot of comments from other Ebayers to this seller have complained about "poor communication." They're rating is above 95%. Good rating, but seems to have poor communication skills.

Updated On: 5/16/07 at 09:51 PM

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 10:37pm

Go back and read the original auction. You can only complain if the item was not completely represented truthfully. I bought a camera on ebay, I think for about $100. When I received it, it did not work. Even with batteries. DEAD.

I couldn't file a claim or dispute because nowhere in the description was it mentioned that it worked!

go figure.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 10:45pm

Luckily the description said "perfect working order" and "perfect condition." From my understanding, "perfect," though it may not mean absolutely brand new, means that, at the least, it should work without problems. A failed hard drive isn't perfect.

ETA: It also had scratches. That was the least of my worries, but I added it into my message.

Updated On: 5/17/07 at 10:45 PM

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 11:04pm

Well, that's good for you- I think you have a case.

I almost forgot how paypal screwed me. I bought another camera, this time from a website which was hosted by yahoo.com. $184. Long story short-this was a bogus company. didn't exist. Took my money and ran. Paypal mediated and decided in my favor that this was a bogus company.

Paypal didn't give me a cent! Their comment was-"if they try to do business with us again, we'll warn them."

[avab802]

Posted: 5/17/07 at 12:44pm

Yeah, PayPal is pretty useless. I filed a dispute with them not too long ago because a mailing label I generated and then canceled was (according to the USPS tracking website) accepted in Lake Geneva, WI. I live in NYC. I've never even been to WI. I filed a claim with PayPal saying my account was breached and their "resolution" was that they have no proof that my account was compromised. GRR! I'm not out a lot of money, but still.

Did you pay with a credit card through PayPal? If so you may have better luck filing a claim with the credit card company directly instead of with PayPal. Good luck, I hope you get your money back!

[lildogs]

Posted: 5/17/07 at 12:57pm

I've bought alot fo stuff from ebay and though I've never had a PayPal issue, I was cheated on something I purchased with a personal check that I never received--ebay offered to pay a portion of my purchase price but it was such a small amount, it really wasn't worth the effort. It's a risk that ebay!

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/17/07 at 1:08pm

Yes, unfortunately it IS a risk! Now I try to buy as little as possible from them.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 5/17/07 at 4:06pm

millie, are you saying you filed a dispute without trying to even rectify the situation with the seller?

Or did you contact the seller first, and nothing came of it.

Rulle number one on my ebay auctions, you have a set time to return things. Most people don't wait to look at/use the items they have purchased. Now I am not saying because you did it's your fault, but if they state in the auction you have say, two weeks to return a defective item, then they are off the hook.

I am confused by how it sounds like you didn't contact the seller, but rather just filed a complaint.
I am hoping I am wrong.

As an EBAY seller myself, if someone got something bad from me, and didn't let me know, and rather set the dogs after me, I'd be pretty pissed.

But maybe I am misunderstanding you?

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 5/17/07 at 5:23pm

They have poor communication.

After I made a bid, I asked them a question about the product. They never got back to me.

They still haven't gotten back to me when I filed the dispute. I didn't file a claim yet.

"Even if you've already emailed the seller you should still use the dispute resolution process because doing so ensures that your communication with the seller will be visible to PayPal if the dispute is escalated to a claim. Also, it increases the likelihood that the seller will take your concerns seriously and respond thoughtfully."

Updated On: 5/17/07 at 05:23 PM

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 5/17/07 at 5:24pm

P.S. Filing a dispute IS contacting the seller, according to Pay Pal.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 5/17/07 at 9:17pm

well, I've been selling for 10 years, and it's always best to try to settle with the seller first.....EBAY has that written all over.

As a seller I would be extremely upset if the buyer did not contact me and give me the opportunity to make things right. As I would have NO idea there was a problem.
That just isn't fair. Poor communication is also NOT contacting the seller and giving them that opportunity. That just isn't right, just my honest opinion.

You have to give someone the opportunity to make it right.