[vcoheda]

audiogon never posted my feedback. i wrote them two emails about it. the feedback system there is a complete sham. my only option to recover my money seems to be filing a small claims suit - not a great remaining option.

 

[artforme]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Go ahead and share it on all social media sites that you frequent, facebook, twitter, buzz, etc. Eventually you will get their system back for what they gained directly from your loss.

 

[user18]

makes me wish google checkout was more ubiquitous

 

[trevorlane]

i think we should just sticky the thread to let it serve as a warning before any of us decide to use audiogon/paypal, or someone should just begin an FAQ about these dangers. it'll serve our community far better.

 

[vcoheda]

so i mentioned how i have been bugging audiogon the last few days with emails about how they decided the dispute in my favor (thought the seller should refund my money), which he never did (and really had no intention of ever doing), so as a poor consolation prize, i at least wanted my negative feedback posted. as a result of these emails, it seems that audiogon did do something because the seller refunded my money (the full amount) and said i had audiogon to thank. it seems like the seller sells quite a bit, so maybe they threatened to suspend his account. i don't know. bottom line is that audiogon - unlike worthless paypal who just said sorry can't help you because item not purchased through ebay - actually took action (did something) and it worked.

i really thought i would never see that money again. super-pumped is an understatement.

 

[tintin47]

Congrats! You shouldn't have to go through all this trouble though. At this point it probably feels like free money. Moral victory is always a plus as well.

 

[rawrster]

well that great to hear

also this thread was quite helpful..to me at least. found out some new info about paypal that i did not know before

 

[linuxworks]

also worth noting: if the resolution takes too long (60 days or more) you CANNOT leave feedback!

my seller was demanding that I leave him feedback ('5 star feedback') and then he'd refund my full amount. only half before the feedback and half after. but I can't even leave FB if I wanted. so I'm out half my balance.

but not really. paypal agreed to refund the other half (not linked; quite independant as their way of saying 'dont go away mad')

essentially a 'one time goodwill' refund.

and so, lesson learned and I did not have to charge-back on my CC.

I now know a bit more about what is safe and what is not and I will avoid the risky transactions with long-distance sellers. if located in another country, it will be expensive to deal with as you MUST return the goods in a speedy manner so that feedback is still possible. if the seller can scam you and delay the system long enough so that neg fb won't be left, he's just gamed the system successfully. so, buyer beware of long distance shipping and how much you'll have to pay to return the item. do NOT use first class international mail; you HAVE to use GEM mail with tracking. when paypal says they want end-to-end tracking, they kind of mean it and the post office does NOT have properly informed workers, at all locations (cough, ...)

 

[ford2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trevorlane /img/forum/go_quote.gif i think we should just sticky the thread to let it serve as a warning before any of us decide to use audiogon/paypal, or someone should just begin an FAQ about these dangers. it'll serve our community far better.

There are millions that use Paypal with no problems at all,and the fact of the matter is that it is safer to use Paypal than several other methods.

 

[trevorlane]

congrats on the return of the funds!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ford2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif There are millions that use Paypal with no problems at all,and the fact of the matter is that it is safer to use Paypal than several other methods.

I understand that there are many who use paypal without issue, I am one of them, and I have used their dispute resolution before to success. But as the OP had said, it has its flaws, in addition to other members who have spoken to its flaws as well. There are plenty of members here who use Paypal for many of their transactions whether on this board, on another board, or on a service like Audiogon. If these flaws are inherent in their policies, then it would be a service to this community to let the members know.

If I had to give a similar reference, and not to veer off-topic: it was apparent that a number of SP amps had issues, although not all. Over the course of a few years, people began noticing these issues and some were fed up with amp problems and lack of customer support from SP. In time these issues led many to change their minds about buying any SP amp (or at the least place a disclaimer) to know what they're getting themselves into. There are many who have chosen to still buy SP amps and many more who chose to keep them because they're 1. still great amps with few issues or 2. they're repaired (if they're part of the bad lot.)

Here, the general issue of Paypal not refunding transactions along with Audiogon's slow response nearly caused vcoheda to be out $250. That could potentially be a problem, and other members have also given their feedback about issues with Paypal's buyer protection system when used as a method of dispute resolution between parties. Like the SP amp debacle, I would imagine these should be highlighted to the community to serve purpose as a warning before blindly relying on the buyer protection system as lex lata. The only other method of ADR could potentially be going to court which can have its costs as well. If my refund was withheld because the seller demanded positive feedback first, for an already poor transaction, I would be upset as well.

 

[Blackmore]

Congrats man, told you that you will get your funds back

 

[ford2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trevorlane /img/forum/go_quote.gif congrats on the return of the funds! I understand that there are many who use paypal without issue, I am one of them, and I have used their dispute resolution before to success. But as the OP had said, it has its flaws, in addition to other members who have spoken to its flaws as well. There are plenty of members here who use Paypal for many of their transactions whether on this board, on another board, or on a service like Audiogon. If these flaws are inherent in their policies, then it would be a service to this community to let the members know. If I had to give a similar reference, and not to veer off-topic: it was apparent that a number of SP amps had issues, although not all. Over the course of a few years, people began noticing these issues and some were fed up with amp problems and lack of customer support from SP. In time these issues led many to change their minds about buying any SP amp (or at the least place a disclaimer) to know what they're getting themselves into. There are many who have chosen to still buy SP amps and many more who chose to keep them because they're 1. still great amps with few issues or 2. they're repaired (if they're part of the bad lot.) Here, the general issue of Paypal not refunding transactions along with Audiogon's slow response nearly caused vcoheda to be out $250. That could potentially be a problem, and other members have also given their feedback about issues with Paypal's buyer protection system when used as a method of dispute resolution between parties. Like the SP amp debacle, I would imagine these should be highlighted to the community to serve purpose as a warning before blindly relying on the buyer protection system as lex lata. The only other method of ADR could potentially be going to court which can have its costs as well. If my refund was withheld because the seller demanded positive feedback first, for an already poor transaction, I would be upset as well.

Why is this a Paypal problem.

 

[grokit]

Just from this thread I would want to know who this seller is that tried to keep the money and the cables before I would attempt to buy anything on Audiogon!