I just got in a Porter Cable 7800 Drywall Sander, I bought it off of Ebay and it came from Super Cash Pawn–Jacksonville, Florida. It came in missing parts–I have only bought a few things off of Ebay so I do not know if I have any recourse in this matter.
I know they had to know it was missing parts but why put it up for sale as good condition like that–I am sick over this.
What options do I have? I did pay with Paypal.
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.Nobody is as good as they seem, nobody is as bad as they seem either.
Edited 10/5/2007 11:35 pm ET by handymanvan
Edited 10/5/2007 11:35 pm ET by handymanvan
Replies
Go in with fists swinging after contacting the seller and letting him now you are peeved over the deal if he doesn't respond in goodwill.
Most want to protect their image if they are a decent caliber sales outfit.
So if not, get rough and take no prisoners.
I got a feeling goodwill is only there by pure chance, they had good reviews when I bought and since then, some guy has posted they sent him something broke as well. They are only about ten hours from me..Nobody is as good as they seem, nobody is as bad as they seem either.
If it was a pawn shop like that there is a good chance they didn't know. They might move a lot of merchandise and it's hard to keep track of everything.
Email first to the seller with an exact explanation to give a chance for clarity.
If not a good response then it's war.
Complain to EBay.
Communicate with the seller through his EBay page.
Post negative comments on the sellers EBay page.
Listen to Rez.
SamT
Check his feedback--what did the people actually say about him? How much feedback did they have? What did they buy? If these don't give you a warm fuzzy, and in light of the fact that suddenly someone else has posted a problem, might want to go directly to the PayPal step.
Send the seller a detailed e-mail through the ebay messaging center. Be thorough; stick to the facts; proof-read your message. State that you will be filing a complaint if you do not hear from him within 2 days (+/- 1 day).
If you get no response, or an unacceptable response, file a complaint through PayPal. Go to your account; click on the "Resolution Center" tab toward the top right; click on "Report a problem" below the tabs, on the left--smallish print. PayPal does a pretty reasonable job of talking you through the process--just pay attention to the timeline!
Kathleen
I've never been ripped off on E-bay (infact I just got a table saw from there yesterday), but...there are specific instructions from E-bay about dissatisfaction. You need to go to your e-bay and do exactly what they say being very specific.
I have experienced this as both a seller and a buyer and found this method will get the results you need.
1. First, contact the seller via ebay's contact seller button under My Ebay. Do not directly email them. This way, ebay has an archive of the communications. Explain calmly what happened and ask seller to take care of it. No need to yell at him, most sellers are willing to make things right with the first communication. If you are honest and open then you are more likely to get the response you want.
if after several attempts to work things out yield no results, then proceed to number 2
2. File an ebay claim that the item was not as described. This is well hidden - go to site map then click "report an item not recieved", or use this link http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?InrCreateDispute
This usually gets the sellers attention if the step 1 did not work, however, if you are still not getting the response you expected then proceed to step 3.
3. Since you paid with paypal, you can withhold the funds very easily. Paypal always sides with the buyer and will immediately take the funds out of the sellers account and hold them until the dispute is resolved. From paypal, log in and go to resolution center, then press link for "report a problem". They will prompt you with auction number, description of issue, etc. Paypal is part of the Ebay company, so they can see what you communicated to the seller in step 1 and 2.
4. Immediately after step 3, send seller negative feedback and put a nasty comment in. It is very likely that he will leave you nasty feedback in return. If he is a powerseller, then negative feedback can be damaging and they can dump him from the program if he gets too much.
5. By now seller should have responded. He will ask you to remove negative feedback, and return will remove feedback he left for you. He will refund your money, or give you a discount that you agree to.
As you buy more on ebay you will start to be able to predict which sellers are more likely to be difficult. One thing I always do it look at their feedback (press the feedback number after their name on the description page). Near the top it will have a listing that shows how many positive and negative feedbacks there were. That is interesting, but not very helpful in most cases. What you should look for is the "Ratings mutually withdrawn". These are cases where negative feedback was left, and they seller resolved the issue and buyer removed feedback. If they have a lot of these then they tend to be difficult to work with.
In general, ebay is a great place to get bargains, and a great place to unload junk around the house. I have sold 500+ items and purchased 100+. Only once or twice did I have a bad experience, one of which is still going on (amazingly, it is over an item I sold for $6!)
It seems to me that more and more tool auctions are through pawn shops, maybe a sign of the construction slow down?
I've had very good luck with ebay except with a recent tool purchase - also from a pawn shop (Kiwkset boring/installation kit)...missing parts, the grainy black and white photos in the auction listing made it impossible to see the rusted drill bits and that the tool case was full of sawdust and jobsite dirt - looks like it went directly from the back of someone's truck into a shipping carton...
The pawn shop claimed ignorance, they don't know tools, don't know what's supposed to be included, it looked "only lightly used" to them, etc. Buyer beware.
-Norm
I've bought 4 or 5 nailguns from pawn shops on eBay. Not sure if it's a sign of a slowdown, a sign of jobsite theft, or a sign that guys get tools and then need their money back. Latest was a Senco SN65 framer in mint condition for $140.
If I got defective goods and had paid thru PayPal I would probably just initiate a chargeback with my CC company. Those are specifically for mail order transactions where what you got ain't what you ordered.
How much would it cost to fix it? Can you do it yourself? Was it a good price? These are things you should ask yourself.
And , like someone else posted, contact the seller. Have you done that? What was their response?
eBay is definitely a cr*p shoot, though it's got a decent self-regulating mechanism what with the feedback aspect. I've bought a lot of stuff on eBay over the years (sold a few things too) and overall it's been useful. Never been totally ripped off, though there are some sleazy sellers out there who are happy to mislead. You can usually tell from the way they write the copy though when they aren't being completely straight.
