How long to wait before leaving neutral feedback?

[Cassie85]

This is non pony related. I bought a sewing machine off ebay. The seller has 100% positive feedback, and is a power seller. Shippig was super fast, and the machine is in very good condition. The machine was not packaged well. Its a 40lb machine, and the box had a tiny strip of tape on the bottom. The main problem I have is how they packaged the sewing machine oiler. All accessories were thrown into a zip lock bag, and it seemed they attempted to package the oiler in a separate zip lock bag, but it wasnt sealed, and the cap on the oiler wasnt properly secured, so all the oil leaked out onto the accessories, and into part of the box. I paid quite a bit for this machine, and the oil for this brand is not cheap to buy, so I'm a little annoyed by all this. I messaged the seller, told them what happened and if there is something they can do to make it up. I havent heard back from them, which is odd, because they were really quick to reply when I was asking questions about the machine.
So, on the chance that they either do not reply, how many days should a person wait to leave neutral feedback. I'm not taking this lightly, they have good feedback, so I want to work with them. I will leave a few more messages for them in the next two days if I dont hear anything back. But I spent close to $700 for the machine, $47 of which was for shipping. I feel that they should have packaged this thing  to perfection for that. The oil should have had the cap tightly secured, and even taped to prevent it leaking. Not thrown in a bag unsecured.
Thanks!

[bluerose9978]

Honestly, I would see if they have any current auctions (just in case they are on vacation). They may have been quick to ship because they were going on vacation. If they do and they are shipping and selling, then I wouldn't hesitate. I think I would maybe send off a couple messages and if there are no replies then leave honest feedback. Just be sure in your messages to them, do not mention that you will be leaving them the neutral feedback because that could come off as feedback extortion. Just be honest, letting them know you are unhappy with their packaging so they know for future sales and whether they choose to do anything, that's up to them.

[Cassie85]

I heard back from them. They are not going to do anything to make it up, they will not take responsibility for the poor packaging, and  basically said the only thing they will offer is an apology.
I made sure not to mention feedback at all, not in my first message or the reply I sent. I will give them till tonight to reply, and then I will leave feedback. I'm just surprised with how good they reputation is that they refuse to work with me. I'm wondering if this is the first issue they have encountered, and dont know how to properly handle it.
I really dont like leaving anything other than good feedback. I take this seriously. But with their attitude and unwillingness to help, I cannot justify leaving them positive feedback.

Post Merge: August 12, 2016, 12:42:57 PM

Heard back again. Same attitude. They say this is their first time with an unhappy customer, and by their handeling of the situation, it shows it is their first time. They may have a good reputation for their customer service in happy customer situations, but when it comes to a customer that is unhappy they shut off and refuse to be helpful. Everything is of course UPS fault. And now because they are a power seller I have to wait a week to leave neutral feedback.

[bluerose9978]

Yeah, I think that's eBay's way of hoping you'll work things out with the seller before leaving feedback. It also gives time to forget which is why I think they may have so many positive feedbacks and no neutral or negatives. But it's very bad customer service not to handle it better.

[CoonhoundBetty]

I would be leaving a negative, not a neutral. They screwed up on packaging a several hundred dollar machine, and outright refuse to make things right.

[Taxel]

I agree with CoonhoundBetty. I know we as a community try to be so forgiving and understanding and never leave neutral/negative, but there are most definitely times for negatives. If this was a $10 or $20 item then I'd probably leave a neutral. $700 though? That's a completely different ballmark. That kind of item should be packed flawlessly and if anything goes wrong customer service should be even better than usual.

Does the seller normally deal in such high expense items or do they mostly just sell cheaper stuff?

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I would be leaving a negative, not a neutral. They screwed up on packaging a several hundred dollar machine, and outright refuse to make things right.

Definitely!  Liquid sloshing around in your package is NOT cool.  In fact I think it violates postal standards... shipping liquids requires special handling, which clearly they did not do.  And they are refusing to provide customer service?  Most definitely a negative!

[Cassie85]

I would be leaving a negative, not a neutral. They screwed up on packaging a several hundred dollar machine, and outright refuse to make things right.

Definitely!  Liquid sloshing around in your package is NOT cool.  In fact I think it violates postal standards... shipping liquids requires special handling, which clearly they did not do.  And they are refusing to provide customer service?  Most definitely a negative!

That actually didnt even dawn on me, but you are right.

To answer an earlie question, they deal exclusively with sewing machines and vaccumes.

[marblecheshire]

I would be leaving a negative. No excuse for bad packaging and definitely none for horrible customer service. Being a power seller should imply they know how to treat their customers. In your case they dropped the ball big time and other sellers will want to know. I would be asking for a partial refund to cover the cost of oil and cleaning that you would not have to be replacing if they had packaged the item properly.

[Taxel]

Wow... if they deal exclusively in sewing machines they should know how to ship them! Definitely no excuses and very deserving of a negative.

[alkevin]

At least they should send you another bottle of oil for free.