Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Ebay removes neg for being unfair.

Not often we've seen such things in the past, who knows what the future will bring.

I have never had a negative feedback before and now I know how sellers feel when such a terrible thing happens. Ouch!!! It hurts!! I always send messages asking if everything was ok with there items when I havn't recieved a feedback. A month later after no response they leave you negative feedbacks claiming the problem is with the fact that the item turned out to be exactly what was in the description. Yes, it is unfortionately an ACEO 2.5"x3.5" print on 90lb cardstock. Big shocker that must have been when you opened the item and saw that I sent you what you paid for and not a big original oil painting for $6. I'm sorry lol... Just venting. I assume the buyer will not respond and want to work this out now after they hadn't responded or made a complaint before the feedback was left. I will just have to hope. I guess I will hope to get some assistance from ebay. Idk.. never had this happen before. I will surely miss 100%. I would've given a refund in a second is the sad thing. All I care about is my feedback. I'm in it for the big picture. All over a little aceo $6 card... OK I'm done venting.

Wow this sure got a lot of attention. I first want to say thank you all for your support and advice. I will now explain the outcome. and sorry for the wait. I just woke up and saw it was fixed. I had contacted ebay last night through a online chat and the person told me it would be best to call ebay during the call hours. So i had sent an email to the buyer which I don't think they check their messages because I had checked up on their order previously with no response. So I then posted this discussion as I was pretty steamed about it. I went to sleep and woke up with a message from customer support. So I did not need to try and call ebay afterall. Here is the message:

Dear Jacob, I saw your post on our discussion boards regarding the negative Feedbackyou recently received from njuggalette4lyfe and I thought I would reviewyour case for you. I can understand your frustration in this situation and, after reviewingthe details of this case, I've opted to remove the negative Feedback from your account. I appreciate the opportunity to assist you in this matter and I'd like to thank you for being a part of our community since 2002. I wish you the best of luck in all of your future transactions on eBay. Sincerely,Valis eBay Customer Support

So it seems ebay has been doing a great job trying to keep things fair. Thank you all again for your support

toysrus negs, as of Tuesday

All for NPS.

Total: 56 fb.
7 negs, one neutral, 5 or so soft positives for NPS.

THEY GAVE ME A TRACKING NUMBER AND THE PACKAGE NEVER LEFT THEIR WAREHOUSE. Buyer: 7427juanv ( 24) Nov-30-10 12:20
LEGO Brick Stereo CD Boombox - Yellow (#180591210360) US $39.99 View Item
seller refunded payment and never sent item. why list items that you dont have?? Buyer: whiplash101 ( 205) Nov-30-10 12:06
Mega Bloks Halo Hawk Covert (#180593329205) US $20.99 View Item
Had product listed but did not have product. Still waiting for refund. Buyer: elsiek7620 ( 41) Nov-29-10 12:15
Lalaloopsy Doll - Spot Splatter Splash (#180592242647) US $24.99 View Item
Do Not Order from this seller! Order was cancelled three days later! BS! Buyer: owens0bqh ( 176) Nov-27-10 08:58
Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Shopping Cart - Pink (#180591980531) US $34.99 View Item
Item sold NOT available, hassle getting money back in acct., VERY DISAPPOINTED Buyer: lands621 ( 23) Nov-26-10 15:06
Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Shopping Cart - Pink (#180591980531) US $34.99 View Item
Instant payment? I want instant product then. Waste of time. Stupid Buyer: smitliff ( 575) Nov-25-10 02:39
Teacup Piggy Playset with Bow Sunglasses - Snowflake (#180591532508) US $16.99 View Item
what a joke puts items up for sale yhen cancels transaction waste of time Buyer: sierra071371 ( 234) Nov-24-10 19:15
Teacup Piggy Playset with Bow Sunglasses - Snowflake (#180591532508) US $16.99 View Item

ToysRUs neutral removed

Today, 20 Nov, a neutral has disappeared from toysrus feedback page.

