[Rydo1888]

Hi all,
 
I bought a set of Triplefi 10's from someone on ebay which arrived yesterday. Unfortunately however when i plugged them into my iPod no sound came out! Even with the volume up full blast it only came out at a trickle and was very, very tinny. I can't begin to tell you all how gutted I am at this - I have been looking to upgrade from my Superfi 5 Pro for months now and I'm desperate to hear how good the 10's are!
 
As it stands I am currenly down £110 with a pair of earphones that don't work and unable to contact the seller as he has cancelled his eBay account!
 
My questions are -
 
Does anyone know where I will stand with eBay in terms of getting a refund? I paid through PayPal? and,
 
If I am stuck with the earphones, has anyone experienced similar problem with their triplefi's? If so how did you go about getting them fixed and how much did this cost you?
 
Thanks.
 
 

 

[music_4321]

Since you used PayPal you have NOTHING to worry about . You're covered/ protected 100%, including all shipping costs. If you open a PayPal dispute (eventually), you'll get 100% of your money in about 3 weeks if the seller does not issue a refund sooner.
 
Try and contact the seller first, explain the situation, and if he asks you to send them back, ASK the seller to cover the return shipping ONLY by a method that provides a tracking number (this will give you proof you did send the item in case seller claims he never got it back). If the seller refuses, politely but firmly tell him that you may be forced to open a PayPal dispute.
 
Always keep things as polite as possible, but be very firm at the same time.
 
Good luck!
 
EDIT: Even if the seller stated in the listing that he accepts no returns or that the buyer has to cover return shipping in case they get a faulty item, PayPal still covers 100% of the money you spent, ie the seller's disclaimer is NOT valid.

 

[Mortuus]

Open a claim via paypal not ebay, he's closed his account so by default you should get your money back and keep the headphones as he won't be communicating with paypal.

 

[Sotiris]

yeah dont afraid , i had the same incident and i got my money back from paypal.U have to report this to ebay first.

 

[music_4321]

^^ No,the buyer doesn't have to report anything to eBay first.

What the buyer has to do first is to try and contact he seller to either get a full refund or get a fully working set as described in the listing. If contact with the seller fails, the buyer then has to go to PayPal, click on the "Resolution Centre" tab and follow the instructions there to open a dispute, and then possibly a claim where there's no longer any contact with the seller. That's when it may take up to 3 weeks to get a full refund. Contacting the seller first the buyer has a chance of getting a full refund much sooner or being sent a replacement item as described in the listing.

 

[BigTony]

If the seller has closed his account that is an indication that he's trying a con (I've had this done once to me).
Try and contact the seller, there is a default time before you can open a claim via the Resolution Center at PayPal - but once that starts you'll have a few hurdles to jump and then a refund will come your way.
 
Good luck

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

 
As it stands I am currenly down £110 with a pair of earphones that don't work and unable to contact the seller as he has cancelled his eBay account!

 

Can you post a link to the eBay listing?
 

 

[Rydo1888]

All - thanks for your responses!
 
I opened a dispute through eBay today and then tried to do the same through PayPal and I was informed that a dispute had already been raised so I am assuming they are both linked.
 
It was from a private seller, not a store, so I have no chance of getting a replacement.
 
When I was on PayPal I noticed his email address was on there (all previous contact was through his eBay account) so I have fired him off an email asking to get in touch - I don't hold out much hope though - the guy clearly knew what he was doing selling these then cancelling the next day. Lesson learned I suppose. : (
 
The listing number was 18063067826 and the Seller ID was brianpbarr11.
 
I don't suppose anyone has dealt with Ultimate Ears CS before? I would be interested to find out how easy these things are to repair etc if I get stuck with them.

 

[Rydo1888]

Oh - and I can't tell you all how frustrating it is to have a set of these in my desk drawer and not be able to hear them!!
 
They look significantly better than my trusty 5Pros!

 

[music_4321]

^^  Although you can see the seller's email address on your Paypal transaction (payment) details, such contact is not recommended and should always ONLY be done via the eBay "contact seller" option or via the Paypal resolution centre. This way Paypal/ eBay have a record of all exchanges between buyer & seller.
 
