Problem with Frankie Bed Purchased on Ebay

[nessa16]

So, I recently bought a Frankie bed on eBay that I received today and it appears that the footboard is broken off of the bed and had been previously and repaired with glue.  For those of you that bought it new, the foot board was securely attached wasn't it?  The screw bolts that look like they should hold the foot board on are broken in half and there is a lot of glue residue around it.  In fact it arrived separated from the bed in the box.  I am contacting the seller and hopefully can at least get a discount if not return it.  Here is the listing for it:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MONSTER-HIGH-FRANKIE-STEIN-BED-MIRROR-DOLL-FURNITURE-SOLD-OUT-IN-STORES-/200899024260?ViewItem=&item=200899024260&nma=true&si=eGWGXoUCDwj6ucInbfCkQySJ24Y%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

I don't see anything in the listing or pictures indicating the damage.  It says she had to disassemble it to fit it in the box by 4 parts but it arrived in 5 parts. 

[ShortyBoo]

I'm not too familiar with eBay, but can't you file a claim that it wasn't as described since it didn't say it had been repaired before?

[Aeryala]

If the seller isn't cooperative, you can always take it up with ebay/Paypal.  They will side with you.

[jupiternwndrlnd]

thats a bummer :/ I can't seen any damage in the auction photos either.

hopefully she will cooperate and give you a partial refund. Tho i believe that you can file a claim with paypal because the item is not as described.

[nessa16]

If it does work out to be a partial refund, how much should be refunded based on its worth in this condition and what I paid? 

[himmie]

I see it mentions taking it apart for shipping. Perhaps they broke it in the process?

[Dorriebelle]

I see it mentions taking it apart for shipping. Perhaps they broke it in the process?

That part doesn't come apart - at least, not without a hammer ! Only parts that do are the floor piece, the rotating knobs and side supports. I don't know why anyone would even try to pull that apart, it's together pretty solidly. I know that if I'd somehow broken it while breaking it down, I'd e-mail the buyer, explain what happened, give them the choice to continue or back out. I like to think most sellers are the same way. But from what Nessa describes, it got stepped on or something prior to shipping, especially if there's glue residue, and the seller just kept going. Shame if that's the case.

It's pretty worthless with the end broken off. Only value left is in the prop pieces and bedding,which might get you $5. You'll spend more than that shipping it anywhere, I can tell ya. I can't tell from any of the photos where it was damaged, and it doesn't mention repairs in the description, but glue residue indicates damage prior to shipment. I've had two of them, and there is no glue residue anywhere on it fresh outta the box. I'd write the seller, give them a chance to make good, but keep an eye on the dates so I can request a refund before PayPal ceases to be your friend and advocate.

Ranks that this happened to you, Nessa. It's a cool bed, and I hope there's resolution in your favor soon.

[nessa16]

I see it mentions taking it apart for shipping. Perhaps they broke it in the process?

That part doesn't come apart - at least, not without a hammer ! Only parts that do are the floor piece, the rotating knobs and side supports. I don't know why anyone would even try to pull that apart, it's together pretty solidly. I know that if I'd somehow broken it while breaking it down, I'd e-mail the buyer, explain what happened, give them the choice to continue or back out. I like to think most sellers are the same way. But from what Nessa describes, it got stepped on or something prior to shipping, especially if there's glue residue, and the seller just kept going. Shame if that's the case.

It's pretty worthless with the end broken off. Only value left is in the prop pieces and bedding,which might get you $5. You'll spend more than that shipping it anywhere, I can tell ya. I can't tell from any of the photos where it was damaged, and it doesn't mention repairs in the description, but glue residue indicates damage prior to shipment. I've had two of them, and there is no glue residue anywhere on it fresh outta the box. I'd write the seller, give them a chance to make good, but keep an eye on the dates so I can request a refund before PayPal ceases to be your friend and advocate.

Ranks that this happened to you, Nessa. It's a cool bed, and I hope there's resolution in your favor soon.

Thanks for the comments Dorriebelle.  I think if I do end up having to keep it, that my husband can epoxy it back on.  It's not that the slab part of the bed is broken but the foot board comes out of it if that makes sense.  When I get on my old computer, I will have to post the pictures I took.  I just know that there is obvious residue and obvious damage.  If the bed is not knocked around it stays in but is not stable or sturdy by any means.  I don't even think the seller had time to break it and box and ship since they sent it the same day I bought it unless they had it prepackaged and was just waiting to ship it to the winning bidder.  Hence, I think that it was broken before being listed.  There is no picture of the bed from the end of the bed looking to the headboard which is where glue residue can be seen when he foot board is put into the slab part of the bed.  Seriously though, it does look like it would have taken some strength for it to have been broken because the attaching pieces are metal screws with plastic around them and it sits pretty far into that slab part of the bed.  Also, you can see stress marks on the plastic at the end of the bed slab. 