purchased item, paid, next day got refuned, no explaination, whats up?????? Buyer: Member id sharonkj7777 ( Feedback Score Of 373) Nov-26-10 14:56
Reply by toysrus (Nov-26-10 15:08):
We're sorry, item cannot be shipped to PO Box. Emailed @ 11:30 today to explain.
Little Steps: Adventures with Fire Fighting DVD (#180591930997) US $5.99 View Item

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Toys R Us gets first stars: 4.2's

Not 10 ratings as yet for shipping time, but the other three stars now have their first 10 ratings, all 4.2's.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Toys R Us off to a rocky start

seller toysrus went live the other day with a huge number of listings. Could be related to their falling out with Amazon.

However, they seem to be plagued with inventory control issues.

Of their first 10 feedback, four mention non-performance.
One neg:
what a joke puts items up for sale yhen cancels transaction waste of time
One soft pos:
Item was out of stock. Seller refunded the money to my account quickly. Thanks!


Neutral:
purchased item, paid, next day got refuned, no explaination, whats up??????

Another neg:
Item sold NOT available, hassle getting money back in acct., VERY DISAPPOINTED lands621 ( 23) Nov-26-10 15:06
Reply by toysrus (Nov-26-10 15:39):
Our apologies. Item sold faster than expected on our web site. Fully refunded.


Neg:
Do Not Order from this seller! Order was cancelled three days later! BS!

Check back to see if they get it straightened out (or if by chance they get some special neg removal service).
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=toysrus&ftab=AllFeedback

Monday, November 22, 2010

The most well known case of court related feedback removal.

EBay lawsuit reveals foibles of site feedback

By Elise Ackerman
Mercury News

When does a $2.33 transaction turn into a superior court case?

When it happens on eBay.

A dispute over a piece of smoky quartz normally would have been of little consequence to Kiel Sturm, who was selling the stone on eBay. But when a Los Angeles buyer made defamatory remarks that threatened to forever mar Sturm's online reputation, Sturm was forced to begin a yearlong legal battle to get the comments removed from eBay.

The squabble is another example of how user feedback on such sites can force ordinary people into time-consuming court proceedings to defend their reputations against remarks that can damage their business, because the comments remain online.

Even after Sturm obtained a court ruling stating that he had been defamed, eBay's lawyers continued to resist removing the remarks because the notice from small claims court was in the wrong format, forcing another round of court filings.

EBay has built itself into the world's largest online marketplace in large part because of trust created by feedback from users. Hoping to tap into the wisdom of crowds, Internet companies from Yahoo to YouTube are incorporating user reviews into their business models.

But a problem arises if a review is false. How does an Internet company separate unpleasant truths from defamatory lies? Most companies choose to let the courts decide.

Sturm, a 23-year-old computer programmer from Santa Clara, said he immediately offered to return Eusebio Guerrero's money after Guerrero told him he did not think the stone he bought was real. Sturm said Guerrero, who did not respond to an e-mail from the Mercury News, refused.

Powerful words

Sturm was in the middle of about 20 auctions when Guerrero left the first nasty note about him on an eBay feedback forum, on July 20, 2005.

``Not as advertised,'' the first note said. ``Absolutely misrepresented.'' The note was followed by a string of accusations, most of them written in capital letters.

``THIS SELLER CANNOT BE TRUSTED. HE SELLS JUNK. BUYERS MUST BEWARE OF THIS SELLER.''

Sturm felt the effect of Guerrero's remarks immediately, as buyers fled his auctions. A Colombian emerald that had been appraised for thousands of dollars ended up selling for $8.

Sturm said that he had enjoyed his hobby of buying and selling gems on eBay because many precious stones are undervalued. However, maintaining his reputation was crucial, he said, because buyers are afraid of counterfeits.

``People definitely check you out before they make a bid,'' Sturm said. ``If you have anything that looks suspicious, they are not going to bid or they are not going to bid very much.''