Ed
Edited 10/6/2007 10:05 am ET by edlee
I responded when I got it in from UPS.
I know it is missing what appears to be a yolk that would hold the sanding head on, when I took it out of the box the head came off, no parts in the package.
Pawnshop people are not stupid by a long shot, they were just unloading it just like they would at their store--except at the store you could look at it and pass if it was missing parts. I think they probably consider it good business to pass any problem merchandise on so it can be someone elses problem.
I already looked at the schematics to see about buying parts but I can not figure out all that is missing and I feel that if someone took the head off, it was probably because something was broken.
It is kinda sad, I wanted one of these things and would have spent the $500.00 to buy a brand new one, I am probably about to have about seven hundred and fifty in a new one.
I am waiting for their response to see what I will do next.Nobody is as good as they seem, nobody is as bad as they seem either.
OK, did you contact the seller by email, and if so what did they say? Sure, there are some crooks out there selling on ebay, but just like with contractors, don't assume they all are. You've gotta give 'em a chance to make it right.
Ebay feedback is a strong incentive for sellers to keep the buyers happy. Plus, what is the seller's return policy? And most allow returns for full refund (minus shipping) within a few days of receipt.
Sounds to me like you're assuming the worst without first going through the basic steps of communicating with the seller.View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
I did reply to them, how long should you wait for a response before figuring they are not responding? I feel they unloaded a tool that was unsellable, on the internet and I figured that they would probably not want to do anything about it. If in fact it was intentional--which it looks to be--this thing will not stay together....Nobody is as good as they seem, nobody is as bad as they seem either.
How long to wait for the reponse? I'd give them 5 business days. Lot of those E-bay stores only work M-F and they have a bunch of e-mial to wade through so give them at least an oppostunity to get to your message. Then go to war like rez says.
And ebay feedback is one of your best weapons! A lot of times they'll make it right just to get a neg removed.View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
You might want to take it to a PC/Delta/DeWalt repair depot and ask them what is missing.I used one once for about a hour a couple of weeks ago.I don't remember the details, but the head kinda floated on the yoke and it was not a fixed "universal joint" like I though. So there might not be anything missing.Also you might post a coulple of pictures.I know that other on Breaktime have them..
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
How much was your final bid?
I have no good advice but i saw a tool i wanted bad on ebay and my son a real computer and ebay savy kid said dont ever buy anything without him doing it he knows the "ropes" of ebay.
I know this does you no good, but a couple of my own experiences with ebay...
A full size air mattress. One of those premium type. Has it's own air pump. Firmness settings, etc. Billed in as-new condition.
I didn't have the opportunity, (time, or space), to set the mattress up and test it, until well after the time period for complaints.
When the box was opened, the nicotine smell hit me in the face. Ok, so I can deal with that. I knew it was used. (They claimed it had been used for one week. This thing had been in service for a loooong time...)
But... it leaks.
I bought a replacement valve, (the most common location for a leak.), and a patch kit. That didn't fix it.
So the money for the mattress was wasted, and then the money for the repair parts was wasted.
Live and learn.
~~~
Second item, a sawzall.
Again, billed as being in much better shape/quality than it actually was.
I recieved a different model than what was pictured. I recieved the same case, that much was obvious. But the saw was not the same saw as in the picture. Someone took the newer one out, and dropped the older one in, before shipping it.
Absolutely not 'sellable' condition, had it been sitting in a pawn shop. Too corroded. Plug was bad. (Actually missing one prong.) Setscrew was near to failure. Etc.
However... I got it for a very low price. And I secretly partied about it. Because...
It was/is a jewel in disguise.
It is an older model. Only has two speeds. But this thing will still be running long after I am feeding the worms.
And in fact, had I been given the choice between the older model I recieved, and the newer one that was in the pic, I would have chosen exactly the one I got. The newer one is less powerful, but rated the same. And is more prone to breakage.
I don't care what it looks like, (paint spatters, corrosion, scars, etc.), I care only that it is an excellent saw, and it works really well.
It was simple to replace the plug. In fact, I lengthened the cord while I was at it.
I replaced the setscrew with one that was very slightly oversized, when the bad one finally broke. That repair will last a few years. When it breaks again, I'll machine a whole new set of threads in the collar. Or just replace the collar/shaft.
Bottom line, as I said... someone thought they were unloading a piece of ####, and I got a gem for a bargain price.
Over time, I have paid more for blades, than I paid for the saw. Had I paid more for the saw, I would not have been able to afford good blades.
Which reminds me. I need some good metal cutting blades. Can anyone reccomend a good blade ? LOL
I got a nice B&D cutsaw for 4.50 on ebay. Setscrew was toast as the ad said, otherwise needs a cord someday. Works great with a new 1/4-28 buttonhead screw. Thems not easy to find. Got me a "loaner saw" now.
AX blades ae great. Got a nice kit, well 2 kits for 9.99 each from amazon, along with a recon milwaukee super sawzall for 99.99 in a case, with free shipping too.
AX blades might be great but Lenox rules!!
Do not leave the seller a neg until they refuse to help. If you're new to ebay or have low feedback their neg on you will hurt far more than you giving a neg to a Powerseller. Since they are a pawnshop odds are they didn't know parts were missing. Contact them and give them a chance before you do anything else. I've had many thousands of ebay buys and sales and only one or two turned out badly.
You can contact Paypal and open a dispute. Your cause is that the item is not as advertised. As soon as you open the dispute, Paypal reverses the payment to their account, so they really have to listen to you.
After that, it's a matter of email exchanges between you and the seller. If you can't come to an agreement after a certain period of time, Paypal will refund your money. Of course, the seller is likely to open a dispute on you for non-payment. About the only consequence of this is the damage to your Ebay reputation.