Boring active EBAY question.

[swisstoni]

Long story short;

• Item was 5 days overdue delivery date despite claimed UK despatch 10 days previous.
• Contacted the pick up point (Argos) who said the item was listed as 'in transit'.
• I contacted the seller through Ebay Resolution and said, it's well overdue, whatever's gone wrong I'd rather just cancel the order and get a refund.
• Seller offered to send out another one by courier if that was ok with me.
• I replied 'no, please just refund'.

That was yesterday. Today I get a text from a courier saying they are delivering the item today.


So, later on today, should I ;

a) not accept the delivery when it turns up later today
or
b) take delivery and then go through the returns process (seller accepts returns according to their Ebay details) but they have already lost my trust.

I said it was dull.

[guindilias]

Why would you refuse delivery or return it, when you are getting what you ordered? Yes, it's late, leave that in the feedback - but you are still receiving what you wanted?

[Gameface]

Might the weather have been a factor in the delay?

[deckster]

Gameface said:

Might the weather have been a factor in the delay?

No, it was either lost or never sent. It's amazing the number of times I've contacted sellers to say 'where is my item' and it magically turns up the next day.

To the OP - you've got it now, so what's the problem?

[paintman]

Have you received the refund?
Did you tell the seller that delivery of the item was time critical?
Do you still want the item or have you had to buy it elsewhere?
If it wasn't time critical & you haven't bought it elsewhere in the meantime why would you refuse it - presumably you ordered it because you wanted it unless it was one of those purchases we make late at night after a couple of shandies

[Thurbs]

If it was a business, this may help.

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation...

In short, they have 30 days, you have 7 days to return at your expense.

[swisstoni]

paintman said:

Have you received the refund?
Did you tell the seller that delivery of the item was time critical?
Do you still want the item or have you had to buy it elsewhere?
If it wasn't time critical & you haven't bought it elsewhere in the meantime why would you refuse it - presumably you ordered it because you wanted it unless it was one of those purchases we make late at night after a couple of shandies

Some answers to the above;

No I haven't received a refund.
It was not 'time critical' but I bought the item on the strength of a reasonable delivery date.
After the obviously incorrect despatch date and after reading their atrocious Ebay feedback (yes I know) I decided I wanted out rather than argue to toss and be messed about further,
I do not want the item.
It's some items of hardware that I have now ordered elsewhere that I need to complete a job at home.

[swisstoni]

guindilias said:

Why would you refuse delivery or return it, when you are getting what you ordered? Yes, it's late, leave that in the feedback - but you are still receiving what you wanted?

Because I needed the item to complete a project. I had waited 10 days and decided to get the item elsewhere father than mess around further with what I had subsequently discovered was an Ebay supplier with a colourful feedback history.

[HantsRat]

Keep the item and just ask for a refund on postage. Everyone's a winner.

[swisstoni]

Thurbs said:

If it was a business, this may help.

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation...

In short, they have 30 days, you have 7 days to return at your expense.

Thanks, that was useful.
I think I will accept the delivery and then return.
Refusing the delivery might complicate matters.

[BertBert]

Then your have that choice of what to do. The item definitely needs to get back to the seller to have any chance of a refund. Possibly depends on the value.

If you refuse the item, you will have no way of showing it got back to the seller. Although they will have no way of showing it was delivered. Will eBay side with you in the dispute? Feels risky.

If you accept the item you will have to pay to get it back but will have proof of delivery unless the seller refuses delivery. But your exposure is higher as you have paid out to send it back.

So if it's low value refuse delivery and hope. If high value, accept it and do the refund process.

Bert

[NGee]

OP, what is your Ebay name? I will add you to my blocked bidders list.

[Derek Smith]

swisstoni said:

Long story short;

• Item was 5 days overdue delivery date despite claimed UK despatch 10 days previous.
• Contacted the pick up point (Argos) who said the item was listed as 'in transit'.
• I contacted the seller through Ebay Resolution and said, it's well overdue, whatever's gone wrong I'd rather just cancel the order and get a refund.
• Seller offered to send out another one by courier if that was ok with me.
• I replied 'no, please just refund'.

That was yesterday. Today I get a text from a courier saying they are delivering the item today.


So, later on today, should I ;

a) not accept the delivery when it turns up later today
or
b) take delivery and then go through the returns process (seller accepts returns according to their Ebay details) but they have already lost my trust.

I said it was dull.

I put in a complaint to EBay over three different vendors advertising an identical item for sale. The scenario was that they'd say the item was dispatched, due in two days and it would not arrive. After a week I'd complain and money was refunded. It was clear that they took the order in anticipation of being able to source it but this proved impossible. All of these had a rating of over 98%.

In the end I phoned another company, and asked if they had it in stock saying I wanted it for next day delivery. They apologised - not in stock. I then phoned a fifth and they said they had it. When I asked them to check their stock they did so. I got it next day.

On the strength of my attempts to buy the item, 20% of EBay sellers are not manipulating consumer protection law. The 'item dispatched' is an auto response and nothing to do with whether they have sent it or even whether they have it in stock.

I've not had the same problem with items ordered through Amazon.

[NGee]

Derek Smith said:

The 'item dispatched' is an auto response and nothing to do with whether they have sent it or even whether they have it in stock.

Not neccessarily true.

Businesses may be able to automate the "item dispatched" response, I don't know, but that is certainly not the case for all Ebay sellers. If I want to tell the buyer an item has has been dispatched I have to go to the order page and click on the icon to send the message.

[Derek Smith]

NGee said:

Not neccessarily true.

Businesses may be able to automate the "item dispatched" response, I don't know, but that is certainly not the case for all Ebay sellers. If I want to tell the buyer an item has has been dispatched I have to go to the order page and click on the icon to send the message.

I didn't mean to suggest it was all.

One odd thing was that I'd been looking for the item, a book, on Amazon and none were advertised. Onto eBay as a sort of hail mary and I found more than half a dozen advertised. Only one of those I tried had it in stock.

I tend to phone/email now for companies that might be less than trustworthy.

I got a reply to my complaint to eBay. They thanked me for informing them and said that advice had been given.

I wasn't asked to review the failed purchases.