[nessa16]

So, I got a partial reimbursement from the seller of $31 if I would keep it and try to repair it.  However, now I just received a verify claim email through eBay saying that the sender opened a shipping insurance claim because the item was damaged.  This seems fishy to me because it obviously looks like the item had been broken and repaired prior to shipment and was not listed in the original listing.  So, I got a partial refund back of the total $56.99 that includes shipping.  The seller sent $2 with the bed due to overcharging the shipping.  So that's now $54.99 minus the $31 reimbursement and $12.99 for shipping.  Ok, that leaves the seller with still an $11 profit for a damaged item that they sold and now they are filing for full reimbursement for damage during shipping.  Anyone else see this as odd or am I just being paranoid? 

I called eBay and the lady said that because of this move by the seller, that I should open a claim for the full amount and most likely will have to return the bed.  However, she said if I don't want to return it that I should not file one, but I still don't know if I should verify this seller's claim.  I feel a little cheated that they get $11 of my money and then will get reimbursement.  I messaged the seller asking about the claim and basically what I have put here.  I wonder what kind of response I will get.  The eBay representative that I talked to did say that I would get my shipment paid for if I shipped it back but we had already agreed that I would keep it to repair and partially reimburse the money.  I already received the reimbursement.

Post Merge: March 06, 2013, 12:11:57 AM

Well, I got the response from the seller and it was rather rude.  She basically accused me of making false allegations against her about it having already been broken and glued (a fact which she did not deny until this last message) and said that she had sent a perfect item.  She also accused me of breaking the bed or that my child did (which I don't have) and unsuccessfully tried to repair it and am passing the mistake on to her to pay for.  I filed a claim as suggested by the eBay rep that I spoke to earlier today and replied to her message telling her I found her rude and unprofessional.  I am just so sick of dealing with people like this.  I wonder if she will turn around and try to sell it again in the same condition without stating that it is broken.  I will be leaving her negative feedback most likely for her rudeness. 

Can anyone show me pictures of the end of Frankie's bed that has never been broken?  Also, confirm does the slab part come disassembled from the headboard and footboard or are they all one piece out of the box?  I think Dorriebelle may have said this but I would love to see pix if anyone has them.  I am just so frustrated right now.  I have wanted this bed forever and thought I would finally have it but looks like just another mess and I will be returning it.  I would love to buy one NIB but they are so darn expensive.  Well, it's extremely late...even though I cannot sleep because of all this drama...so I should try to go to bed.

[Keelee_von_Cupcake]

I'm sorry all this trouble happened to you! What a horrible seller.

The "slab" part of the bed IS all one piece. The long rectangle (that's mirrored on the back) the doll lays on, the cabinet headboard and the footboard with the pop-up screen are not supposed to come apart from each other, at least as far as I can tell. Both ends are very securely connected to the slab part. I didn't see any glue lines anywhere. I've tried to take some pictures for you, not sure how helpful they'll be.

The footboard, inner view (ignore my dust ):
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More pictures under the tag.

Spoiler

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The footboard, outer view:
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The headboard, inner view:
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The headboard, outer view:
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These orb things do detach:
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I can't recall if the round pink things off the center of the slab (one of them has the lever that turns the bed) originally came detached or not, but I couldn't pull them apart now on mine:
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The stand that supports the bed comes apart into these three pieces (plus the comb) without too much struggle (but goes together securely, they wouldn't just fall apart):
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Edit: I was just checking out the seller's listing again, and I know you're probably going to send the bed back, but if you decide to keep it, I'd be extremely interested in buying that iCoffin accessory from you. >.>; I've been looking for Frankie's forever. I could also throw in as a trade almost anyone else's iCoffin.

[nessa16]

Thanks for the pictures Keelee.  They are much appreciated the glue residue is visible on the outside part of the footboard and is noticeable if you look closely at it.  I do not see anything like that in your pictures.  That is the one angle that the seller did not take a picture of.  The case has been escalated to eBay Resolution center because we did not reach an agreement.  I am not going to be very happy if I have to return it and pay for return shipping with all of this. 

As for the iCoffin, it is an Abbey one, not Frankie.  The seller just included some odds and ends with the bed due to not having the comb.  It was also missing the needle and thread but that is not in the listing.