Integrity of feedback

Sellers can also check out buyers. But Sturm said he was running so many auctions he didn't check out feedback left about Guerrero, which might have raised a red flag, before he sold him the quartz and two other stones.

Afterward, it was too late. EBay will not remove feedback unless it receives a court order finding that the disputed feedback is ``slanderous, libelous, defamatory or otherwise illegal.''

Eric Goldman, director of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University, said such a policy is necessary to maintain the integrity of eBay's feedback system.

But in Sturm's case, eBay's goal of maintaining a reliable record through feedback of how transactions have gone had an unintended consequence: To clear his reputation, Sturm said he was forced into a string of lawsuits.

When Sturm filed against Guerrero in small claims court in Santa Clara County, Guerrero offered to settle, and both wrote letters to eBay requesting that the feedback be removed.

An eBay employee named ``Kelsee'' wrote back: ``Upon reviewing all correspondence regarding this request for feedback removal, a final decision has been rendered. The comment will not be removed. These removal policies have been made by our Legal Department and approved by eBay's management team.''

Sturm protested. ``I was hoping that if we submitted a request in writing, which we did, both of us, that eBay would see that as a valid reason to take down the comment,'' he said in an interview.

Next, ``Willie'' responded.

``Thank you for your e-mail regarding the status of your account,'' the note said. ``Your lawsuit, if it was against the other party, has no bearing on eBay's rules and policy. EBay is not involved in member disputes. We have thoroughly researched this case and are unable to remove the feedback without notice from a court of law. Since a final decision has been made, we will not revisit this case.''

Sturm told Guerrero he would file against him in small claims court in Los Angeles, where Guerrero lived, in order to get a written order. Sturm said he wanted to make the legal process easy for Guerrero.

On Jan. 31, small claims commissioner Graciela Freixes made a ``factual determination that the statements posted by the defendant on plaintiff's eBay site were defamatory.''

Sturm sent Freixes' order to eBay.

Try and try again

This time Francine F. Lyle, an eBay attorney, responded.

``There are too many ambiguities in this Order so I won't be able to use this to remove the comments,'' Lyle wrote. ``What I was looking for was an Order that you would have prepared and presented to the court (a proposed order), with the language I gave you, that the Court would then sign and enter.''

Sturm then filed a third suit directly against eBay in Santa Clara County Superior Court. Sturm argued that eBay was guilty of libel for publishing the defamatory remarks.

Generally, U.S. courts have found that Internet companies cannot be held liable for comments, ratings or reviews posted on their sites by users. The Communications Decency Act states that the provider of ``an interactive computer service'' will not be treated as a publisher of information provided by someone else.

EBay got the case dismissed on July 27.

But Sturm said he won anyway. About a week after he filed the lawsuit, eBay finally took down the feedback Guerrero had written. ``We went to the court and got a confirmation of the order,'' said Hani Durzy, an eBay spokesman. ``We didn't take it down because he sued us.''

``They made it very difficult, and there wasn't any reason to do that,'' Sturm said.

After five years of buying and selling on eBay, he said he now does most of his gem sales face to face.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Neg removed as a result of extortion judgment

Way long, but the bottom line is this:

4:38:48 PM Roanna C.
Thank you for patiently waiting, I have escalated this issue and we have decided to remove the Feedback off of your account since I now have enough evidence to consider this for extortion.



