What to do about ebay purchase...

Kyler_Welsch · #1 09-11-2009, 06:15 PM

I bought an Ibanez BTB off of ebay and it arrived last night. I was giving it the once over to make sure it was the item that was described and when I plugged it in... nothing. I swapped out both batteries in case it was them... nothing. I'm no electronics expert so I had to wait until today to take it in to have it looked at. I took it in and my tech said that the volume pot is dead and needs to be replaced. He said it'll cost about $25 to do.

My question is, should I talk to the seller about paying for it since it wasn't in the description, or would it be my fault, and my bill, for not asking about the electronics beforehand?

Listing: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

I'm sort of thinking leaving out a what I think to be a fairly important piece of information is misrepresentation of the item at hand. Like they put it up with minimal information and hoped someone would do like I did and purchase without asking all the necessary questions.

But at the same time looking over the page, it seems like one of those "bring your stuff to our store and we'll sell it on ebay for you" kind of deals which would mean they only knew what was told to them about it.

Normally $25 wouldn't be a big deal and I'd just let it go and pay myself but I have multiple major events going on in my life all at once right now (marriage, kid, moving, etc.) and I need to save all the cash I can. I don't want to be a douche.

NS2A · #2 09-11-2009, 06:18 PM

Sellers fault. I mean, you go to Guitar Center and expect the guitars to work right? You buy something at Walmart and you expect it to work right?

taquitos43 · #3 09-11-2009, 06:22 PM

In my opinion, "good condition" means at a minimum it would be playable. That should have been disclosed. I would contact them and ask for the $25.00 to be refunded. File a dispute for $25.00 through Paypal and see what happens. The worst that can happen is you lose and have to pay the $25.00 repair bill. I think this course of action is reasonable.

Kyler_Welsch · #4 09-11-2009, 06:29 PM

Should I give the seller the opportunity to resolve it before going to Paypal or do both at once? I already sent the seller a message...

taquitos43 · #5 09-11-2009, 07:41 PM

It doesn't really matter. I'd probably do both at once. If they agree to refund the $25.00, the dispute is resolved. If they decide not to, Paypal does an investigation and decides who wins. Usually, in an eBay situation, I hear they side with the buyer, much to many sellers' dismay. Many of the disputes we hear about are complete BS, but to me, it sounds like you are completely justified in this course. Who wants to purchase a bass that doesn't work without prior warning? I'd say nobody.

UncleFluffy · #6 09-11-2009, 07:54 PM

People make mistakes - it's how they fix them that matters. Contact the seller, let them know what happened and give them a chance to fix the problem. If they don't, then escalate to Paypal. It's quite possible that the pot was working when it left their place.

Kyler_Welsch · #7 09-11-2009, 09:38 PM

Seller has already contacted back and is being extremely kind and understanding. Thanks for the help!

hbarcat · #8 09-11-2009, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyler_Welsch

Seller has already contacted back and is being extremely kind and understanding. Thanks for the help!

Cool.

What I do in situations like this is politely inform the seller of the problem and ask the seller to please fix the problem with a solution that is reasonable to both parties. Depending on the situation, it may be better to ask for a specific remedy that you thing is fair and see if the seller agrees or it may be better to ask the seller what he thinks would be a fair solution and see how he responds.

In my experience, the seller is very helpful and eager to see you are satisfied. Occasionally, you run in to a jerk who will try to rip you off but these people are actually pretty rare, and in most of these cases, if you play your cards right, Ebay or PayPal will step in an take care of it for you.

Kyler_Welsch · #9 09-11-2009, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hbarcat

Cool.

What I do in situations like this is politely inform the seller of the problem and ask the seller to please fix the problem with a solution that is reasonable to both parties. Depending on the situation, it may be better to ask for a specific remedy that you thing is fair and see if the seller agrees or it may be better to ask the seller what he thinks would be a fair solution and see how he responds.

In my experience, the seller is very helpful and eager to see you are satisfied. Occasionally, you run in to a jerk who will try to rip you off but these people are actually pretty rare, and in most of these cases, if you play your cards right, Ebay or PayPal will step in an take care of it for you.

That's pretty much what I did. The seller already refunded me $30 even though I said it would only be $25 for the repair. That is what I call service! I wish there were more people like that on ebay, maybe then it wouldn't have become such a crapshoot for sellers. Problem presented and solved within five hours!

SchecterC4 · #10 09-12-2009, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grandauction

We will try our best to describe items to the best we can and will work with the buyer to the fullest to resolve any mistakes. All items are available for inspection by the bidder or his agent in Torrance California. Please email for address and directions

This is what I'd like to see on all auction sellers descriptions.