Ebay purchase never arrived due to duplicate tracking number - How to claim?

savergrant

nikmondo said:

sonearandyetsofa said:

In your shoes, the first thing I would do is try to hunt down the sellers' details. If they are selling as a business, you can find their name, address, email address and phone number on their eBay shop page, and at the bottom of the item page. 

Go to the tracking information page that showed you the photo of the package "delivered" and save a screenshot of it or photograph it on your phone. Do the same for the other package if you have two (I wasn't sure from your description there). If the tracking page shows the location of the delivery on a map or with coordinates, take a photo or screenshot of those too. Then take a photo of the outside of your home, and a screenshot/photo of google maps showing your address location. If there's no map on the tracking info you can screenshot/photo the outside of your property on google streetview to show evidence that your parcel wasn't delivered there.

If you have the seller's phone number, I would try calling them. If not, or if you can't get through or they cut you off, send a message. Inform them that you have not received the package, you have proof that it has not been delivered to your address, and that you'd prefer to resolve the matter amicably before you have to take further action. 

If you don't get anywhere with that, report them to Action Fraud. This won't do anything but it will generate a crime reference number. Contact eBay over the phone about your appeal, stating that the seller has committed fraud, you've reported them to the police, you have a crime reference number and proof that the item was never delivered. Keep calm but remind them that they're facilitating a crime/allowing this guy to defraud you. They should provide you with a web address to upload the information to an appeal. Give them all the stuff you've gathered above to prove that the parcel never got to you and that you've reported it as a crime.

If you have the sellers' address details, you can proceed by sending them a letter before action. Basically similar to the message you sent them, but give them a deadline by which you expect a response and state that you'll be taking legal action against them if they do not respond within this timeframe and that the cost of any further action you have to take will be added to the amount you're claiming from them.

At this point you will likely be waiting for a response from eBay or the seller. If you don't have the sellers' information, you're unlikely to be able to get anywhere with a court claim, but it's up to you to decide whether it's worth risking another £50 loss (about that anyway) or not. If it's a true scam, eBay is more likely to respond than the seller is, and they should refund you. If the seller is just trying it on, they should get alarmed and might refund. 

After all that, your next step is unfortunately issuing a money claim online. I've never had to go that far with an eBay claim though, usually by the time you have a crime reference number they become much more helpful.

This looks to be some fantastic advice.

You can't believe how stressful it is to contact ebay and basically have them not believe my story and try brush me off especially when I've already shown them evidence. 

Unfortuntately they are private sellers so their address and tel number are not visible but I shall take the rest of your advice and will fight this all the way. Would Paypal be more helpful than ebay do you think?

I think I need to wait for Royal Mails email once they've finished their investigation and then i'll have office written proof that the item wasn't delivered to my address. 

Did you pay by PayPal?
Not sure how royal mail are to blame....unless they have issued an incorrect tracking number. And even if they have...where is your parcel?
There is one other possibility, that the parcel was sent by Simple delivery and ebay have messed up the address label they have provided to the seller.

nikmondo

savergrant said:

Can you confirm that it is definitely the same tracking number you checked twice, and that the seller hasn't uploaded a different tracking number between you checking? Also is there any overlap, such as the second parcel being in-transit while the first was out for delivery? If there was you should have seen that when the first parcel was expected.

Yes I’ve checked both screen shots of the original delivery and the second delivery and both have the same tracking number…

please see attached screenshot of how the item(s) was delivered.

nikmondo

savergrant said:

nikmondo said:

sonearandyetsofa said:

In your shoes, the first thing I would do is try to hunt down the sellers' details. If they are selling as a business, you can find their name, address, email address and phone number on their eBay shop page, and at the bottom of the item page. 

Go to the tracking information page that showed you the photo of the package "delivered" and save a screenshot of it or photograph it on your phone. Do the same for the other package if you have two (I wasn't sure from your description there). If the tracking page shows the location of the delivery on a map or with coordinates, take a photo or screenshot of those too. Then take a photo of the outside of your home, and a screenshot/photo of google maps showing your address location. If there's no map on the tracking info you can screenshot/photo the outside of your property on google streetview to show evidence that your parcel wasn't delivered there.