Initial Question/Comment: US Feedback
2:34:55 PM System
Cerina M. has joined this session!
2:34:55 PM System
Connected with Cerina M.
2:35:05 PM Cerina M.
Hello and thank you for contacting eBay Trust and Safety Live Help, my name is Cerina M. How may I help you Eric?
2:35:36 PM happywookiee
Hello. I had a customer leave me bad feedback after threatening that she would if I did not make this transaction right by her. I offered her a full refund for the return, even though I had stated in my listing no returns, and offered to take care of any damages through UPS (which I had paid extra for, upgrading her package from parcel post to insured UPS). She did not want to return the item to me, nor did she want me to fill out a claim with UPS. She just wanted money. In an earlier email she had let me know that she was planning on giving me bad feedback.
2:36:46 PM Cerina M.
I am sorry to hear that this transaction caused your receiving of negative Feedback.
2:37:10 PM happywookiee
I have tried very hard to make my customers happy on Ebay. I have a good track record and it’s very important to me. How can I continue selling on Ebay if my buyers don’t have confidence in me? This is very upsetting because I have done everything Ebay says to do in this situation, but nothing could please her.
2:37:38 PM Cerina M.
To clarify, the buyer does not accept any resolution you have offered and requested a refund without returning the item, is this correct?
2:38:06 PM happywookiee
Correct, please see our emails through ebay to verify.
2:38:33 PM Cerina M.
I understand how frustrating it is to receive a negative Feedback when you feel it's undeserved.
2:39:03 PM happywookiee
Is there anything that Ebay can do?
2:39:23 PM Cerina M.
Let me review the transaction to see if the Feedback could qualify for removal. Aside from this though, do you have any other concern you want to address?
2:39:56 PM happywookiee
She purchased 3 lots from me that day. I have a feeling she will give me bad feedback 2 more times.
2:40:43 PM Cerina M.
Can you provide me the item numbers for all the transaction?
2:42:26 PM happywookiee
***************(Blocked by author of thread)
2:42:39 PM happywookiee
Thank you for looking into this.
2:43:19 PM Cerina M.
You're welcome Eric. Please give me 2-3 minutes to review the transaction to see what can be done.
2:43:32 PM happywookiee
Sure. Thanks.
2:52:25 PM Cerina M.
Thank you for patiently waiting Eric.
2:52:34 PM happywookiee
No problem
2:52:40 PM Cerina M.
I do apologize for the long wait.
2:55:00 PM Cerina M.
I have reviewed the transaction and the email message you have exchanged with the buyer and I see that the buyer was not happy because there was a missing part on the item.
2:55:34 PM happywookiee
The customer stated that a small piece was missing from a used toy set. Although the pictures in my listing showed the piece was missing and my description said pieces were missing, she said that didn’t matter. In no way was this lot misrepresented. She also stated that some pieces were damaged during UPS shipment. I explained to her that I had purchased insurance and would be happy to fill out the claim for her and she still refused.
2:57:06 PM Cerina M.
I understand that you would like to maintain your perfect rating Eric as it reflects your reputation as a seller on eBay. I would like to remind you though that Feedback is a member-to-member system, it is a way to show how the buyer felt the transaction went.
2:58:14 PM Cerina M.
We've looked carefully into your situation. After reviewing the Feedback and the circumstances surrounding the transactions, we've determined that the negative Feedback did not meet our requirements for removal. The comment and the Feedback is the buyer's opinion towards the outcome of the transaction.
2:58:39 PM happywookiee
From my emails, you can see that I was not unreasonable,and offered a refund or to fill out a UPS claim. Was there something more I could do? I felt this person was looking for something to be unhappy about to get money back.
3:00:16 PM Cerina M.
In situations like this what you could have offered the buyer is to file a claim with eBay, that way we could intervene on the investigation if the item was really received not as described and could have given you options on what you can do to resolve the issue.
3:01:41 PM Cerina M.
Since this is your first negative Feedback, I would understand how you feel Eric. I can see that you have been an eBay member since June of 2005, and you've been an exceptional member with us for over 5 years. Your status shows how much you are dedicated to maintaining a strong and successful business with eBay. As such, we appreciate your effort in taking the time in reporting this kind of behavior to us.
3:02:50 PM Cerina M.
You have the option to post a reply on the Feedback comment the buyer left, your reply will appear under the comment and this will be seen by other members and potential buyers that will review your account.
3:02:57 PM happywookiee
The lot was not misrepersented, so why can she do this, and destroy my reputation?
3:04:27 PM Cerina M.
We do not investigate the truthfulness of a Feedback Eric. Since that is an opinion we do have control over that. To keep the Feedback system as open and honest as possible, we only remove Feedback in a few, very limited cases. You can find more about situations when we'll remove Feedback here:
Link
3:04:44 PM Cerina M.
*opinion we do not have control
3:06:50 PM Cerina M.
Post a professional reply on the comment the buyer left. That will, more likely than not, come off as more credible than the actual comment they left you. If you think you can still work things out with the buyer, you can make use of the Feedback revision request.
3:07:09 PM happywookiee
I am disappointed that Ebay caters to the buyer only. Ebay needs to support their sellers, especially ones with good reputations.
3:08:27 PM Cerina M.
This doesn't mean we agree with the Feedback or think you deserve it Eric. If eBay got directly involved and removed the Feedback, then our opinion would replace that of the buyer's. Feedback is based on transactions between members. Because eBay wasn't involved in the actual transaction, we can't take sides.
3:08:56 PM happywookiee
But she was trying to extort money from me.
3:10:24 PM happywookiee
This is feedback extortion, because she let me know that she would be giving me bad feedback, and that she would not return the lot. She wanted money.
3:10:57 PM Cerina M.
Reading the emails, the buyer have requested for the missing part. It was you who made the offer of refunding the buyer. It seems that the buyer got upset that you were not able to provide the missing part when you advised that you will look for it and send it to her.
3:13:09 PM happywookiee
I told her I would look for it. I made no promises that I would find it. I offered her a full refund, because she was unhappy. She wanted money. I offered her $10. This was not enough for her so I offered her a refund for the whole lot again.
3:15:26 PM happywookiee
