How to Leave/Remove Bad Feedback - a Cautionary Rant

giantmutantbroccoli

NB I should note that I've had bad experiences on eBay before, and left negative feedback before, and talked to eBay customer services before - but this is the first time I've had feedback removed, and the first time the seller communicated only over the phone.
After a bad experience from a seller running a blatant scam, and a series of incredibly annoying conversations with eBay's customer services, I have some information about negative feedback and eBay's unwritten feedback removal policy that could prove useful to people on this board. Particularly if you're a buyer wanting to leave negative feedback, or if you're a seller wanting to remove (unfair) negative feedback.

In summary (because I have a long, irritated rant below that's probably not that interesting) the useful information is:
1.if there is no information or evidence on eBay to backup what you say in your feedback, the seller can get it removed by appealing to eBay, even if it doesn't contravene any of the written rules they give in the help section for reasons why feedback may be removed.
2. nothing you say on the phone or in emails to eBay customer services counts as evidence. The only evidence is eBay messages, disputes or emails, on the site itself, between you and the seller. A phonecall is not evidence unless you have recorded it, so beware of any bad news the seller gives you on the phone.

So basically, if you're a buyer and you want to leave negative feedback, make sure that your version of events is on eBay's site and that the seller admits to it. You don't need a signed confession (yes I did ask, I was feeling pretty sarky at that point), even if you just send the seller a message saying "as we discussed on the phone blah blah blah", if they don't respond saying "that's not what happened!" then that counts as evidence.
If you're a seller who's received unfair negative feedback and you want it removed, you need to make sure that you do not allow the customers' description of what happened to go unchallenged. If they say something happened that didn't happen, you need to respond saying "that's not what happened", basically. You can appeal bad feedback to eBay, and get results, by using the magic words "defamatory content" and pointing out that there is no evidence.

What happened to me was something that happens to pretty much every eBay buyer at some point. I placed a low bid on an expensive item that was on auction, and won the auction. The seller presumably didn't want to sell at that price, or possibly never had the item to begin with. I sent a message with questions about payment and delivery, and the seller messaged me through eBay asking for a phone number.

On the phone, the seller told me that he'd sold the item to somebody else in his shop. He then tried to sell me one of his many lower-quality alternatives for the same price, but I wasn't interested.

I phoned eBay for advice on what to do about it. They commiserated sympathetically, said they'd look into it, told me to leave appropriate feedback and even gave me a voucher, which I thought was very nice of them.

I left the seller negative feedback describing what had happened and with the word "dishonest" tagged on the end.
He then opened an unpaid item dispute. At this point I'm hopping mad because seriously, the reason I haven't paid is because he's already sold the item to somebody else! And here is where I make my mistake, because instead of responding to the unpaid item dispute with my explanation of events, or messaging him through eBay to ask what was going on, I phone eBay customer services again.

I explained the whole thing to them, again, and I was told to leave the unpaid item dispute alone. Don't respond, and when it's finished just phone eBay again and they'll remove the unpaid item strike.

Well, they were right. I phoned them up afterwards and the item strike was removed, hurray! Except that the feedback I left was also removed. When I asked why I was given a lengthy, repetitive explanation that eventually turned out to be simply "there's no evidence for what you're saying, it's your word against theirs" and "saying he's dishonest could be considered defamatory". Without any concrete evidence (other than all the phone calls I made to eBay customer services, which I stupidly thought somebody took note of), my feedback couldn't stick.

The seller also had some extremely peculiar positive feedback - every time the seller received a negative, he also (often on the same day!) received two positives from a user with a low-ish feedback number, within an hour of the user having "purchased" whatever it was.
eBay cs did say that they would investigate this, and that it was very easy for them to see if accounts were linked in any way. Hopefully he won't be able to carry on doing this - a lot of his positive feedback is from people who say they couldn't buy the item but everything else was fine, so he obviously does this a lot.
If you're feeling nosy, the seller's username is abode-designer. My feedback before it got removed was located just before the double feedback left by paul1980*124, who interestingly left almost the same feedback as every other "buyer" who leaves glowing feedback after he gets a negative.

soolin

None of what you have written matters- you lost it when you called a big business seller 'dishonest'

We are careful on here to phrase feedback in such a way as to be less emotive- but still damning- so it will not get removed.

anyway I wouldn't worry too much, that seller will be gone by Christmas with their feedback and stars that bad a buyer would have to be pretty desperate now to buy from them with those stars.

mandragora_2

Here's some useful evidence that they're giving themselves false feedback:

User ID loveshoppingallday

Effective Date 14-Apr-12

End Date Present

User ID abodedesignerinteriorscom

Effective Date 29-Sep-11

End Date 14-Apr-12

With this feedback left on 14th April for Abode designer:

[FONT=&quot]Positive feedback rating Excellent Product fast delivery ,would defo buy again [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Member ID loveshoppingallday ( Feedback score of 39Yellow star icon for Feedback score between 10 to 49)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] 14-Apr-12 11:30[/FONT] [FONT=&quot] EXTENDING BLACK GLASS CHROME DINING TABLE 4 CHAIRS SET (#160578045750) £449.99

Hope this helps. Now on my BBL
[/FONT]

pinkshoes

You can't call them "dishonest" in feedback. Ebay are correct.

Something like "item was unavailable. Seller offered inferior item at same price"

purple321

Hmmm i got called dishonest in feedback and they won't remove it. I think the real reason your feedback was removed was because the unpaid item case was closed and this would automatically have removed any feedback you left. Even though you say ebay have removed the strike they can't restore the feedback.

lindseykim13

oh my, if i had feedback and stars like that i'd have a fit! Don't try to figure ebay's rules out it gives me a headache.

forgotmyname

kingwill1st seems to buy a lot of coffee tables and dining tables.
And 2 sofa's and a sofa bed?

Odd the amount of Sofa's some people buy.


Kingwill1st
3+2+1 Sofa. + 4 seater sofa bed + 1 4seater dining room table and 3 coffee tables and another 2+3 sofa?

iloveshoppingallday,

1+2+3 sofa and a corner sofa and a dining table.


Sophiea0793 = 1+2+3 sofa and a 3+2 sofa and a coffee table.

Whose onyl feedback is from another furniture company..Who are no longer registered. tshomewareonline

Last negative feedback august 2010... Abode registered Sept 2010.. Coincidence?


Multiple accounts and shill bidding and feedback manipulation it seems.