If you have the seller's phone number, I would try calling them. If not, or if you can't get through or they cut you off, send a message. Inform them that you have not received the package, you have proof that it has not been delivered to your address, and that you'd prefer to resolve the matter amicably before you have to take further action. 

If you don't get anywhere with that, report them to Action Fraud. This won't do anything but it will generate a crime reference number. Contact eBay over the phone about your appeal, stating that the seller has committed fraud, you've reported them to the police, you have a crime reference number and proof that the item was never delivered. Keep calm but remind them that they're facilitating a crime/allowing this guy to defraud you. They should provide you with a web address to upload the information to an appeal. Give them all the stuff you've gathered above to prove that the parcel never got to you and that you've reported it as a crime.

If you have the sellers' address details, you can proceed by sending them a letter before action. Basically similar to the message you sent them, but give them a deadline by which you expect a response and state that you'll be taking legal action against them if they do not respond within this timeframe and that the cost of any further action you have to take will be added to the amount you're claiming from them.

At this point you will likely be waiting for a response from eBay or the seller. If you don't have the sellers' information, you're unlikely to be able to get anywhere with a court claim, but it's up to you to decide whether it's worth risking another £50 loss (about that anyway) or not. If it's a true scam, eBay is more likely to respond than the seller is, and they should refund you. If the seller is just trying it on, they should get alarmed and might refund. 

After all that, your next step is unfortunately issuing a money claim online. I've never had to go that far with an eBay claim though, usually by the time you have a crime reference number they become much more helpful.

This looks to be some fantastic advice.

You can't believe how stressful it is to contact ebay and basically have them not believe my story and try brush me off especially when I've already shown them evidence. 

Unfortuntately they are private sellers so their address and tel number are not visible but I shall take the rest of your advice and will fight this all the way. Would Paypal be more helpful than ebay do you think?

I think I need to wait for Royal Mails email once they've finished their investigation and then i'll have office written proof that the item wasn't delivered to my address. 

Did you pay by PayPal?
Not sure how royal mail are to blame....unless they have issued an incorrect tracking number. And even if they have...where is your parcel?
There is one other possibility, that the parcel was sent by Simple delivery and ebay have messed up the address label they have provided to the seller.

Yes I paid via PayPal.

Well Royal Mail are taking the blame in the way that they’ve allowed this number to be duplicated and to be connected to my postcode.

i’ll try and speak to Royal Mail tomorrow and see if my postcode can be disconnected from this tracking number because that’s the thing which is shooting me in the foot. That’s the only thing that eBay seem to be checking and every time they check using my postcode, it says delivered.

savergrant

nikmondo said:

savergrant said:

When the item was reported as 'out for delivery' did it say the delivery office which was arranging delivery?
Your case is much stronger if it isn't your local one.
Theoretically when a sender uploads a tracking number to ebay, ebay should be able to check the delivery address matches but they don't seem to.

Yes both deliveries mention my local sorting office in Basildon, Essex unfortunately.

And does that match the address on the parcels in the proof of delivery? Are they addresses in your local area? It could be possible that the label has been tampered with and the address modified to fool the delivery postie. Someone might know better than me but I'd guess the qr code/barcode would get it as far as the delivery van then at some point the driver actually checks the printed address. If the printed address was out of area the driver would return it to the delivery office. But if it's local they might deliver it to that address.

savergrant

nikmondo said:

born_again said:

robatwork said:

If you remove all the "RM says this, seller says that, ebay says the other" from your story you have this. You paid £750 to someone for something, and you haven't received it.

You can sue them for it. Even a LBA (letter before action) may well be enough to get a refund. You can go through the money claim procedure https://www.moneyclaims.service.gov.uk/make-claim and as you have their name and address, send them (via post and email) the letter or your moneyclaim ready to roll. 

Then claim.

Possible hacked account?
With seller selling same item to several people?

Given duplicated tracking no's. Ebay should be taking more interest in this.

Can OP confirm what item was?

The item was a mobile phone.

