postal orders and e-bay item not received

pistyll

Hi,

just want to pick anyones brains please?

My wife bought a buggy board from e-bay 16th June 09 paid for it with a postal order as she does not like to use pay-pal, item never arrived, opened dispute with e-bay and tried very very hard to be reasonable with seller but all we could get from her was that she had posted item but refused to open a dispute with Royal Mail to get compensation so that she could reimburse my wifw, which I found very very strange because if she had posted it then the claim would have been straight forward and would have been sorted by now. I can only assume that this item either never existed, was sold to someone else, or was never posted. Is there anything else my wife can do to force the seller to co-operate or does she have to write it off as a bad experience??

Many Thanks

ABH_3

No your wife doesn't need to write it off, it's a simple contract you've got the proof that the sale took place all you need to do is print off the screenshots of the ebay auction, as well as the various emails and you've still got the 'stubs' and a receipt I take it for them from the Post Office? You 'crossed' the postal order too I take it, so only the person you sent it too could cash it? If so, then you should be able to retrieve proof from the post office that it or they were cashed, ask them for written proof that that took place.

In the meantime write a letter (Yes it needs to be in writing, and you're going to send it registered post!) to the person you purchased the item from, tell them you had an agreement for which you sent the agreed sum of money, they're late on delivering the goods, but mistakes happen. So suggest that they take 7 days to find the item and then send it to you, any longer than 7 days and you will file a small claims claim against them for the outstanding amount, plus any other charges such as postage etc.

You should perhaps also mention that you may even consider not calling the police if you could sort it out amicably. Of course, it goes without saying that as soon as they pay up, you call the police and report them for attempted theft. It may not mean much now, but they may have a record of doing this, or maybe they're just starting out and you could get them back on the straight and narrow, and get some satisfaction for them trying to cheat you in the first place

Then simply file the claim at https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/csmco2/index.jsp

HTH

pinkshoes

Has she actually escalated the dispute to a claim? Has she phoned ebay to ask what they would advise her to do? Surely the seller would have to provide a tracking number to prove the item arrived (which it didn't) so would be made to refund??

soolin

pinkshoes wrote: »

Has she actually escalated the dispute to a claim? Has she phoned ebay to ask what they would advise her to do? Surely the seller would have to provide a tracking number to prove the item arrived (which it didn't) so would be made to refund??

Ebay are unlikely to refund at all for postal orders as it is not paypal and the new model ebay tell buyers that not using paypal means they give up any buyer protection.

Small claims or money claim online is the only way forward and even then I assume it would be difficult unless the PO was named and crossed.

OP, you say your wife prefers not to use paypal, which would have protected her, what was her back up plan then if, as has happens, she failed to get her goods?

stayinganonymous

What type of postage was listing in the auction? Did it say Recorded delivery? if so the seller should have a tracking number to track the item...

soolin

stayinganonymous wrote: »

What type of postage was listing in the auction? Did it say Recorded delivery? if so the seller should have a tracking number to track the item...

It sounds from the OP that seller isn't too bothered anyway. I would also think from the dimensions it would seem likely to have been sent as a ROyal Mail standard parcel.