Bought tablet on eBay, received empty box!

seanm99

Hi,

Just looking for some advice on how to proceed here please.

I purchased a tablet from a registered business seller on eBay. Seller seems fine - Over 16,000 feedback, 99.5% positive and full stars for everything. Buy it Now, and I paid with Paypal.

I ordered the tablet on Christmas Day. I had not received anything by Friday Jan 4 so emailed them and they replied with the tracking number, informing me that delivery had been attempted on Dec 28. I had been out, but the courier did not leave a card.

I went to the depot this evening to pick it up. I signed on the handheld computer, they guy gave me the box and left. I noticed the box felt extremely light so opened it there and then, and it was empty.

I buzzed for someone to come back and explained what had happened. They returned with a supervisor who put notes on the system about what had happened and said they would inform the sender. They also said I could not reject delivery at this point as I had already signed for it.

Can anyone tell me the best way to proceed here? My first thought is to contact the seller, but would I be better dealing with eBay or Paypal in the first instance? Thanks!

pinkshoes

Contact seller. If they are unhelpful, open a dispute for 'item not as described', then send the empty box back tracked.

song_of_calliope

Did the packaging look like it had been tampered with? What weight was the package recorded as when it was sent and did it weigh less than that when you picked it up?

seanm99

Thanks for the advice I've been in touch with the seller and they actually came straight back asking me to check the packaging carefully. There was a small tear across the front, which is enough for someone to bend the cardboard back and remove the contents. Looks like it was stolen somewhere in transit.

Unfortunately it was not weighed - the box was sent in a delivery bag that is valid up to 5kg and no weight was recorded (according to the carrier)

The seller seems pretty helpful and even admitted that this has happened before with laptops. They said they would talk to the carrier tomorrow and get back to me. Im hoping I don't end up £200 out of pocket here!

theonlywayisup

seanm99 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice I've been in touch with the seller and they actually came straight back asking me to check the packaging carefully. There was a small tear across the front, which is enough for someone to bend the cardboard back and remove the contents. Looks like it was stolen somewhere in transit.

Unfortunately it was not weighed - the box was sent in a delivery bag that is valid up to 5kg and no weight was recorded (according to the carrier)

The seller seems pretty helpful and even admitted that this has happened before with laptops. They said they would talk to the carrier tomorrow and get back to me. Im hoping I don't end up £200 out of pocket here!

I would suggest you let the buyer try to resolve.

You have additional help with Paypal/ebay for 45 days, so if it comes close to that you must come back here for advice before you do anything.

paddyukk

Reply to the seller and ask them for an immidiate refund, if they dont refund immidiatly - contact the police and get a crime refrence number - then immidiatly open a case via paypal.

If the item was not delivered in the first place its fraud
If the item was in the packaging and had actually been sent in the packaging, yet removed during transit - ITS THEFT.

Do not let the criminals get away with this FRAUD & THEFT!

Paypal will help, yet be cautious that the seller has tracking and you have signed for the packing un-damaged - i.e never put on the signiture (damaged) or unchecked which you should always do if the item/s have been tampered with.

Paypal and ebay will in this case be on the sellers side as stated you signed, you accepted un-damaged! Their for your responsible!!!

Let the seller know you are un-happy and ask for an immidiate refund or you are going to the police.

This type of fraudlent activity either from the seller or courier is CRIMINAL and needs to STOP

Hope this helps - Paddy

NeverEnough

Paddyukk, I don't think your advice is helpful or correct. The police rarely, if ever, are interested in this sort of issue. The OP has already indicated that the tablet was probably stolen in transit with the damage to the packaging, so proving that the seller is somehow guilty of fraud looks unlikely anyway. Its always best to adopt a reasonable approach first before yelling at the seller that they are criminals.

If the seller is reasonable, accepts this has happened before, and replaces the tablet or refunds, that is fine -it is up to the seller to ensure a buyer gets the goods they ordered and paid for, seller needs to take up the issue with Royal Mail. If there is any resistance from the seller I would open an Not as Described dispute and ensure you have a copy of the note made by the delivery office that there was nothing in the box on deivery.

theonlywayisup

PUKK are you spurning all this rubbish just so you can improve your post count so you can spout spam.

Your advice is incorrect and unwelcome.

custardy

NeverEnough wrote: »

Paddyukk, I don't think your advice is helpful or correct. The police rarely, if ever, are interested in this sort of issue. The OP has already indicated that the tablet was probably stolen in transit with the damage to the packaging, so proving that the seller is somehow guilty of fraud looks unlikely anyway. Its always best to adopt a reasonable approach first before yelling at the seller that they are criminals.

If the seller is reasonable, accepts this has happened before, and replaces the tablet or refunds, that is fine -it is up to the seller to ensure a buyer gets the goods they ordered and paid for, seller needs to take up the issue with Royal Mail. If there is any resistance from the seller I would open an Not as Described dispute and ensure you have a copy of the note made by the delivery office that there was nothing in the box on deivery.

you mean the carrier?
from the description I would say it was a courier.

OP.was this those sealed mail bag type packaging?
no sign of damage?

seanm99

It was a sealed mail type bag - not Royal mail but a courier. The bag was undamaged, but the box inside had a small tear.

Thankfully, the seller has now issued me a full refund and apologized for the inconvenience. I'm very impressed with how quickly and reasonably they have dealt with this - and also relieved that I got the money back! Thanks to everyone for their advice!