Please help, should I give a full refund?

Nearlyuseless

Hi, I hope someone can help, a buyer has said that a satnav he won doesn't work and told ebay that it was wrongly discribed and that he had sent me emails and i had not replied. He recieved the item the same day that he contacted ebay so even if he had emailed me (and he didn't )I wouldn't have had much time to reply anyway. We got his phone number to ring to see if he was using it wrong. In the end we asked him to send it back and we would arrange a refund. We recieved it this morning and it works perfectly and it has some addresses in it that the buyer has put in and his home address, which seems strange when he said it doesn't work. Another thing is, is that he has opened the covers on two of the disks that didn't need to be opened to check the satnav was working. One was ripped open. Can I do anything about this do you think? If he escalates the dispute to a claim do you think that I will be able to prove it is working perfectly? I hope this all makes sense. Thanks in advance. Chris

laughingcow81

Someone more informed than I am may come along soon and shoot me down, however if I were in your shoes I would just refund him and resell.

The buyer sounds like a potential pain, it is probably best to end the deal there.

theonlywayisup

Either he couldn't work it, used it and no longer needs it or he copied the discs. Either way, you have it back and have to take it on the chin I'm afraid. Refund and resell and chalk it down to experience.

Nearlyuseless

Thanks laughingcow81 and theonlywayisup, I did think that he may have copied the disks. Do you think not refunding the return postage is a good idea because if I refund him I'll be losing over £13 and I don't think that's fair. What would you do? Thanks again.

Kaleidoscope27

I wouldn't refund the return postage. I've refunded things in the past and always advised them to send it via the cheapest postage possible 'cause I'm not paying for it. (One item was broken on arrival and I said if they sent me a photo I would happily refund. But she decided she wants to send the whole thing back at her own cost *shrugs*).

You should have to lose out when he's clearly messed you around. Kindly inform him that the item works and it was his choice to return it. Then relist it.

theonlywayisup

If he goes to a dispute, then Paypal will enforce the refund of his full payment (outward postage and item). However, no one will enforce his returns postage.

laughingcow81

I don't think you are under any obligation to refund the return postage, some sellers just do. I could be wrong though.

In your shoes, I wouldn't refund the return postage.

theonlywayisup

laughingcow81 wrote: »

I don't think you are under any obligation to refund the return postage, some sellers just do. I could be wrong though.

In your shoes, I wouldn't refund the return postage.

Private sellers are not under any obligation to refund returns postage.

However ALL sellers are forced to refund the initial payment in FULL if the buyer goes to dispute.

If the buyer doesn't got to dispute, he/she may accept a refund minus the original postage.

Nearlyuseless

Thanks Kaleidoscope27 ,there's none so queer as folks as they say, never a truer word was spoken..:) Return postage wasn't mention so he sent it back 1st class (more fool him) but then I sent it to him 1st class and charged him less than it cost to post.

Thanks again the onlywayisup, knowing that he can't make me pay it will make me feel a lot better. Though I do feel a bit mean too I suppose. Oh well .

Nearlyuseless

Thanks again laughingcow81.

I think I should give him the benefit of the doubt theonlywayisup and at least give him a full refund, though I really don't want to. He actually told my husband he was an electrician so he knows what he's talking about. What's an electrician got to do with satnav.