I was right to give neutral feedback? Can refunds be undone?

[Tulips]

I won an auction for a Peru Posey, but I guess I didn't. The listing didn't specifically name her but it had several pictures that the seller mentioned to check for condition, so I kind of expected that I'd be getting what was pictured. As it turns out the seller didn't actually have that pony, and after I won and paid immediately they contacted me to say there was a mistake and I could have one of these other ones instead or a refund.

After seeing pictures of the others (thinking maybe it's just that they have a Posey of different condition, nope) I said that I'd like a full refund. A few days pass and I get the refund so I left neutral feedback, not saying anything nasty just explaining what happened.

The seller than messaged me asking why I left them neutral after a refund. I explained that it wasn't a positive sale so they don't get positive feedback, and thanked them for the refund. I left their stars blank (expect 5 for communication because they were pretty good with that even with the language barrier) so I didn't ding them, I figured it was fair to give them a neutral? It's their responsibility to list items correctly, they had plenty time to realise their mistake and fix the listing before the sale was complete.

So yeah, they then responded with "oH mY god" so I've just gone ahead and blocked them before they get nasty or anything stupid.
 
What I'm worried about now it whether they can do anything negative toward me for this. I'll keep an eye out for them lying in feedback but is there any way that they can undo my refund?

[kakenterprise]

They can't undo or leave you bad feedback.  No worry's if anything I'd add them to your block list so they can't buy from you if you do sell something in the future.

[Tulips]

That's a relief, thanks for the advice

[tulagirl]

I probably would not have left the neutral since they gave me a full refund.  They did all they could to make a mistake right.  I guess they felt betrayed when they worked hard at doing the right thing by you.  I see what you felt too.

[Galactica]

A neutral was a little harsh unless you thought that the mistake was intentional or they were trying to defraud you.  That is just because a neutral for a seller on ebay isn't really "neutral" - it is negative and counts against the seller and if its an international seller, can even result in a revocation of the ability to sell overseas.

Still- they can't reverse a refund. 

[Tulips]

I was iffy about positive over neutral, I debated it with myself and got a second opinion before doing anything. But it was their mistake and they should have to own up to it and accept the feedback. I wasn't going to lie and give them a positive, they had an entire week in which they didn't notice their mistake. Which I don't understand how they could have missed, they uploaded several pictures of the same pony they apparently didn't have and didn't even give any explanation as to why they couldn't sell it to me. (for all I know they might actually have it but weren't happy with the sale price? *shrug*)

Two of the three ponies they offered to sell me instead were other ones that had recently failed to sell. They don't even predominantly sell ponies, with only three in their completed listings (one of which is the one I 'bought')... So how come they have three ponies to sell but when they sent me pictures of the ones they had, two were ones they had listed, the third was another that they haven't listed on ebay, and Posey just mysteriously doesn't exist? Either; where did they get the pictures from, or where did she go?

I was very polite and thankful for the refund, I gave them the best neutral I could because the experience wasn't bad enough for a negative but it definitely wasn't positive. I feel bad for it, this is the third neutral I have ever given in hundreds of purchases, I've never left negative feedback and don't think I ever will. But personally I felt that if I had been in the seller's position and had made such a mistake I would have accepted the feedback. I wouldn't expect to tell someone that actually the item they won and paid for doesn't exist but they can have one of these other ones instead or their money back, and then expect positive feedback whatever the outcome.

Frankly ebay is ridiculous for making anything less than perfect an automatic negative. I want to be honest with my feedback so other buyers know what to expect because that's what feedback is for. If people see 100% positive they might not check the details, but a polite neutral is fair in my opinion. I hope I haven't affected their ability to sell internationally but they really should take this in stride and be more careful.
They should be more professional and not mix their items up, even if they sell for hobby there's an expectation that they know what they're doing.

In any case my neutral doesn't appear to have affected their feedback at all, they still have 100% even with a couple other buyers' negatives, and their star rating didn't suffer at all.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I agree with you, if the seller listed ambiguous auctions and had you select from "the other ones" then they weren't accurately representing the listing from the beginning.    If you want to PM me, you can.  *pony hugs*

[Tulips]

Thanks, I'm bugged by it but I'm glad someone gets where I'm coming from *pony hugs*

[kitkatvintage]

If I were in your situation, I would not feel guilty about leaving a neutral. The seller should have the exact item in their listing to sell to the winning bidder... not offer a different item because of their own mistake. Neutral feedback is deserved here.

[tulagirl]

They will get over it in time. Even though you may get mixed reactions to your post here it has to be what you feel is best for yourself. If you feel your neutral was justified then you just have to go with it. I know for myself as a seller I am always scared to death I am going to miss something and encounter this and that is why its so hard for me to leave that type of feedback.

[lunar_scythe]

the seller had the time from the start of the auction till the time it ended, to realize they didn't have that pony, so I think the neutral was completely understandable.  maybe they didn't understand that different ponies will sell for different prices, but offering you a pony that received no bids instead of the one you bought seems more like trying to scam you to me then a seller trying to make things right.

[Ringlets]

I think you did the right thing too TBH, so dont worry about it  .  Ok, if there is a genuine mistake and the seller fixes it then its normally worth a positive, but in this case I dont think so. The seller didnt have the pony you won (so why list it, and where did they get the pic?), and they tried to offer you different ponies that didnt sell? er no.  Maybe they dont understand about pony values differing, but something sounds off here and the sellers next response wasnt good either.

[Tulips]

Thanks for all the opinions, you've all helped me feel better about it