Ebay fees paid late - bully boy tactics by Transcom

Bantex_2

RFW wrote: »

Does the reason make any difference?

If it was Ebays fault you have a right to complain. If you have just failed to uphold your part of a deal, then just pay up.

RFW

Bantex wrote: »

If it was Ebays fault you have a right to complain. If you have just failed to uphold your part of a deal, then just pay up.

It isn't Ebay's fee, it is an unenforceable demand for money for no valid reason. If you think people should pay that then send me your address and I'll send you an invoice;)

sugarplum10

RFW wrote: »

It isn't Ebay's fee, it is an unenforceable demand for money for no valid reason. If you think people should pay that then send me your address and I'll send you an invoice;)

Ha, love this. This is basicly what they have done. They have to be able to justify charges ie say it cost them the price of the stamp/ paper/ a reasonable phone call ( ie 1 call not 7 in 5 days) so maybe a couple of quid at most but certainly not £18! Your contract is with ebay not them unless they have purchased the debt and as ebay accepted your payment I doubt it very much!

GabbaGabbaHey

RFW wrote: »

It isn't Ebay's fee, it is an unenforceable demand for money for no valid reason.

Well, the Terms & Conditions that all eBay users have signed up to say:

You are required to have a payment method on file when selling on eBay. If your payment method fails or your account is overdue, we may collect fees owed by charging other payment methods on file, retaining collection agencies or legal counsel, and for accounts over 180 days overdue, deducting the amount owed from your PayPal account balance.

and the Help section on "fees" (http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/payment-due-date.html) says

If your account becomes overdue, your account may be suspended for non-payment, and you may be responsible for collection costs.

so there is a very valid reason for the charge (breach of contract by failing to make payment on the due date) and it is entirely enforceable by eBay or any other party to whom they pass or sell the debt on.

Contains_Mild_Peril

The point is that the OP's contract was with eBay, who have now accepted settlement of the debt, therefore no further payment is owed. If Transcom has a problem with this, they should take it up with eBay, the company with which they had a contract.

campdave

The point is the OP should seek advice from trading standards as to what is and is not acceptable, and if necessary, seek legal advice, rather than relying on the posts of people who mean well, but may not be giving the correct advice, on an internet forum.

Lewis.

Contains_Mild_Peril wrote: »

The point is that the OP's contract was with eBay, who have now accepted settlement of the debt, therefore no further payment is owed. If Transcom has a problem with this, they should take it up with eBay, the company with which they had a contract.

This. While I acknowledge that it was paid late it basically gives anyone a license to say you owe them money, and then they just hound you. I have no contract with these people, have never signed anything with them. It's more the principle of it that makes me not want to pay. It's a joke. This is why we get so screwed over by banks/government/you name it because we lie down and take it. It's just not right. However, I do want to deal with it correctly and nip it in the bud.

RFW

GabbaGabbaHey wrote: »

so there is a very valid reason for the charge (breach of contract by failing to make payment on the due date) and it is entirely enforceable by eBay or any other party to whom they pass or sell the debt on.

If you find any time a debt like this has been 'enforced' through the courts you'll have done well.
It's much the same as private parking fines, there may well be signs up in the car parks but the companies can only ask people to pay the fine.
The charge in this case could be anything and according to you Ebay or whoever they pass it to can enforce it because it's written in their terms. If they were charging the OP £100,000 would that still be ok?

Arlandria606

Is it relevant if the date on the letter from Transcom is after the date on which the debt was settled?

It seems to me that if they didn't get in touch until after the debt was paid, they're acting unnecessarily, and therefore wasting their own time and entitled to nothing. But that's based on "reason" rather than knowledge of the law, so might not actually be the case.

Like others have said, I'd seek professional advice on this one - though I doubt there's any harm in informing Transcom that the debt was settled on X date via X means, and asking them to confirm that with eBay before contacting you further.

Lewis.

RFW wrote: »

If you find any time a debt like this has been 'enforced' through the courts you'll have done well.
It's much the same as private parking fines, there may well be signs up in the car parks but the companies can only ask people to pay the fine.
The charge in this case could be anything and according to you Ebay or whoever they pass it to can enforce it because it's written in their terms. If they were charging the OP £100,000 would that still be ok?

Damn right.

I think I am going to write them a harassment letter today and also state that I acknowledge no debt to them.