|
|
Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 49
Location: Wisconsin | Okay, so I have a question for all you guys that have been ebaying for awhile.... I recently bought a '97 Collector's over eBay (or at least what I thought was a '97). The guitar was described as "mint." It turns out that the guitar isn't a '97 but is a Parlor instead (with strangely enough a '97 label on the inside). Furthermore, the guitar described as "mint" has a crack in the top, lots of dings in the top and neck and a really bad refretting job. Furthermore, when I opened up the case, there was an allen wrench loose in the case that was doing a real number on the top of the guitar. When I contacted the seller he denies that this is not a '97 Ovation and as to his description of "mint" says that I should have asked him detailed questions.
I feel that this seller is deserving of negative feedback. I have never had to leave negative feedback for someone and while I feel that it is my duty to the eBay community, I also don't want this guy to reciprocate with negative feedback for me even though I paid within a day and have given him every chance in the world to make this situation right. He of course is one of those sellers who does not leave feedback until feedback is first left for him! What should I do? Help! Do I just write this off as a bad eBay experience, leave negative feedback knowing that he will do the same, or is there some other course that I could take? Thanks for your counsel.
Arthur |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | I have a ton of experience on ebay.
if you send negative he will give you one. I have played that game with several people. If it bothers you don't do it. If you feel you must let the world know of your problem then do it.
I look at it this way. with my 997 feedback I have 10 or 11 negatives this is 1% of the customers. that is probably better than an major retailer in the US. But on ebay you can have a million positives and someone will look at the 2 negatives you have. For some reason they seem to carry a lot of weight. I have no clue why.
I would let it go unless it really bothered me. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 1817
Location: Minden, Nebraska | eBay users like that usually retaliate in kind for negative feedback. (But is worse for a seller than a buyer.)
You can report him for fraud to eBay (if it was a successfully completed auction) and ask their help, but they don't do much.
If you paid with a credit card, you can go through your credit card company. Otherwise, you may be stuck. And you can always harangue the seller to give you an appropriate partial refund, or take the guitar back for a total refund. There probably is no easy way out of this. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 26
Location: Canton, Ohio | Do you still want or like the guitar that you recieved? If it's not what you wanted and you don't want to keep it perhaps he will take it back.
If you have the wrong product and the sellar won't make it right, then I woulod do something about it.
I guess I'm saying that the amount of effort I would put into the fraud or negative response angle would be in relation to how unhappy I am with the deal. If you like what you received in spite of the bad service then just call it done.
IMHO |
|
| |
|
Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6202
Location: Phoenix AZ | I would ask the seller to take the guitar back and give you a full refund (minus shipping).
I have never left negative feedback for anyone, ven though I have been been ripped off a few times. I've paid for things I never got and the seller claims it was lost in the mail and it was my fault for not inquiring about insured shipping. I've also shipped things that people claimed they never received and I had to refund their money. For that reason I always use insured FedEx even if the other party isn't willing to pay for it. Far better to try to resolve the issue directly with him. Worst case if you hate the guitar, just re-sell it and cut your losses. BTW, if it's not the '97 Collector, what is it? Is it the Parlor guitar with the 14 fret neck and standard headstock? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 49
Location: Wisconsin | Thanks for all of the advice. I think that its going to work out. I put some pressure on the seller and he will take the guitar back now. I guess it just took a few rounds of emails to express my dissatisfaction.
Here's the weird thing about this guitar. It is the Parlor Model 5741. I know because of the 14 fret neck, the electronics, etc. . But this one has a 1997 Collector's label on the inside of it. Kim at the Mothership can't figure it out. She did say that one reason they created the 5741 was to get rid of the extra 1997 Collector bowls but she said that the label is the last thing that they put in the guitar. Go figure!? By the way, with a wierd situation like this, does this add or subtract from the value of a guitar?
Again, thanks for the advice. It is very much appreciated.