Of course I made the offer to refund the buyer. This is what Ebay encourages us to do.
3:16:38 PM happywookiee
You have not addressed the fact that she wanted money, without having to make a return, and threatened to give me bad feedback. This is extortion.
3:18:29 PM Cerina M.
If the buyer would wanted money, why would she choose to leave the Feedback instead of accepting your offer Eric? Extortion happens when the buyer had initiated the request for additional amount in order to provide good Feedback. Aside from that, the buyer stated that she would leave a bad Feedback because of you not responding to her emails. When leaving feedback, we encourage our members to be open and honest. Even if a member leaves Feedback that is unfair, untruthful, or harmful to a member's reputation, we can't remove it as under a federal law called the Communications Decency Act, we're not legally responsible for comments posted on eBay, even if they're untrue.
3:19:52 PM Cerina M.
We've looked carefully into your situation Eric. After reviewing the Feedback and the circumstances surrounding the transactions, we've determined that the negative Feedback did not meet our requirements for removal.
3:20:13 PM happywookiee
Again, my offer was to return the lot and get a refund. She refused because she wanted both the lot and money. She left bad feedback the moment she knew I was not going to send her money without a return.
3:20:47 PM happywookiee
This is extortion. I need to speak to a manager.
3:22:44 PM Cerina M.
We follow the same guidelines on removing Feedback Eric. The Feedback that was left to you is the buyer's opinion on the outcome of your transaction and the item they received. We cannot remove this negative Feedback.
3:23:22 PM happywookiee
Again, this was extortion. I need to speak to a manager.
3:25:49 PM Cerina M.
Extortion is when the buyer initiated the request for refunds or additional amount in exchange for good Feedback, in your case, it was you who offered the refund Eric.
3:27:29 PM happywookiee
I offered a refund for the return of the lot. She stated it would be to hard for her to find the pieces...she is the one who first stated she wanted something else, without having to return the lot.
3:31:33 PM happywookiee
Extortion is trying to obtain something (in this case money) while threatening to hurt my good standing in Ebay. It does not matter if I tried to please her first with a refund. She let me know she was keeping my goods and wanted more. This is extortion because she had already threatened my feedback.
3:32:46 PM happywookiee
I tried to bend to her and offer her $10. She said $15 would "start the process". It was clear to me she intended to play games with me.
3:33:59 PM happywookiee
Also, although you have said that Ebay does not take sides, you're arguments are clearly in favor of the buyer. I need to speak to a manager.
3:35:05 PM Cerina M.
Okay then. Please remain on this chat while I look for my manager.
3:45:01 PM Cerina M.
Thank you for waiting Eric. The next person that you will be chatting with will be my manager. Please stay connected.
3:45:11 PM System
You are being transferred to another Agent. Please stand by...
3:45:12 PM System
Cerina M. has left this session!
3:45:12 PM System
Roanna C. has joined this session!
3:45:12 PM System
Connected with Roanna C.
3:46:57 PM Roanna C.
Thank you for contacting eBay Trust and Safety, My name is Roana C., one of the account supervisors. Please give me a moment to review what you have typed.
3:59:56 PM happywookiee
While I have been waiting for you, I reviewed feedback she has left for others. Please check this out. Negative feedback left for others by ************(blocked by author of thread) says that she wants a refund without returning the item. This is a repeat of the exact same scam. I know that she may not seem like the usual extortionist, but it is clear that this is something she does and has done to other Ebay sellers. This is an unfair and wrong practice and should not be allowed.
4:02:33 PM Roanna C.
Sorry to keep you waiting. I have checked all the details of your Feedback Extortion claim and comment clearly shows that the buyer is not satisfied with the item since there was a missing part.
4:03:25 PM happywookiee
No, please read the listing. The listing stated parts were missing.
4:03:58 PM Roanna C.
For us to consider this a Feedback Extortion issue, there must be an evidence in the messages sent through the Email Forwarding System of eBay, which I did not find in your inbox.
4:04:35 PM happywookiee
I am about to give you a negative feedback as you are not responding to my e-mail and I am unhappy with the missing and broken pieces of this listing.
-From one of her emails
4:05:17 PM happywookiee
She has done this to others...please do not allow this!
4:06:50 PM happywookiee
She did not want to return my item, but wanted money instead. She had done this to others...please see her feedback profile.
4:08:28 PM Roanna C.
I understand that this buyer has given another seller a Negative Feedback, however, please understand that our decisions on removing a Feedback is based on a specific Feedback guideline and most of all we only jump into the situation if there is a violation
4:09:33 PM happywookiee
She does not come out and say, give me money or else....she let me know that my feedback was on the line if I did not do what she wanted. She also let me know that she would not return my lot! She wanted money. There was no way to resolve this unless i just gave her money. This is extortion.
4:09:40 PM Roanna C.
We want to certainly look into the Feedback she left others but that would not guarantee that we can also have the negative feedback removed from your account.
4:10:17 PM Roanna C.
How did she told you about this? Is this through eBay?
4:11:52 PM happywookiee
Yes, she stated she would not return it (it would be to hard) but we should resolve it in another way. How else? I offered her $10 to get her to cease, but again she stated $15 would "begin the process"
4:14:07 PM happywookiee
In that moment I knew that she was letting me know that I "owed her" and that she wouldn't drop this. If she had stated $15 would be fine and she would let it go , I would've paid! She was kinda holding this over my head!
4:14:16 PM Roanna C.
Unfortunately, I have not seen any of these messages in the Email Forwarding System. I could have considered this as an extortion but we are missing an important evidence in taking action.
4:15:18 PM happywookiee
I am planning to search for a complete jumbo jet soon. Im sure its gone up since its closer to christmas now. I strongly believe $15 would be a reasonable amount to start this process (along with dealing with the damages).
4:15:28 PM happywookiee
That was from her email
4:16:44 PM happywookiee
It would be difficult to return the lot to you as it already took me hours sorting them when it arrived as the three lots were combined together (hundreds to thousand pieces).
There must be some other resolution to these concerns. I'm frustrated about this and would like to move on in a positive way.

