Can I request a charge back at my bank?

cjw

Hi,

Last week I bought a handheld labeler machine on eBay and I received it on Tuesday. On testing all the keys out, I found 2 letters wouldn't work and I notice 2 little marks/dents on the side. It was brand new in its sealed packet. I paid £18.99 including P&P at £4 through PayPal. They seller has a 99.5% rating, which says to me they are OK to trade with.

I emailed the seller as soon as I discovered the problem and requesting for it be replaced or a full refund to be given. I even said that if they sent me the cost for sending the item back to them, then I would pop it in post for them. Since Tuesday I haven't had a reply from them and I have sent them 5 emails. I know they are ignoring me, because they are selling stuff and its being sold plus people are leaving feedback which indicates the seller is on their email system. Before I purchased the item, I emailed them a question and they replied within 10 minutes.

If I don't hear from the seller by next Tuesday and I don't want to go through PayPal, as they charge a £15 fee if they refund me. Is it possible for me to go into my bank and requesting a charge back for £18.99? I used my debit card.

Cheers

frivolous_fay

Forget the £15 fee - it's not usually applied.

If you funded the payment with a debit card, your bank is unlikely to be helpful. You have more chance of help if it was via credit card, which is why it's always better to use a credit card.

Opening an item not as described dispute is definitely the way to go.

Baby_J_2

Fay is right, the fee is not usually applied and a dispute is your best option.

I hate it when sellers don't reply. Grrr.

cjw

Thanks guys for your help. I'll have to wait 10 days before I can open a dispute

Cheers

Tirian

cjw wrote:

If I don't hear from the seller by next Tuesday and I don't want to go through PayPal, as they charge a £15 fee if they refund me. Is it possible for me to go into my bank and requesting a charge back for £18.99? I used my debit card.

Isn't the £15 excess only if you apply for compensation through the eBay buyer protection scheme? I'm not aware that Paypal imposes any fee for a chargeback, or is that another change they've slipped in through the back door?

frivolous_fay

Tirian wrote:

Isn't the £15 excess only if you apply for compensation through the eBay buyer protection scheme? I'm not aware that Paypal imposes any fee for a chargeback, or is that another change they've slipped in through the back door?

It's something they spout about in the help pages, but is irrelevant to most claims.

cjw

Update:-

I received an email from the seller saying just to send it back, but I would have to foot the cost of returning the item. I emailed them back saying that I didn't have to pay the cost, as under the Long Distance Selling Act if the goods are faulty the it's then seller responsibility to bare the cost (not private sellers). So they emailed back and said when you buy an item from a shop they refund you the full price they do not refund you your petrol money for driving there or the parking fees so you should pay the posting not me. I emailed them back saying I would like to enlighten you with a point that you made. Shops do pay for your petrol if you are returning faulty goods, as we have done it, but you have to be persistence about it. For example IKEA & B&Q both have forms for claiming your petrol cost.

5 minutes later I received an email from PayPal with a full refund Then the seller emailed me to say the rules didn't apply to them as they are a private seller. I then emailed back to find out what they would done with the faulty item to which they said "BIN IN!".

I don't know what you make of all that, but if the seller is a private seller, then why would they give up so quickly. If they had told me they were a private seller in their first email, I would know I didn't have a leg to stand on.

But hey, I'm not complaining as I've got my money back and have emailed Brother to see if they can fix it.

STICK TO YOUR GUNS AND FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS