Ebay Non Pony Issue: Can this be fixed? Update today last post

[tulagirl]

So, I buy a moc toy from an ebay store seller.  The seller decided to place my moc item in a flimsy mailer.  It arrived all bent up and was ruined.  This was very disappointing.  I sent pictures of the damage along with an email about the problem, but I never heard from them.  After a while I just decided to pass the item on to someone else and I left neutral feedback only that the item did not arrive as described and I mentioned something about contacting the seller and not getting a response.  Just basic no blasting or anything.
Nothing happens for a few days.
Then all of the sudden the seller writes me a claims they were on vacation and sorry they didn't communicate.  They cancel the sale, send me a refund and that is about it.  Well, at this point I am wondering why I did  not get a vacation notice when I sent my initial email and photos because, I always get one from stores when sellers are out. I would have waited longer had I known.
I am feel funny about it. I am glad I didn't leave a negative but I feel guilty about leaving the neutral.  I wonder if I can get ebay to remove it or was it fair for me to leave it?  I never leave bad feedback, I guess I am just getting tired of stores being so unprofessional and not considering items purchased important enough to protect with proper shipping.

[bluerose9978]

You could maybe leave follow up feedback saying the seller issued you a full refund. You left them neutral for a reason: They shipped the item with no protection, they didn't communicate. They should know better for shipping. And if they were away, they should have set communication to reflect that. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Haruna]

I think your feedback was fair; the seller wasn't meeting their end of the deal, i.e., getting the item you paid for safely to you and responding quickly if something wasn't right. Like bluerose said, you could add that they did give you a refund, but I think a neutral is very fair

[tulagirl]

Oh good grief now the seller has asked me to change their feedback to a positive.  I just don't know if ebay will allow me to do this once feedback is left.  They said they could not figure out how to set a vacation email.  Something seems a little strange about this  whole thing.  I am beginning to wonder if since I left the neutral they are just trying to fix it now since they were hoping maybe I would do nothing.  I mean how is it that you are a power seller and have a store and don't know how to set vacation emails?  I guess I am over thinking this one yet again.

Well, I looked into all of this and ebay would not allow me to change the feedback number one and then I really don't know why; but I just can't figure out how to leave a follow up. I have read the directions but nothing seems to show me a place to leave the follow up.  Ebay use to be so much easier, but they have complicated everything.  I am at a loss on this one.  I should just be able to click on the feedback I left and have the option to follow up but that doesn't work, there is nothing on my account that allows me to do it and when I go to feedback forum it has me search by member and then nothing about follow ups by buyer feedback I have left ever appears.  I am just sick of looking at it.

[dragonlady]

It's actually a moot point anyway; if they had packed your item correctly in the first place you wouldn't have had to contact them! I agree with the others, your initial feedback is fair.

[tulagirl]

Yes I  agree with you on that dragonlady.  I kind of just want to move on.  To be perfectly honest it just feels all wrong that they are asking me to change their feedback. I did not say anything to them at all about how I felt about their feedback, so that was all their idea.

[Haruna]

So sorry for all the trouble :/ Once I left a neutral for a seller because he had described a lot of ponies as just needing cleaning up when, once I received them, I found that several had chunks missing, princess jewels gone, cigarette burns on one, and all smelled like smoke, and then there were flaws non-collectors wouldn't have noticed, like marks and fading (I don't blame him for those) It was extremely disappointing. I left a neutral because the description wasn't accurate as it could have been and the seller was pretty angry and messaged me wanting me to change it; I actually folded and changed it to a positive, just left my wording the same. I shouldn't have, though; the neutral was fair. So I can sympathize a bit!

[bluerose9978]

It is against eBay's policy for them to guilt you or talk you into changing your feedback. "I did this so you are supposed to do that..." Is extortion. If they have a lot of great feedback and one neutral they will be OK. But if they keep harassing you about it you can contact eBay about their behavior because it's not right for them to expect you to leave positive feedback when you didn't have a positive experience.

[tulagirl]

Thank you Haruna for your validation.  It is difficult, but I really did have to remind myself why I left it in the first place. 

Bluerose, I was not aware of that ebay policy.  They have 4 neutrals in the last year and no negatives.  So, yea they have really good feedback and my neutral isn't going to hurt their over all rating, but I am not sure what it will do concerning their power seller status, but they do not have that rating that some stores and sellers have for selling a lot and not having problems. I forget what that is called. I have a massive migraine today.  Can't think at all too well.  So, even though they are a power seller, they have had issues and their starts are not all perfect.  At least they were nice to me and did not throw a fit.  I appreciate the refund, but my feedback reflects the problems I had with them and it was not the best transaction by far even with the refund.


UpDaTe:

Well, this seller has contacted me again stating they didn't know how to put their store on vacation with a vacation email.  I find this amazing, but maybe they just set up a store to sell and don't know what all there is there for their use.  So, I sent them to the ebay help section and vacation settings so they can stop bugging me about this. I feel like they are saying in an indirect way that the feedback is unfair since they did not know how to do something.  That really is not my problem.  I can't remove my neutral and do not want to, but I finally was able to leave them a follow up thanking them for the refund that they sent and that they finally contacted me.  That should hopefully stop all the contact and let this seller move on.  I get the feeling that either they are playing the dumb card or they might be quite a bit older and just a little clueless. Either way I feel that the whole transaction could have been handled better.  They could have put a note in my box, "I am on vacation from....to....if you have any problems please wait for my return and I will be happy to work with you."  So, I feel there is not excuse here. I have gotten letters like that in packages.  Communication is key to selling and owning a store.  Maybe this will be good for them to know for future sales.

[bluerose9978]

I think the feedback is fair. It's not like you gave them a negative. It's their responsibility to know how to put a vacation setting on their store and it's not your fault they were on vacation. I think they were just trying to guilt you into changing your feedback into a positive. If it were that easy, eBay would allow you to be able edit feedback. But they don't. For a reason. Too many sellers use guilt and eBay is trying to help get honest feedback. I wouldn't let it get to you, you did the right thing.