eBay Issue [resolved - refunded for SNAD item]

mizelle

The seller has received the netbook and sent me a message claiming I wiped everything off. It goes on a bit asking me what they're supposed to do etc. etc.

I replied that I didn't wipe anything, that the only thing I had done was run the recovery console.

I don't like the tone of the message. It seems the seller doesn't want to take responsibility for the OS being dodgy in the first place. I've opened a claim in the PayPal resolution centre.

mizelle

Meant to add: The seller wouldn't send me the disk or the licence key when I asked.

They said: "We can not re install the older version but have the product key for re installing on line so when you send it back we will check it."

Doesn't make much sense to me. Why didn't they just send me the disk/product key when I asked in the first place?

It's looking more and more likely that the person I'm communicating with doesn't know exactly what her son has done to this netbook, and thinks I'm trying to scam her. I can sympathise if she genuinely thinks it was working when she sent it to me, but my sympathy only extends so far, because I know it was not.

Sazzarella

Make sure you add the tracking details to the paypal claim so they can see its been sent back. Seller cant refuse the refund as Paypal will do it automatically when they see the seller has it back.

Also id say neither her or her son know what they are doing. They should have reformatted it before sending as you could have retrieved their details from it. It also should be easy to reformat it again but they obviously dont know how to do this.

mizelle

I agree completely. At one point, I considered formatting it myself, but with no licence key for the new XP and no installation disc available for Win 7 Starter [which there was a licence key for] I figured it was best not to go down that road.

Edit: I have now raised a 'claim' in paypal. The time has passed for an amicable resolution. I don't wish to argue with this woman when I know I'm in the right. She needs to take this up with her son.

Lifeforms

Win 7 starter is akin to a paid demo of windows 7, with limited options. Things like you can't even change your desktop image (without having to change the physical image etc). So what's likely happened is that they've put on another os because starter is so limited.

I'd hedge a bet that it wasn't a legal version of XP they installed, they probably didn't do the back up necessary prior to the install, and have accidentally wiped the recovery console, or files needed upon a format and install.

OR
The son wanted to sell it, figured that they needed to reformat it etc to remove data, discovered they couldn't restore (files missing, deleted, formatted, corrupted etc) then randomly threw on XP to have a working OS.

Buying a netbook/laptop on ebay is ok USUALLY, BUT always ask first if the recovery console is active/working (can be found out by entering into the console itself) Or that the appropriate DVD/CD's were created at the beginning to perform a factory reset, and that they are included working. Otherwise you really really struggle to get the original, and licensed, OS back on it. On a net book with no CD/DVD drive it often is a partition which often gets corrupted/written over/deleted etc, so you can't rely on that working. On my sony netbook I had to create DVD's, which with no DVD drive, proved problematic. I managed to borrow a USB one, but more often than not people don't bother doing it.

mizelle

I'd agree with your assumptions. It certainly looks like they wiped the recovery part of the disk and stuck on a WinXP.. legal or otherwise..

Can they legally refuse me a refund now that they've got the netbook back?

Crowqueen

No - but Paypal will hold them to it if you raise/have raised a dispute and uploaded tracking info on the package you sent back.

Failing that, the small claims court might also help you.

mizelle

I raised a dispute and a claim through paypal. This is the first bad experience I've had on ebay in 6 years of using it.

mizelle

The seller has responded to the claim now and also messaged me a little more politely this time to say that she is not accusing me of doing damage to the machine but that I shouldn't have tried to fix it. She is comparing it to buying a dress, taking it up, then sending it back because it doesn't fit. [I don't see that it's the same]. She says if she gets it running, she'll give me a full refund, but if not, she'll let resolution do what they want.

I've replied [also politely] saying that whilst I sympathise with her situation, I didn't 'fix' anything.. I ran the recovery console, and the only reason it failed was because someone else has obviously formatted the disk before she sold it to me. I also advised her to contact the manufacturer or the retailer she bought it from to see if they could provide recovery disks. There's nothing much else to do now but wait for resolution centre to decide.

Thanks everyone for your advice.

theonlywayisup

If the claim is in paypal you should be able to escalate it now. If it's ebay you may have to wait.

Escalate it if you can. Then when prompted add the tracking number and a screen shot showing the item was delivered.