Topic: Barabbas on the Horns of a Dilemma....

[The Bar-Abbas Anomaly]

 
Here's the situation:

Bought three computer motherboards on December 10th on eBay.  About $100 total for all three.  'Received the package in a reasonable time frame.  A month later I got around to installing them and found that the seller had shipped one wrong board.

I Emailed the seller (through eBay - I have a copy) on Jan. 12th with this message:

I finally got around to installing the last of the three boards I purchased from you in December and found that this one is different from the other two. Both of them were Slot1 and Socket 370 boards, but this one is a Socket 462 board (AMD Socket A). I would not mind if this board was either Socket 370 or Slot1, but I just don't have any AMD chips to run in this board. Please advise.

Did not hear from him at all for over a month.  Went to leave neutral feedback, but when I browsed through his existing feedback 'Did not reply to Email' was a very common theme.  His rating is 2300 or so, with 51 neutrals and 14 negatives.  More, actually, 'cause many had been removed by mutual agreement.  I changed my mind and left a negative feedback.

Fast forward to last Wednesday.... I went on a short vacation to VA for a few days, but crashed my laptop on Wednesday evening and was unable to recover.  (Ya'know, it's a shame I don't know some sort of computer guy who could fix this sort of thing! )

Visited the public library on Friday to get my Email fix.  I had received these Emails from the seller:

BOGUS FEEDBACK
I will be filing a complaint with Ebay, and also Leaving a VERY NEGATIVE Feedback inless I hear back to you within 24 hours.......

You bought items 3 months ago. 3 MONTHS AGO ?

You say you received 2 correct boards and 1 incorrect, and we never emailed you back.............WHEN DID YOU EMAIL US.........2 MONTHS AGO......You have NOT emailed us..............I expect a reply within 24 hours before we respond to this.

I need a responce by Midnight tonight, or I will have to turn this Negative....

I responded that I certainly did send Email about it to him, that I didn't mind the mistake but left the negative feedback because he had ignored me.  I told him that while I was willing to withdraw the feedback, his response was abusive and rude and a threat and if that was the way he treated his customers then the feedback was well-justified.  I asked him how to procede. 

Well, his Emails came in on Thursday.  Sure enough, it was Friday and he had already left retaliatory negative feedback. 

Ok I warned you for filing a false feedback.....This is just the start.

He followed up with this:

WHEN did you EVER EMAIL ME ? Never did I get any email......If I sent the wrong board, I would have taken care of it....... Im not stupid, if I ignore customers they will leave Negative, and I wouldnt do that over a $30 item. I NEVER received an email........

I even tried emailing you for 2 days to try and resolve the issue, if it was a misunderstanding, and never got any reply from you........ I thought that was the right thing.

Im not sure whom you emailed, but it wasnt me, I promise you, I would not ignore a customer, never have and never would...........

If this is still one big misunderstanding, Im always will to resolve........Please let me knwo what we sent you that was wrong.......

Im willing to refund you and withdraw feedbacks if we can resolve.........

So here I am, and to be honest, I'm surprised at how much this guy has bugged me with all this....  I've discovered in my old age that I'm a downright vindictive SOB at times, and my inclination is to file a formal complaint with eBay about his strongarm tactics.  I waited a month.... He gave me 24 hours to respond.  I was polite.... He was rude, abusive & threatening and accused me of lying about sending the first Email.  He lied that he had given me '3 Days to repsond' in his retaliatory feedback....  My feedback was polite and accurate.  If many people have complained that he does not reply to Emails, his

Do I give in to the Dark Side, or make nicey-nice and let it go away?  I don't think eBay will care much, unless he's gotten other similar complaints or receives more in the future.... Then they may suspend his account, but it won't be /just/ because of my complaint.

What say YOU?

[Sirgod]

Man, If you need an extra Mother board, I have one. It's the least I can do after you senf me a Video card a few years ago.

