[Junglebook3]

Hi folks!

I recently sold an LCD-GX:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sold-focal-stellia.949451/#post-16032096

To:
https://www.head-fi.org/members/nullify.505966/

The night he received the headphones he sent me:
"I am sorry to contact you about this, but I would like to request a refund for the LCD-GX. Upon closer inspection, it seems that the earcup screws on the left earcup have been messed with/taken off - leaving the screws stripped and a washer is missing on one of them. I noticed the issue when I was putting on the headphones, and the left earcup kept making weird noises, which seems to be the earcup handle grinding against the screws due to the missing washer pieces.

In the photos I have attached, the red circle shows the missing washer piece normally found both above and below on all other screws, and I tried my best to take a photo of one of the stripped screws."

I'd like to do whatever the community thinks should be done in this situation.

Some data:
- I bought these off a user on Reddit because I wanted to try them out and sold them a few days later here on head-fi (posting above).
- There was no noise or creaking or anything when I had them. I think that the buyer would say that otherwise the headphones are in perfect condition, and arrived with all accessories, case, etc. I did not notice that a screw is missing a washer, because I'm not in a habit of staring at screws, nor do I think I would notice.
- IMHO the missing earcup screw washer is by no means material to the deal, we're not talking about huge scratches or a dead driver etc.
- In my experience, when you buy used, you don't expect it to be in like-new condition (though sometimes that is the case, my point is the expectation).
- I've sold 40~ headphones since March and never got a request for a 'refund'. (I mean I'm not a retailer, I'm just a dude).

That being said, if the community thinks that we should reverse the deal, that's what I'll do.

What do ya'all think?

 

[Nullify]

I am sorry about the trouble, but the problem truly is a deal breaker for me. Especially with the fact that I am not sure what the original owner did after taking off the earcup screws (albeit stripping them in the process) and losing one of the washers. Now, every time I put the headphone on, the handle attached to the left earcup starts grinding against the screws and causing weird noises, which will likely cause problems in the long run. I have attached 2 pictures below: the red circle shows where the washer is missing unlike the bottom of the screw - all of the screws have one washer on top and one on the bottom. Also, I tried taking a picture of one of the stripped screws, but my camera cannot focus on it; the picture is supposed to show one of the screw's edges having been rounded off with scratches on the inside/outside.

I hope to see a resolution soon.

 

[sa11297]

Did you add any further description or include pictures in your post? All I see is: "Audeze LCD-GX - $550"
What did you put on the invoice assuming you went through paypal g&s?

 

[Nullify]

It was originally listed as "LCD-GX in immaculate condition"

 

[elwappo99]

I remember seeing those sell. Great price on a LCD-GX. I think it's best if you post pictures of the "missing washer".

I also don't think people should post threads where there's a trial of sorts through public discussion. Seems like a bad trend (although I'd like to name & shame someone who recently screwed me over). I will send you my opinion via a private message.

 

[Natarian]

Great price. Will sell again with the "issue" listed. Refunds are annoying but a part of the game when it happens. At least the buyer wasn't a scammer, some of us has had to deal with those and lose a lot of money in the process.

 

[bigvibez1739]

Some pics or description in the original post would have helped the buyer and yourself as well.

I tend to put an overload of details in the invoice on paypal so they know exactly what they are getting and there are no confusions or chance of this. I also add a "Sold as is" term in the invoice. Buying used is always a risk but we gotta be as descriptive as possible and do what you can to Protect yourself from this type of thing.

Probably refund and post again for sale. buyer pays shipping back to you.

 

[Junglebook3]

I can do that, any other opinions?

 

[HipHopScribe]

Some pics or description in the original post would have helped the buyer and yourself as well.

I tend to put an overload of details in the invoice on paypal so they know exactly what they are getting and there are no confusions or chance of this. I also add a "Sold as is" term in the invoice. Buying used is always a risk but we gotta be as descriptive as possible and do what you can to Protect yourself from this type of thing.

Probably refund and post again for sale. buyer pays shipping back to you.

That's how I'd handle it too. I agree about adding plenty of details and pictures when making a sale

 

[sa11297]

If you went through PayPal, PayPal will cover the shipping cost if marked as refund. The buyer has to enroll in that option for their account to be able to do it (which is kind of stupid)

 

[DenverW]

I've had one buyer request a return. I sold a emu teak to him, and provided pictures. When he received them he noticed a small crack that was very, very hard to pic up. I had to search for quite a while to find it. The bottom line is though: he wouldn't have purchased them if he had known about the crack, so I refunded him with zero hard feelings. He was well within his rights to request a refund and he was VERY courteous about it, too. My reputation here, and my desire to keep anyone that purchases from me happy was the most important thing. Give a refund and repost.

Also, put this in a discussion sub forum in the future, without naming the other person. .

 

[elwappo99]

I can do that, any other opinions?

I sent you a long winded PM. I will repeat parts of it here since I'm a fairly active trader and have had a small number of issues get resolved.

Not trying to say how this should be resolved, but in a similar situation I had, the seller agreed to a partial refund in the amount of the parts needed from Audeze to replace the missing part (unfortunately in my case, the seller only issued a 50% refund).

 

[snoopyfb]

I think a return for a refund should be ok. These things happen

 

[sidpost]

If there is an "as is" statement or "grace period" for returns, you are generally out of the GREY ZONE.

In the end, when dealing in good faith, discretionary issues like this are easy to resolve generally. When the headphones come back, send the refund in full. You are both out a bit of shipping but, that is part of the 'game' when trading on forums like this.

With items like this, some buyers can be unrealistic so your ad needs to be written by a lawyer. Generally, when the product is in hand, the buyer discovers something an ad really cannot reasonably reveal.

 

[Junglebook3]

Alright folks, I think the consensus is that the buyer ships them back and gets a refund when the seller receives them. I'll just re-list them with the new pics of the screw.