Was your order described as 'standard delivery' and does your order breakdown show VAT on the postage? Or was it free post?
What was the actual item price? If it was £750 or under then simple delivery is supposedly compulsory, although the sender can choose to use another tracked courier and upload that label instead. If it was £750.01 simple delivery isn't compulsory (it probably isn't even an option as that is the upper limit of ebay's cover) although the seller will need to upload a tracking number to get their funds released.

savergrant

nikmondo said:

savergrant said:

Can you confirm that it is definitely the same tracking number you checked twice, and that the seller hasn't uploaded a different tracking number between you checking? Also is there any overlap, such as the second parcel being in-transit while the first was out for delivery? If there was you should have seen that when the first parcel was expected.

Yes I’ve checked both screen shots of the original delivery and the second delivery and both have the same tracking number…

please see attached screenshot of how the item(s) was delivered.

That is very weird and doesn't actually show as 'delivered'. The two parcelshops aren't that far apart but I can't understand how a parcel could be accepted if it was already in the system. Was the item described as being in the Telford/Wolverhampton area? If this a scam it's a very odd one.

nikmondo

savergrant said:

nikmondo said:

savergrant said:

When the item was reported as 'out for delivery' did it say the delivery office which was arranging delivery?
Your case is much stronger if it isn't your local one.
Theoretically when a sender uploads a tracking number to ebay, ebay should be able to check the delivery address matches but they don't seem to.

Yes both deliveries mention my local sorting office in Basildon, Essex unfortunately.

And does that match the address on the parcels in the proof of delivery? Are they addresses in your local area? It could be possible that the label has been tampered with and the address modified to fool the delivery postie. Someone might know better than me but I'd guess the qr code/barcode would get it as far as the delivery van then at some point the driver actually checks the printed address. If the printed address was out of area the driver would return it to the delivery office. But if it's local they might deliver it to that address.

Both parcels were delivered in my local town of Basildon, both were traced back to 2 companies based in industrial areas. By the looks of it, the RM system doesn’t alert the postie if the barcode is a duplicate so it allows them to scan it as many times as you like from what I see. You’d think the system would be programmed to rejected a barcode that’s already been scanned and delivered. 

Like I’ve said before, it’s so bloody confusing as to what has happened.

nikmondo

savergrant said:

nikmondo said:

born_again said:

robatwork said:

If you remove all the "RM says this, seller says that, ebay says the other" from your story you have this. You paid £750 to someone for something, and you haven't received it.

You can sue them for it. Even a LBA (letter before action) may well be enough to get a refund. You can go through the money claim procedure https://www.moneyclaims.service.gov.uk/make-claim and as you have their name and address, send them (via post and email) the letter or your moneyclaim ready to roll. 

Then claim.

Possible hacked account?
With seller selling same item to several people?

Given duplicated tracking no's. Ebay should be taking more interest in this.

Can OP confirm what item was?

The item was a mobile phone.

Was your order described as 'standard delivery' and does your order breakdown show VAT on the postage? Or was it free post?
What was the actual item price? If it was £750 or under then simple delivery is supposedly compulsory, although the sender can choose to use another tracked courier and upload that label instead. If it was £750.01 simple delivery isn't compulsory (it probably isn't even an option as that is the upper limit of ebay's cover) although the seller will need to upload a tracking number to get their funds released.

Yes it’s described as standard delivery and the VAT is also shown. The actual price was £717.25 which is rather odd number thinking about it!

nikmondo

savergrant said:

nikmondo said:

savergrant said:

Can you confirm that it is definitely the same tracking number you checked twice, and that the seller hasn't uploaded a different tracking number between you checking? Also is there any overlap, such as the second parcel being in-transit while the first was out for delivery? If there was you should have seen that when the first parcel was expected.

Yes I’ve checked both screen shots of the original delivery and the second delivery and both have the same tracking number…

please see attached screenshot of how the item(s) was delivered.

That is very weird and doesn't actually show as 'delivered'. The two parcelshops aren't that far apart but I can't understand how a parcel could be accepted if it was already in the system. Was the item described as being in the Telford/Wolverhampton area? If this a scam it's a very odd one.

Sorry I couldn’t fit that part in the screen shot, see attached!


I can’t see where the seller is from unfortunately as eBay doesn’t seem to display this information.

prowla

As a buyer, you've been charged a buyer's premium protection fee; it's ebay's problem to resolve.

Whilst doing the legwork may yield a successful outcome (fingers crossed), ebay have appointed a shipper and charged an assurance fee; they can't really step away from the issue.