So steamed... UPDATED!

[Galactica]

Technically since I described it as "not as described"  the dispute was categorized the same way that it would have been had I been unsatisfied with the item I purchased, once received.   I suppose that saying that I didn't get the item I ordered would have been correct too- but honestly I am not terribly concerned about whether I get my $8 back from ebay, I'm mostly just miffed at the way this was handled.

I also don't think this is the same as going to a shop and getting the wrong thing.  At least buying something at a shop is under my control-  I can look into the box before I leave the store.  Here- I ordered online, paid for shipping, and did not receive my item.  I got something else (that reeked of cigarettes to boot).  Also, at least with a shop I can just take the light rail over and return it- here I have to spend my cash just to fix the seller's mistake. 

Also, the seller may not have broken any rules- but his customer service stank.  He was rude.  He didn't even acknowledge the mistake or say sorry.  He didn't want to send the item I needed for my secret santa this week until I mailed the item he had sent by mistake- back to him.  Only then would he give me a refund or send the correct item-  and he refused to pay or even split the cost of return shipping that was necessary due solely to his mistake.  His communication was definitely not five stars, and sending me the wrong thing and refusing to correct it definitely does not get five stars on the "as described" category.
Overall it was a very very unsatisfactory transaction.  I hope that he thinks that his saving $4 in shipping is worth getting a big fat negative on his feedback, because he sure deserved it in my mind.

[Lollipop]

If you want to you can actually report the seller to ebay stating what happened & they will sort it out for you. I understand its a hassle though. Hopefully ebay will put a stop to that seller soon anyway if they carry on the way they are

[Galactica]

Honestly I think they are crazy for handling this transaction the way they did- I know if it were me, I'd have apologized for the mistake and sent the right item out immediately, and offered some kind of discount for MY mistake.

Considering how important the star rating system is on ebay now- I was quite frankly surprised that the seller would essentially flip me the bird instead of trying to do something, ANYTHING to fix THEIR mistake.   Especially over such a cheap item.

[goddessofpeep]

Well, I can see why that seller doesn't care about their feedback so much.  They've got quite a few feedbacks, so the odd bad one probably won't affect them much.  There are a few feedbacks about smoke smells and other customer service issues(broken items, wrong items, etc.  One buyer even had a similar problem - the seller sent the wrong size and refused to refund unless the buyer sent back the wrong item at their own cost).  You can tell from that seller's feedback that he/she's a nut though.  Sellers who reply to every bad feedback they get with  something along the lines of "the buyer's an idiot/liar, and I reported them to ebay!!!!!" is one to avoid.

Good luck getting your money back, and THANK YOU for the warning!  Terrible, terrible seller!

[yaizel]

My!
I hate when they refuse a refund even when it was them on first place sending an item that is not the one listed
 :/

[ponycake]

I'm going to disagree here. If you buy something at the shop, open it and find the wrong thing was put into the box, do you expect the shop to pay for your petrol and parking costs in going back to return it? This is no different. Plus when you buy on eBay you agree to the terms and conditions and this is one of them. In buying on eBay you chose to take this risk. The seller has followed eBay's rules exactly and I can't see that they have done anything wrong. Yes, it's annoying but that's what you get buying on eBay.

Errrr. You should liken it to buying from an online website. Would they refund the shipping cost? Absolutely they would.

Anyway, I'm glad most? sellers don't think this way. :\ Not someone I would ever want to buy from. Own up and fix your mistakes and don't put other people out for them.

[Shiromisa]

I'm going to disagree here. If you buy something at the shop, open it and find the wrong thing was put into the box, do you expect the shop to pay for your petrol and parking costs in going back to return it? This is no different. Plus when you buy on eBay you agree to the terms and conditions and this is one of them. In buying on eBay you chose to take this risk. The seller has followed eBay's rules exactly and I can't see that they have done anything wrong. Yes, it's annoying but that's what you get buying on eBay.

Errrr. You should liken it to buying from an online website. Would they refund the shipping cost? Absolutely they would.

Anyway, I'm glad most? sellers don't think this way. :\ Not someone I would ever want to buy from. Own up and fix your mistakes and don't put other people out for them.

QFT. Also, generally, shop workers aren't responsible for having put the item in the box to begin with, so the comparison doesn't really work.

[Stormy31685]

If you have not called ebay yet, I would!  I believe there is a way you can send pictures of the mistake to them, and they can help you.  Certain times (and I believe this is one of them), it IS a seller's responsibility to pay for return shipping. 

I am sorry to hear you have to go through this, but hopefully eBay can help!

[Galactica]

You are absolutely right- I should have called eBay from the start- it turns out there IS a rule that covers me- I've updated on the first page.

I actually had uploaded a picture of the wrong item from the very start- and explained in clear factual detail what occurred and what a satisfactory resolution would entail-  the problem was that the eBay system reviewing my claim was just the computer system and not a person.

Once a person reviewed the claim they found in my favor

[MikeysGrrrl]

That's great news I'm so glad that they decided in your favour.

[Galactica]

So just now I received a message from the seller-  he forwarded me the message that eBay sent to him about the transaction:

Hi sampson_enterprise,


eBay opened a case because of an issue with an item purchased from you. We reviewed the case and have decided to issue the buyer a full refund of $8.95. The refund includes the purchase price plus original shipping. The hold on this PayPal transaction has been removed.

This case is now closed. You are not required to reimburse the buyer or eBay, and this case will not be counted in your seller performance evaluation.

So apparently he is feeling smug because he didn't have to issue a refund- and even though ebay found in my favor,  the case will not be counted in his seller performance evaluation.  I guess that's why he has such a high feedback rating even though he does this kind of thing all the time.

Seriously dude- you are happy because you gave one of your customers the worst customer service ever- ultimately earning you a negative feedback-  all over saving $4?  Bravo.  You sure showed me...
 

[Shiromisa]

Man, that's just rude on his part.

[ponycake]

So apparently he is feeling smug because he didn't have to issue a refund- and even though ebay found in my favor,  the case will not be counted in his seller performance evaluation.  I guess that's why he has such a high feedback rating even though he does this kind of thing all the time.

Seriously dude- you are happy because you gave one of your customers the worst customer service ever- ultimately earning you a negative feedback-  all over saving $4?  Bravo.  You sure showed me...
 

Maybe I'm a jerk, but I would actually write to Ebay and complain about him not being punished in any way for being an all around bad seller, only because he's being the smug jerk here. Someone needs a reality check.

[Mkia]

Man, that's just rude on his part.

Super rude! No interest in buying from him. Not if that's how he treats his buyers.

Ugh. I wish they would've sided with you in the first place and taken the money from him!

[Galactica]

So apparently he is feeling smug because he didn't have to issue a refund- and even though ebay found in my favor,  the case will not be counted in his seller performance evaluation.  I guess that's why he has such a high feedback rating even though he does this kind of thing all the time.

Seriously dude- you are happy because you gave one of your customers the worst customer service ever- ultimately earning you a negative feedback-  all over saving $4?  Bravo.  You sure showed me...
 

Maybe I'm a jerk, but I would actually write to Ebay and complain about him not being punished in any way for being an all around bad seller, only because he's being the smug jerk here. Someone needs a reality check.

I thought about it- but really I think that it is punishment enough that he has yet another negative feedback.  Hopefully future buyers take a moment to read through his negative and neutral feedbacks before bidding (although I guess I didn't, ah well)