So. You can trust someone with 100% positive feedback on ebay. Right?
That's what I thought, until I purchased two phones from contempraphones on ebay.
He blamed the damage to the fragile old phone on 'a heavy pallet' falling on the box. In another message to me he suggests that the item was 'rammed from the side or top'. Clearly neither of these things happened. The box was undamaged in any way. Perhaps the multiple "FRAGILE" stickers had something to do with it. As I mentioned in Part 2, contempraphones plastered the box with them.
At this point it is becoming clear that contempraphones isn't going to accept responsibility for his actions. This is a little confusing to me. How can he expect an item like this vintage telephone to arrive safely if he uses a single, inadequate piece of bubblewrap to protect something as flimsy and delicate as 50-year-old bakelite and then — almost as if he was daring postal workers — wallpaper the box in 'FRAGILE' stickers. Its almost as if he WANTED the item to be damaged in shipping. Maybe it was broken before he sent it and he just wanted to use the insurance as a way to get money for an item that indeed may have — I don't know — fallen down a flight of stairs? I'm speculating, of course.
The phone was inadequately packaged. It arrived in pieces.
CONTEMPRAPHONES' SOLUTION? Insult the buyer (that's me).
He accuses me of 'panicking', being 'silly', being 'unreasonable' and making 'outrageous demands'
Outrageous demands? I expect to get what I paid for. Not sure how that can be construed as 'outrageous'. I also DO NOT expect to have to cough up $50 of MY money to return a telephone that was damaged due to his sloppy packing job. Apparently, in his eyes, I should be required to clean up his mess as it is clear he doesn't think any of this is his fault.
I'm a reasonable guy. I believe anyone can make a mistake. We've all done it. I give the guy a second chance by spending even more money with him on another phone. Upon purchasing a second 10-button phone from him, he attempts to CANCEL the second transaction for the second phone claiming that he has to resolve the first transaction. Why? I still need this item to shoot a TV spot. I paid for the second phone. He should ship me the second phone. His solution? Cancel the second transaction. I receive this message in the 'My Ebay' portal. I declined to cancel. This apparently infuriates contempraphones. He sends me this message:
I'm being difficult? I don't want a refund on the 2nd phone. I want the 2nd phone.
None of this is 'difficult'. He's selling phones on ebay. I need one. I pay him, not for one, but for TWO of them. I don't see the problem here. If he needs money for additional shipping, I can elect to send him additional money through PayPal. It seems to me that cancelling multiple transactions, starting new ones and contacting ebay support is more difficult than what I am proposing.
The accusations and insults continue:
OK. So it is my fault that he is declining to send me another item for which I have already paid. It is **me** who doesn't understand how ebay and PayPal work. Really? I have forgotten more about how ebay and PayPal work than this joker will ever know. He could live to be 1,000 and not know what I know about ebay and PayPal. I have written software that integrates with ebay and PayPal to help people sell on ebay and get paid with PayPal. Of course, he probably didn't know that. To assume I don't know what I am doing seems like the best way to justify things in his mind. Again, I'm guessing here.
I tell him that I am not spending $50 to send the phone back. He responds with this:
I ask him where the packing went? He responds stating that it must have been opened by US Customs at the Chicago sort hub. He claims that they must have opened it from the bottom and repackaged it. First of all, the package had not been opened from the bottom — and secondly — the packaging inside the box when I opened it was PRECISELY the way he described it. It was even packaged in the same exact order as he described it. Some peanuts on the bottom. A single piece of bubblewrap on top of that. Then the phone base was on top of the bubblewrap and the receiver was resting on the right side of the base (exactly where the phone was damaged) when I opened the package.
At this point I believe he is right. It is time to escalate this case.
To be continued...
That's what I thought, until I purchased two phones from contempraphones on ebay.
He blamed the damage to the fragile old phone on 'a heavy pallet' falling on the box. In another message to me he suggests that the item was 'rammed from the side or top'. Clearly neither of these things happened. The box was undamaged in any way. Perhaps the multiple "FRAGILE" stickers had something to do with it. As I mentioned in Part 2, contempraphones plastered the box with them.