Stephen

[kmelew]

I'm sorry to hear what happened to you Barabbas.  Quite frankly, I don't know what eBay can do for you.  If you complain to them about this seller's strong-arm tactics, make sure you send them all the emails you've sent each other.  He left negative feedback for you on your profile--did you respond to it (e.g. "Seller threatened me with negative feedback unless I took back his negative feedback.")?  That way if eBay doesn't remove it for you then anyone who reads the seller's comments about you would probably take it with a grain of salt.

eBay's feedback system is pretty good at determining buyer's and seller's reliability, but as you've shown, it can be abused as well.

Good luck and let us know how it works out.

[KnightAdvancer]

What say YOU?

I say that you know the proper course of action as well as anyone on these boards, Barabbas. I see nothing wrong with reporting this person's apparently abusive behavior, and otherwise doing what you may that would be a responsible recourse to such foulness, but I would advise against letting these things become justifications to walk down the Worldly Path.

Remember the parable of the King and his Debtor?

[E_Look]

At the same time, Tremok, people ought to be advised to be cautious dealing with this fellow.

It depends on Barabbas' motivations, too:

Barabbas, are you doing it to get him back for his shabby treatment of you, or are you trying to do a "public service"?  Let's not forget that evil is to be resisted, in the world at large as well as within ourselves.

[The Bar-Abbas Anomaly]

 

Hmm....   


60-40, me'thinks.....



Stephen - Thanks but no, I don't 'need' a board - I just happened to have a Slot1 and a couple of 370 CPUs lying about at the time that I thought I would build into working computers....  The extra processors just got sold on eBay.

[Sirgod]

Hmm....   


60-40, me'thinks.....



Stephen - Thanks but no, I don't 'need' a board - I just happened to have a Slot1 and a couple of 370 CPUs lying about at the time that I thought I would build into working computers....  The extra processors just got sold on eBay.

Ok man, No Problem , Just thought I'd offer, return the Favor so to speak. Hope Everything works out though for you on Ebay.

stephen

[Capt_Bearslayer_XC]

I would clarify that the negative feed back is based on the rude responses and lack of speed in which this person responds UNLESS you give the seller negative feed back and not necessarily over product issues.

Even though there is a product issue, you did take a month to find out and get back to the seller on it.  But that in no way warrants the response you received from him.

[The Bar-Abbas Anomaly]

Well, in perusing through eBays Help pages, I came across 'Feedback Extortion' which is qualified as this:

User threatened to leave negative feedback if demands weren't met.

eBay asks to be contacted in such a case and requests copies of the Emails with headers, so they seem to take it pretty seriously.  It does not qualify for feedback removal, but I'm OK with a black mark on my feedback and will view it as a badge of honor.

I think this is the path I will choose when I get home this evening.

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

I fully disagree with strong-arm tactics, but I would ask you one thing:  Have you verified that you didn't get fat finger syndrome and type in the wrong address on the initial e-mail?  Just check it and see.  Otherwise, I'd report it.  He sounds like he got mad about you taking three months.  I don't know. 
   Just don't do it out of anger.  And give us his name so we know not to buy parts from him.

[The Bar-Abbas Anomaly]

 
I will certainly verify everything before proceding, but I sent the Email using the 'Ask Seller a Question' link in the (completed) auction itself and copied myself on it.  Since I received it, it's certain that it was also sent to him.  I will check the Email header, of course, just to make sure....

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

It could be the simple issue that the ebay box that forwards it could have had a hiccup and he never got it.  The bad part is, without a direct e-mail address, there is really no way to prove that he didn't get it, unless ebay itself will verify that the e-mail was forwarded promptly and properly.

[The Bar-Abbas Anomaly]

 

Things have escelated....  Originally, it was a wrong item.  On a 1-10 scale, about a 1 or 2.  Then he didn't respond when I tried to contact him about it: 4 or 5.  I left neg feedback, which I gladly would have removed had he simply replied and said 'Hey, wassup wit dat?'.

But instead I received rudeness, threats, demands, a 24-hour deadline, lies and more threats.  ("This is just the start.")  That all pushes it all right up to a 10 for me, so unless someone wants to tell me I'm way out of line on this I'm gonna file tonight.

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

I'm not saying you were out of line.  If anything, you've shown more patience in this area than I would have.  I don't respond well to threats, and this would be one that would have me saying fine.   Lets get to it.