Bought item not as described - do you agree?

Happy_saver_4

I bid and won a Celtic rolled gold bracelet described as:-

"gorgeous 9ct rolled gold celtic solid bracelet. very good condition. lovely colour. cost £89.99 from argos."

The items photo was well out of focus so I sent a question regarding condition. I rec'd the following reply:-

"its about 3yrs old but hardly worn and was in the last book."

The item actually has it's safety chain missing, is also mis-shaped. It is not in Argos's last catalogue. In their current cat they have a similar item for £39.99. Argos staff say they doubt whether they would have ever sold such a poor quality item for £89.99.

I have now messaged the owner twice and rec'd no response. Although in the meantime she has listed and is selling other items. Therefore is obviously; at home.

This is a new seller. If I leave neg feed back it will probably doom any future sales.

Would my leaving neg feedback and entering into Ebay dispute be fair?

PS. I remember reading the advice ' Don't buy an item if it has a fuzzy photo '. I wish I'd listened !!

frivolous_fay

If you're not getting any response, open a dispute. Hopefully you paid with paypal?

pennylane99

rolled gold is only gold plated, did you check what prices items like this were going for...

shellsuit

I wouldn't leave neg feedback yet. Start a dispute and see how you get along.

MrsTinks

This is what the dispute options are there for "item significantly not as decribed"

mishkanorman

Have you checked the hallmarkings etc ?

This will tell you how old, what type of gold etc.

Mishka

pennylane99

mishkanorman wrote: »

Have you checked the hallmarkings etc ?

This will tell you how old, what type of gold etc.

Mishka

does gold plated have hallmarks?....

Happy_saver_4

Thanks for your responses.

I did pay via Paypal. But I've never entered into a dispute before.

Over 100 items I've purchased with 100% feedback given and rec'd. I suppose a bad'un had to turn up sometime.

Can anybody please tell me what actually happens when I open a dispute or provide a link for me which explains.

Thanks

mishkanorman

pennylane99 wrote: »

does gold plated have hallmarks?....

No, but some times rolled gold does state that, just a thought some sellers arent always accurate.

mishka

MarkyMarkD

Why didn't you ask the seller to take a proper photo and send it to you? Having a useless picture is no excuse.

If it was in the latest (or any other) Argos catalogue, they could have scanned the Argos catalogue listing. D'oh!

Contains_Mild_Peril

A scan of the Argos catalogue entry if it had been available would not show the condition of the particular item being sold. If the seller has a scanner but not a decent camera, they could also have scanned the item itself (with a thin layer of clear plastic, e.g. a bag or poly pocket, to protect the scanner from scratches etc). Buying items with unclear photos can be risky, and I'd usually only consider doing so if the item was much cheaper than I'd normally expect.
I would not leave feedback yet - see how they respond to the dispute first. Leaving negative feedback now would remove a possible incentive for them to sort the problem out quickly.
THough the seller did not tell a direct lie about the item condition, they strongly implied that it was in very good condition, and it's normally assumed that an item has no significant damage unless otherwise stated, so you'd have a good case.