I've just checked and yes, his account shows as "Not a registered user", and he only has/ had feedback (6) as a buyer not as a seller, and only joined eBay on 11th Feb 2011. In that case I suggest you forget about contacting him and elevate your dispute to a claim as soon as possible.
 
You can always first phone Paypal directly, too, and they'll give you all information you need. Just log onto your PP account and at the bottom of the page you'll see a "Contact Us" link, click there, then click on "Call Us", you'll get a pin valid for 60 mins, then you can call 08707 307 191 and enter the pin number when prompted.
 
Ask them specifically what protection you get when an eBay user account shows as "Not a registered user". I'm sure you'll be OK. Forget about the seller at this stage, there's something very fishy going on there.

 

[Rydo1888]

Thanks Music_4321.
 
Agree that I am best just forgetting about the seller at this stage - he clearly knew what he was doing here and I have more chance of winning the lottery than him getting in touch!
 
Feel very stupid now from buying these from him given his low feedback score and his lack of time with eBay. Its funny but the only reason I went ahead with the purchase was because - and this may sound silly - i didn't really expect anyone who would know about and buy a set of Triplefi 10's to be out to con me! They aren't a very well known brand in the UK outside those who are interested in such things and are a premium product. Guess you can never tell!
 
Thanks again.

 

[goodvibes]

Here's the deal. Ebay owns Paypal. You're likely to get back your money but it's not guaranteed. Make it a dispute immediately so that Paypal freezes his account. If the sale was not covered under 'Ebay buyer protection' which may be linked to seller history, it can go wrong. The seller can easily withdraw funds from his paypal and attached bank account before any claim comes through as in before you ever recieved the item. Hope he's not that slick and all goes well but you really need to be more careful on ebay. It's best to pass on what seems a great deal with no seller feedback. Others do and it just make the deal look that much better. Some great deals on Ebay but it's also a dumping ground.

 

[sphinxvc]

 
Always open a Paypal dispute before an Ebay dispute.  
 
You will get your money back either way, there's no doubt about that.  Was this one of the Amazon TF10s?  Was there any warranty information / box?
 
When you win a case in Paypal you will receive a refund once you provide tracking information for the item being returned.  Ebay will make you wait till it arrives at the destination.
 
Paypal disputes places a hold on the seller's account till the case is resolved.  
 
If the seller does not respond to an Ebay case within the time alloted to them, Ebay will ask you to ship the package back and show proof (of delivery) before receiving a refund.
 
If the seller does not respond to a Paypal case within the time alloted you receive a refund instantly on that date.  Further, you have no legal responsibility to RETURN THE ITEM!  (Which is where that warranty card could be handy.)  
 
Good luck.  I've quite a few cases under my belt, on both ends. 
 
Edit: Oh, one more thing...keep in touch with Paypal (email or phone) during the case process.
 

 

[markh78]

If your paypal is linked to your credit card and not your bank account, you can always turn to the credit card company (if paypal isn't helpful that is).
They usually do great service especially in fraudulant cases such as this one.

 

[goodvibes]

Ebay is out of the loop as the seller is no longer registered. It's a Paypal dispute. Ebay protection is linked to paypal but probably doesn't apply to this sale as there wasn't enough activity by the seller. They do require proof of return for refund.
 
  The idea that you're always fully protected with Paypal is just wrong. The buyer is not guaranteed his money back. If the seller doesn't have the funds in his paypal account to put a hold on, they're gone if he closes it and he's had plenty of time to do so. That somebody would go to all this trouble of closing accounts over $100 would amaze me so you're probably fine but this isn't coming out of Paypals pocket unless it was a protected sale and even then it's under very specific conditions. For instance, if you send money as a gift, you have no recourse. Even if an item gets lost, as far as Paypal is concerned, product wasn't involved. Don't do it! You or the seller should foot the 3%.
 
I just find it odd that he bothered to ship you something if he was going to close accounts anyway. Probably just a dope. Perhaps that will work in your favor at some point.