At this point it is becoming clear that contempraphones isn't going to accept responsibility for his actions. This is a little confusing to me. How can he expect an item like this vintage telephone to arrive safely if he uses a single, inadequate piece of bubblewrap to protect something as flimsy and delicate as 50-year-old bakelite and then — almost as if he was daring postal workers — wallpaper the box in 'FRAGILE' stickers. Its almost as if he WANTED the item to be damaged in shipping. Maybe it was broken before he sent it and he just wanted to use the insurance as a way to get money for an item that indeed may have — I don't know — fallen down a flight of stairs? I'm speculating, of course.
The phone was inadequately packaged. It arrived in pieces.
CONTEMPRAPHONES' SOLUTION? Insult the buyer (that's me).
He accuses me of 'panicking', being 'silly', being 'unreasonable' and making 'outrageous demands'
Outrageous demands? I expect to get what I paid for. Not sure how that can be construed as 'outrageous'. I also DO NOT expect to have to cough up $50 of MY money to return a telephone that was damaged due to his sloppy packing job. Apparently, in his eyes, I should be required to clean up his mess as it is clear he doesn't think any of this is his fault.
I'm a reasonable guy. I believe anyone can make a mistake. We've all done it. I give the guy a second chance by spending even more money with him on another phone. Upon purchasing a second 10-button phone from him, he attempts to CANCEL the second transaction for the second phone claiming that he has to resolve the first transaction. Why? I still need this item to shoot a TV spot. I paid for the second phone. He should ship me the second phone. His solution? Cancel the second transaction. I receive this message in the 'My Ebay' portal. I declined to cancel. This apparently infuriates contempraphones. He sends me this message:
Now I cannot reverse the transaction for the turquoise set because you declined. You are making this very difficult! Contact eBay support so that transaction can be refunded to you. I will bundle the two blues into one shipment and get a Fedex quote on Monday or Tuesday.
I'm being difficult? I don't want a refund on the 2nd phone. I want the 2nd phone.
None of this is 'difficult'. He's selling phones on ebay. I need one. I pay him, not for one, but for TWO of them. I don't see the problem here. If he needs money for additional shipping, I can elect to send him additional money through PayPal. It seems to me that cancelling multiple transactions, starting new ones and contacting ebay support is more difficult than what I am proposing.
The accusations and insults continue:
That’s your fault – you declined the cancellation request so that we could deal with one transaction, so now the eBay fees will not automatically reverse on the 2nd. The difference is the eBay fees. The PayPal fees are reversing. Your hold gobbled up your original payment, so it now has to be funded from my bank account. That’s why it’s pending. I take it you don’t understand how eBay/PayPal work. I explained it before, but it’s no use.
OK. So it is my fault that he is declining to send me another item for which I have already paid. It is **me** who doesn't understand how ebay and PayPal work. Really? I have forgotten more about how ebay and PayPal work than this joker will ever know. He could live to be 1,000 and not know what I know about ebay and PayPal. I have written software that integrates with ebay and PayPal to help people sell on ebay and get paid with PayPal. Of course, he probably didn't know that. To assume I don't know what I am doing seems like the best way to justify things in his mind. Again, I'm guessing here.
I tell him that I am not spending $50 to send the phone back. He responds with this:
Seller's message:
"Return shipping is approx. $35. I think you should escalate the case to eBay for a decision, because this is my last message. I packed the phone well. There was no sloshing around when it left.
I ask him where the packing went? He responds stating that it must have been opened by US Customs at the Chicago sort hub. He claims that they must have opened it from the bottom and repackaged it. First of all, the package had not been opened from the bottom — and secondly — the packaging inside the box when I opened it was PRECISELY the way he described it. It was even packaged in the same exact order as he described it. Some peanuts on the bottom. A single piece of bubblewrap on top of that. Then the phone base was on top of the bubblewrap and the receiver was resting on the right side of the base (exactly where the phone was damaged) when I opened the package.
At this point I believe he is right. It is time to escalate this case.
To be continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment