help re money bookers

chickenpants

My other half purchased a phone from an internet auction site (not ebay) and when he came to pay they no longer offered paypal as a payment method and he paid via money bookers using a credit card. The seller was very helpful and sent a lot of communication at first, but now is not responding to emails and no item has arrived. Is there anything we can do about this as I don't think money bookers offer any protection and won't the credit card refuse to do anything as money was used to fund moneybookers?
Any suggestions would be helpful!

soolin

I'm not familiar with money bookers, sorry. Was this bought on another auction site and if so which one as they might have some buyer protection facility you can use. The ones that tend to get advertised on here usually claim to be 'better than ebay', so if it is another auction site maybe they have better protection than the usual ebay buyer protection that you can use.

Soo

digerati

chickenpants,

I've used MoneyBookers.com for around four years as a buyer to pay for and as a seller to accept payments - all without problem. I prefer them over PayPal as they don't pretend to offer any buyer or seller "protection" - they simply transfer the funds. Needless to say I always check out the other party before sending funds.

Now if your seller isn't responding to emails and no item has arrived - what are your options? Try phoning the seller and if that fails send a registered letter requesting a refund. Next, contact the auction site and warn them that you can't contact the seller and have paid, but not received the item. If the seller is a business, you have other rights - contact your local citizen's advice bureau, local council or library for advice and referrals. Lastly, if all else fails - go to the Police and make a complaint, but only after the stated delivery time in the auction.

When buying anything at auction - on eBay or elsewhere - always check the seller's bona fides: how long they have been selling, what they have sold, and their feedback. A little detective work beforehand can save a lot of grief afterwards.

p.s. I'd check how long the seller has been registered with MoneyBookers as it's often a sign of whether they are a long-term business or fly-by-night operator.

chickenpants

Many thanks for your comments. Will try some of your suggestions and let you know!