From one of her first emails
4:17:48 PM happywookiee
You can clearly see from this email she was leaving me with no options. Pay her money was the only choice.
4:19:37 PM happywookiee
Also you can understand that one little piece in a lot of hundreds to thousands (in her words) should not be such a huge problem! Also it was pictured and stated missing! I feel she was looking for something to be unhappy about.
4:21:02 PM Roanna C.
All right. Please give me 2 to 3 minutes to further review what else we can do here. just wanna make sure I did not miss anything on this case.
4:21:12 PM happywookiee
Thank you.
4:38:48 PM Roanna C.
Thank you for patiently waiting, I have escalated this issue and we have decided to remove the Feedback off of your account since I now have enough evidence to consider this for extortion.
4:39:06 PM happywookiee
Thank you. She purchased 3 lots from me that day. I have a feeling she will give me bad feedback 2 more times, is there anyway to stop her from doing this?
4:41:49 PM Roanna C.
The Feedback should be removed from your account within 24 hours and I would also advise you to add this buyer's id to your blocked bidder/buyer list so just to make sure that you won't have any future trouble with them.
4:42:28 PM happywookiee
Thank you so much....I really appreciate it. Will she be able to leave me negative feedback on the other 2 lots?
4:46:27 PM happywookiee
Are you still there?
4:47:03 PM Roanna C.
Your welcome. As for the 2 remaining transactions, we cannot assure you that she will not be able to leave feedback for the other two.
4:47:35 PM Roanna C.
Sorry to keep your waiting. I'm still on the he process of removing the Feedback.
4:47:58 PM happywookiee
What should I do then? Will I be able to have it removed due to the nature of this case? Can I contact you directly again?
5:06:20 PM Roanna C.
Feedback has been removed.
5:07:10 PM happywookiee
Thanks so much! Will the other 2 be removed if she decides to use those against me as well?
5:09:25 PM Roanna C.
If that would be the case then the Feedback should be removed.
5:09:52 PM happywookiee
oh, Thank you!!!!
Reply|Reply with Quote

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Two key questions regarding the new feedback extortion policy

1. If buyer is judged to have used feedback extortion, will any neg left be removed always, sometimes, or never? If buyer posts positive with negative stars, will those stars be removed always, sometimes, or never?

2. If buyer posts negative feedback, and replies to an inquiry by seller with an offer to make peace and revise the negative in exchange for a partial refund, will that be considered feedback extortion?

Neither of those questions are answered by the new feedback extortion page.

Feedback Extortion: no more threats from buyers.

Bottom line as advice to buyer facing a seller who isn't doing the right thing:
don't threaten to post neg.
do post neg.

In a near 180 degree change, the threat will now be interpreted as feedback extortion.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/feedback-extortion.html

Examples of Feedback extortion

The buyer can't threaten to leave negative Feedback or low detailed seller ratings (DSRs) if the seller won't:
Accept a return and pay for return shipping.
Give a full or partial refund for an item.
Lower the shipping and handling costs.
Refund payment before the buyer ships the item back to the seller.
Send an extra item that wasn't part of the original listing. (This doesn't include when a buyer requests a replacement for an item that doesn't match the original item description.)

Monday, November 1, 2010

NPS report no more. Feedback instead.

There used to be a place to report non-performing sellers: http://contact.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ContactUs&wftype=2016&rcode=IV%25P20073&subject=Seller%20Non-Performance&bcrumb=+Home+%3E+Help+%3E%A0Rules+and+Policies%A0%3E%A0Rules+for+Sellers%A0%3E%A0Seller+Non-PerformanceRules+and+Policies%A0%3E%A0Rules+for+Sellers%A0%3E%A0Listing+Rules+Overview%A0%3E%A0Seller+Non-Performance&instruction=&expirationDate=

It still might appear to work, but using it results in a mechanical reply from ebay, which includes this advice:

If for whatever reason your seller is unwilling or unable to complete
the sale, we encourage you to leave the appropriate Feedback and
detailed seller ratings (DSRs) for them.


Further, on the help page discussing reports of inappropriate trading behavior, we find NPS listed as one of the things ebay will NOT investigate. Appropriate feedback is suggested instead.