Arthur |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3666
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | FYI, Art- Kim is a guy. Ask his wife. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 49
Location: Wisconsin | Oops! I hope Kim doesn't look at this site often. HE was really, really helpful and I sure don't want to offend HIM! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15682
Location: SoCal | Ex wife. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | was that the dark sunburst parlor, wide neck?
didn't that have different electronics?
just curious as I was watching it back then. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 36
Location: Tampa, Florida | If you paid with a credit card, you can go through your credit card company
I haven't done too much guitar buying on ebay, but I've bought plenty of other stuff. Credit Card is definitely the safest way to go. Make sure when you checkout with paypal, you change your funding source to credit card. If you pay straight from the bank and you get ripped off, you're screwed, but if you payed the guy with a credit card, he can't stop you from cancelling payment and sending it back.
Brian |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 2503
Location: Fayetteville, NC | Arthur,
Glad this one worked out to your advantage. We've all seen some real horror stories on the board, but there's also been those with good experiences too. Hopefully, if you deal on ebay again, you'll be better informed by the potential seller. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 49
Location: Wisconsin | Tony:
Nope this wasn't the dark sunburst one. I saw that one too. This was advertised as a "'97 Collector's Mint." Its all good, though. I may be out the shipping but I don't think I'll be stuck with a white elephant. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 2503
Location: Fayetteville, NC | Hick-up...I thought they were all Mauve..uh I mean Pink Polka dotted! :rolleyes: |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 2487
| Ebay is tough! It takes good people to make it work as well as it does. I was amazed when I first started that there wern't more scam artists and outright thiefs! Apparently there are a lot of good people left in the world it kinda gives you hope. I have only had a couple of Nuts to deal with?
Glad this worked out for you. Now wait and see if he comes through with the money?
Randy |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 2503
Location: Fayetteville, NC | I must say that i've been pretty lucky with the things I've purchased through ebay. Everyone has been reliable so far. No instrument purchases yet. When i can, I prefer to buy new with Instruments with a warranty. But if I could get a good price i wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. Especially if the seller had reliable feedback for musical Instrument sales. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 100
Location: Warren, OH | Sorry you had a bad experience. However, if the seller really follows through with his offer to take back the guitar and refund your money, I'd be tempted to offer positive feedback.
I purchased a case from a seller and heard nothing from him indicating that it had been shipped, only that it would ship shortly via USPS. I tried to contact him via the e-bay phone listing (I found out later that the number was no longer current). After about 3 weeks (and a number of e-mails requesting he contact me), I placed a complaint with PayPal. He never responded to them and I received a partial refund (about $10). About a week after I placed the complaint, I heard from the seller, and the item arrived just within the 30-day limit. Strangely enough, it was shipped FedEx ground.
I never left feedback for him - I consider things even. No need to get into a negative feedback pi__ing contest.
But I've had other experiences where things were positive. Actually, my wife probably has used my account more than I do. All of her experiences to date have been positive.
I would not consider a guitar with cracks and dings and a bad fret job to be in mint condition.
Hopefully he'll make things right.
On a major purchase, I'm very hesitant to buy if the seller will not accept PayPal or a major credit card, because it really ties your hands.
Good luck! Let us know how the saga plays out... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 1817
Location: Minden, Nebraska | I agree with Bob. Assuming the refund is provided, offer to post positive feedback AFTER the seller has done so for you. If you are satisfied at the end of the day that the seller has done what is right, give feedback to that end.
BTW, most experienced reputable sellers offer an approval period for return. Mine is 24 hours. If the guitar arrives damaged, defective, or in other than advertised condition I take it back for a full refund including refunding all shipping charges. Why should a buyer have to eat the shipping cost for something that isn't his/her fault? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 26
Location: Canton, Ohio | I have been pretty lucky with eBay too. I've always recieved what I ordered and have only had to handle problems with a seller twice (out of about 80 transactions). Like someone said, it's no worse than retail and you an get hard to find stuff at a great price.
I just bought my 1771 LX on eBay and had a terrific buying experience. |
|
| |
Ebay feedback Advice
