talkmagic.co.uk

I've bought loads of stuff on eBay and never had any problems - until now. I used "Buy It Now" on an item and PayPal'd the money over. Delivery was meant to be "within a few days". It's now three weeks later, no item and I'm not getting replies to my emails. The guys got loads of good feedback but does that count for anything?

Is it time to complain direct to eBay and will that do any good?

TheStoner wrote:Is it time to complain direct to eBay and will that do any good?

Yes, and yes it will.

File a non-delivery claim via PayPal. You will definitely get your money back unless the seller can provide proof of postage. Has to be within 60 days of payment, but you're ok currently.

One scam I've been aware of is when the seller will constantly come up with feasible excuses why the delivery is being delayed and be very apologetic about it. Of course, if they can string you along until the 60 days is up they're then in the clear and there's nothing you can do.

However, if you're getting no reply from the seller at all then the non-delivery route is where you should be clicking.

queen of clubs wrote:One scam I've been aware of is when the seller will constantly come up with feasible excuses why the delivery is being delayed and be very apologetic about it. Of course, if they can string you along until the 60 days is up they're then in the clear and there's nothing you can do.

That's what seems to be happening. If I complain can he then give me bad feedback? I've got a 100% rating at the moment and don't want some rip-off merchant damaging this because I've complained about him to eBay and PayPal. Can eBay remove unfair negative feedback in these circumstances?

I don't think he can give you bad feedback if you complain, I've got an idea that they've changed the rules to stop that.

You can get hold of a phone number from ebay for him, I did this a while back when I bought something. I phoned his home number and got his wife. Apparently he'd been rushed into hospital with a heart problem, a couple of weeks later when I was out I recieved what I'd bought no problem.

It's worth getting hold a contact number and trying that first because you don't know if something's happened.

TheStoner wrote:Can eBay remove unfair negative feedback in these circumstances?

Yes they can.

I filmed a segment for Watchdog just before Christmas about another scam that's becoming increasingly prevalent. Unfortunately, the MD of Amazon UK agreed to have his achievements belittled live on air on the day of transmission, so half a day filming was wasted. However, here's the scam. It comes in two flavours:

#1 Someone contacts you expressing interest in your item. you then get a email explaining that the transaction wouldn't go through and could you contact the site by clicking on the link. You do so and get your credentials stolen by a phishing site. Chummy logs into your account, changes your password to lock you out and trades fraudulently on your 100% reputation until someone complains that the goods never turn up. NEVER click on a link in an email - only use your browser bookmarks.

#2 Someone offers a serious discount on high tech gear (flatscreen TVs and cameras are popular). You send the money but the transaction is cancelled by the seller. He then sends an email saying that there's a problem at his end and will you send the money by wire transfer. This is outside the protection of the site's payment system. He disappears with your cash. ALWAYS use PayPal.

They're horrible, those scams aren't they?

I'm usually really careful when it comes to anything on the internet but I got caught out with a fake email from PayPal once. I was very lucky that Dave spotted the email in our inbox and mentioned it to me. A paniced me quickly logged into PayPal and changed the password before anything happened.

It really did look like a genuine email and I didn't think twice about clicking on the link and popping my details into the webpage that it sent me to.

Lady of Mystery wrote:They're horrible, those scams aren't they?

I'm usually really careful when it comes to anything on the internet but I got caught out with a fake email from PayPal once. I was very lucky that Dave spotted the email in our inbox and mentioned it to me. A paniced me quickly logged into PayPal and changed the password before anything happened.

It really did look like a genuine email and I didn't think twice about clicking on the link and popping my details into the webpage that it sent me to.

That's a very good reason to turn off HTML in email. You can see the link is a fake one immediately.

I think all paypal emails contain your full name and username in your emails, so that you know for certain it's them. Sadly, banks aren't that smart and don't do things like that

AFAIK, sellers can't leave negative feedback for buyers any more - even if the buyer has been a crook. Only buyers are allowed to leave a negative.

Pete

Lady of Mystery wrote:They're horrible, those scams aren't they?

I'm usually really careful when it comes to anything on the internet but I got caught out with a fake email from PayPal once. I was very lucky that Dave spotted the email in our inbox and mentioned it to me. A paniced me quickly logged into PayPal and changed the password before anything happened.

It really did look like a genuine email and I didn't think twice about clicking on the link and popping my details into the webpage that it sent me to.

No matter how genuine-looking, NEVER click on links asking for personal or security details in an email. Then you can't go wrong.

Lesson's well and truely learnt, Replicant. I've been on the wrong end of a couple of credit card scams. Now I'm very careful, never use a debit card online and alway go through my statements with a fine tooth comb every month to check for anything that doesn't look right.