Now I know why some people call it evilBay.

[ponylady]

Ok, let's take a deep breath 

The whole situation is unpleasant for both buyer/seller and lochness gets that.  But regardless of what originally happened with trying to cancel the transaction, the seller reassured her it was in excellent condition with no mention of a tail cut.   Yes, the possibility is there that the seller has no idea to check such flaws as a tail cut.  It happens.  I do not fault the seller for being annoyed but the problem whether she thinks lochness is being a pain or not, should be handled in a more professional manner.  If your going to sell on ebay you have to be prepared if a problem arises no matter what it is.  I guess I live by the motto the customer is always right from working retail for 20 years.  And we know that is not always true but sometimes you have to bite the bullet and move on.   

But what 's done is done and we need to help her move on and handle the situation in a fair manner to both her and the seller.   
   

[lochnessmomster]

Ok, let's take a deep breath 

The whole situation is unpleasant for both buyer/seller and lochness gets that.  But regardless of what originally happened with trying to cancel the transaction, the seller reassured her it was in excellent condition with no mention of a tail cut.   Yes, the possibility is there that the seller has no idea to check such flaws as a tail cut.  It happens.  I do not fault the seller for being annoyed but the problem whether she thinks lochness is being a pain or not, should be handled in a more professional manner.  If your going to sell on ebay you have to be prepared if a problem arises no matter what it is.  I guess I live by the motto the customer is always right from working retail for 20 years.  And we know that is not always true but sometimes you have to bite the bullet and move on.   

But what 's done is done and we need to help her move on and handle the situation in a fair manner to both her and the seller.   
 

Deep breath taken.  Thanks.  I am sorry for feeling frustrated, but ultimately, this is between me and the seller.  I came here for advice and I have more than gotten that.  I don't have a problem with people trying to see the situation from both sides.  In fact, I appreciate it because it also helps me to see where I went wrong and how to improve my buying practices.  But I also don't want or need to have my nose rubbed in it when I already know.  There are only so many ways to apologize, and rudeness in response to politeness is not acceptable (I'm referring to the seller here).

The funny thing is, even though I am the customer in this situation, I don't always stand by the philosophy that the customer is always right.  Sometimes customers ARE wrong.  In this case, both the seller and I have a 100% positive feedback rating.  I am not doubting her selling practices, nor am I faulting her for being wary of me.  But if we both look at the facts, we should be able to feel a little less uneasy about the other person's honesty... which is why I'm not sitting here fuming that the seller neglected to leave out vital information.  I immediately gave her the benefit of the doubt and figured she just didn't notice. 

I'll be the first person to come forward and say that this is a funky situation.  First I didn't want the pony and now she has a major tail trim?  I get it.  It's weird. 

<<sighs>>

[NoDivision]

If you look at lochness's last post, the seller did respond.  And left her with a "Send her back and I will look at her."  There is no mention of a refund. If there is no record within ebay's system of what happened she might have a hard time getting her money back if the seller decides there is nothing wrong with the pony.

This is where I am too.  Its not like she is going to pay to send the pony back to you again after all this.  So it seems like is planning on keeping it.  Otherwise she would look at it, decide there is nothing wrong with it, and pay to send you back a pony you don't want and deny your refund?  No.  I don't think so.  So really there is no reason not to refund your money.  It's very shady.  I mean sure everyone involved is frustrated but how can she expect you to send it back without at least promising you a refund. 

This worries me as well. I would not send it back without assurance that you will be receiving a refund. And if that means that you have to open a claim, then you might have to open a claim. You can let your seller know that you are simply opening a claim so that everything goes through the correct channels and is covered in case something goes wrong.

[lochnessmomster]

I took pics of the pony's tail and asked the seller if she'd like me to e-mail them to her since it was quicker than sending the pony back for inspection.  Still haven't heard back.  I don't know... at this point I might just decide to eat the costs and know better for next time.  It stinks, but oh well...

[RockinPrettyBeats]

I took pics of the pony's tail and asked the seller if she'd like me to e-mail them to her since it was quicker than sending the pony back for inspection.  Still haven't heard back.  I don't know... at this point I might just decide to eat the costs and know better for next time.  It stinks, but oh well...

Oh jeez the seller's response is so curt that I missed it earlier. I think it's a rather rude response honestly. I don't know why she can't be more open to the issue now.

Hopefully she responds to your email and sees what you are talking about. You can post them here too if you want.

Let us know how she responds. I wonder what she will say to the photos...

[Maniah]

Perhaps you could just send her the photos anyway? I mean, what could it hurt? Worst case scenario, she refuses to look at them, right?

[lochnessmomster]

http://s1171.photobucket.com/albums/r541/ekleidosty/

Post Merge: June 17, 2012, 08:48:34 AM

Seems everyone's bored of this problem now, and I don't blame anyone.  Just thought I'd stop by to say that I e-mailed the seller w/ a link to the photo.  She wrote back saying, "As I said before the pony's tail was fine when it left here - when I have it returned in the same condition, I will complete the transaction.  I have just looked at your link - the pony's tail was not sticking up like that when it left here and was not shorter - what has happened to it!"

I wrote:  "It doesn't stick up like that, I just tucked the bottom portion of the pony's tail under her legs so the shorter hairs on top would be more obvious.  Here's a photo of what her tail looks like when not separated (which is why I believe the cut could easily have gone unnoticed): http://s1171.photobucket.com/albums/r541/ekleidosty/

Her last response was, "We are really back where we started on this.  Send her back and I will look at her."

