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blog Negative Feedback |
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I needed a new head
gasket set for my Mk1 Golf. Where could I get one with the least amount of faff? I am at work all week so driving to GSF or Euro Car
Parts takes up valuable weekend time, a quick look on fleabay
and there was one for sale for a mere £6.58 (plus the obligatory rip off
£4.99 postage charge of course). Fair enough I thought so, noting the
seller’s strange reluctance to take Paypal, I sent
off my cheque for £11.57. A week or so
later the package arrived in the post so I put it to one side to fit at the
weekend, all was well. Until the weekend came and I opened it. Useless tat
probably sums it up, the package had been opened and everything but the head
gasket and rocker cork gasket had been removed and the head gasket itself
looked in worse condition that the one I was taking off the car. Bollocks –
now I had to make a special trip to GSF anyway and buy a proper one, serves
me right for trying to save a few quid. I emailed the
seller (a certain Adrian Rice then trading as ‘ClassicRemains’,
now trading as ‘lordbrettsinclair123’)
and he said to return the item for refund. So I have to re-package it up and
drive to the post office to post it off – oh well, these things happen.
Postage was £1.80, not sure where the £4.99 came from… Then it starts
getting annoying. A cheque arrives back in the post for £6.58. WHAT? So this
joker expects me to pay for his ‘post and packing’ plus my return postage for
him sending me complete junk? That’s more than the item cost in the first
place! I don’t think so. Now I have to send the cheque back to him with a
covering letter asking for a proper refund, more faff.
Then – nothing. No emails, calls or letter. Or refund. This is starting to
get annoying. I send a message via eBay asking where my refund is and I get
the following reply back; Hi, Mmmm, that’s interesting.
So now I am being bullied. Basically what this guy is saying is ‘I am not
giving you a refund and if you give me negative feedback I’ll return it and
it will affect you more than it will affect me – so there is nothing you can
do’. This is technically correct since this tosser deals on eBay every day
and has a feedback number in the thousands, when feedback is shown by eBay as
a percentage. Well I ain’t being bullied so I give the negative feedback
immediately and it does indeed come back with some narky
inaccurate remarks. Even more annoying, ClassicRemains
(=lordbrettsinclair123) seems to have the last right of reply to the feedback
so I can’t even correct his lies (this is something that eBay themselves have
now put a stop to, too late for me). I start an eBay
dispute but it is just an automated console that achieves nothing. And I
still don’t have my refund. So who is right?
Is a Powerseller on eBay entitled to refund item
costs only and not inflated p&p charges? Errrr
– no, he’s not. On the eBay
website itself; http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/listing-distance.html And from the
Office of Fair Trading web site;
(Their bold, not
mine). So where does
this leave Adrian Rice? He trades all day in car parts but doesn’t seem to
know what constitutes a head gasket set. And his business is distance selling
and yet he seems to be unaware of the laws governing it. Ignorant or just a
small time con man? I’ll let the reader decide. I closed the
eBay dispute and reported the seller, I just got an automated reply back
saying that any action they now take would be confidential and the
‘transaction’ was between me and the seller so they don’t get involved
further. In other words they are not going to help get my money back. I
wasn’t having that so drafted up a letter to Mr Rice as follows; ---------------------- Adrian Rice, Laurel Bungalow, IP14 4ED Dear Mr Rice, Outstanding Debt You sold a head gasket set
for a Mk1 Golf in eBay transaction # 200145406095.
As you are aware most of the parts were missing and the item was returned.
You have so far refused to provide a proper refund for this despite several
emails and a letter. As a requirement of the
Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 you are required to
refund postage costs in addition to the amount for the faulty item. If you do
not send a cheque refunding the total amount (£11.76) required by 4th
January 2008, court proceedings will be initiated via HMCS Money Claim online
for the outstanding amount. You will then become liable
for costs and if payment is still refused court bailiffs will be used to
recover the money. Yours sincerely, ---------------------- Straight to the
point. And remarkably effective. A few days later I received a cheque by
recorded delivery from Classic Remains for the full £11.57 with a letter
apologising, saying that the refund had ‘got lost in their accounting
system’. Rather strange considering the statements in the eBay feedback. Anyway – I have
my money back and all is well, Except of course I now have negative feedback
on my eBay account because of this muppet. I just
hope that Adrian Rice thinks it was worth trying to gain his extra fiver
because he now has a web page dedicated to him. Yes, this is REAL negative
feedback and you can’t hide behind your eBay Powerseller
status here. So the moral of
the story is this. Don’t trust eBay Powerseller
feedback ratings, they are meaningless. Don’t pay by cheque as you may never
see your money again. And if you need classic car parts, use a reputable shop
or internet dealer and stay well clear of people like Adrian Rice. Update September
2008 – worth mentioning again, this seller is now known as lordbrettsinclair123.
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