Guys, should I just give up and eat the £16?  Should I open an "item not as described" case with eBay?  Should I send the pony back and hope for the best?  Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, as I am beginning to think that I would pay £16 just to not have to deal with this anymore. 

[StarFaerie]

Open a case. It'll give you the protection you should have. Let eBAY make the decision.

[lochnessmomster]

Still trying to avoid opening a case since I have never done so before and don't want to risk any negative feedback.  I have e-mailed her one last time.  If she is still difficult after this, I'll just keep the pony and count my losses.  My message:

Good morning.

I really don't feel comfortable with this plan since you haven't agreed to give me a full refund, only stating that I should send the pony back in good condition and that you will "complete the transaction."  If you can assure me of a refund, I will send the pony back a.s.a.p.  If not, I will count my losses and buy new hair to replace her tail, as at least then I will still have the pony if not the money. 

I would also like to point out that you and I both have 100% positive feedback ratings, which (for my part) has a lot to do with why I didn't accuse you of trying to send me an "excellent condition" pony when it clearly wasn't.  I automatically assumed you just didn't see it, so I would appreciate it if you could also give me the benefit of the doubt based on my own spotless eBay record.

Thank you for your consideration.

[Sarah-Bee]

Hun, you are handling this waaay better than I would have done! Kudos to you and your patience and <hugs> too.

I'd open a 'not as described' case and leave it to ebay to resolve. I know you're not happy with how much you've paid but at least it's £16 and not £60 If the worst comes to the worst at least it's not a massive amount. I would open the case though, you've given her more than enough chance to respond with something more fair to you both and she hasn't.

xx

[ponylady]

I want to point out that she can not leave you bad feedback.  A seller is not allowed.

I personally would not risk sending her back without some sort of reassurance from your seller that you are going to receive a refund.  She seems unwilling to want to work with you on the matter, so a case I am afraid is your only other option.  It is going to be the only way that you are going to be guranteed that you get your money back unfortunately 

If you feel that uncomfortable opening a case, then I think you need to chalk it up as a loss.  I would not want to risk being out my money and the pony by sending it back.

[lochnessmomster]

Hun, you are handling this waaay better than I would have done! Kudos to you and your patience and <hugs> too.

I'd open a 'not as described' case and leave it to ebay to resolve. I know you're not happy with how much you've paid but at least it's £16 and not £60 If the worst comes to the worst at least it's not a massive amount. I would open the case though, you've given her more than enough chance to respond with something more fair to you both and she hasn't.

xx

Thanks, Sarah-Bee. :-) If the seller gets back to me with something more conclusive (i.e. I will or even I won't give you a refund), at least I'll know what I'm dealing with and how best to respond.  If she says no or continues to be evasive, I will keep the pony and replace her tail.  Saralacewing has kindly offered to send me a matching colour hank so that at least I'll still have a nice pony when all is said and done.  And you're right, at least it's only £16.  It could have been a MUCH more expensive mistake!

I want to point out that she can not leave you bad feedback.  A seller is not allowed.

I personally would not risk sending her back without some sort of reassurance from your seller that you are going to receive a refund.  She seems unwilling to want to work with you on the matter, so a case I am afraid is your only other option.  It is going to be the only way that you are going to be guranteed that you get your money back unfortunately 

If you feel that uncomfortable opening a case, then I think you need to chalk it up as a loss.  I would not want to risk being out my money and the pony by sending it back.

So the seller can't leave bad feedback after I've opened up an "item not as described" case?  If so, that's really good to know, thanks. :-) Also, I want to apologise for my response to you earlier.  I wasn't mad at you so much as at the situation and at myself for having been so stupid.   However, on the whole, this experience has been more good than bad.  I've learned a LOT about what and what not to do on eBay, and I've gotten a lot of support and good advice in this thread.  Many thanks to everyone who has responded and stuck with me through this drawn-out affair. 

P.S. I love your reminder to "Count your Rainbows, not your Thunderstorms."  Even in the middle of this "thunderstorm" drama with the seller, I've encountered enough rainbows to make it all worth it. 

 

~Lochness~

[lovesbabysquirmy]

If you open a "not as described" with Ebay, and pay for it to be returned with delivery confimation/tracking, Ebay will refund you when it arrives at the seller.  And sellers can NOT leave anything besides positive feedback.

[Maniah]

With that last Note to the seller you are practically telling her its OK to deny a refund since you stated you would just deal with the pony and make her pretty if she didn't want to promise a refund. >.< Opening a case seems like your safest best.

[ClosetAvalanche]

I haven't responded to this thread because I am a seller and instantly went on the defensive when I read what happened... I'm sure other sellers can relate.

Anyhow, I would just file a case- it's obvious from the seller's corispondence that she's trying to find any excuse to not refund you. I'm predicting she receives the pony back, emails you back to say she didn't see anything wrong with it and demands you pay x.xx to ship it back. It would be easier and save a lot of frustration to file a case. Ebay is always on the buyer's side, so she will be forced to refund you, just make sure you get delivery confirmation when you return it and don't worry about negative feedback as buyers can't receive any- I'm still surprised at the amount of buyers who think they can still receive it! honestly, her customer service sucks.

That's all I have to say.
Good luck!