eBay Grrr....

Ugghhh. If anyone here is an eBay expert and could advise me on this, I'd really appreciate it....

I've bought hundreds of items off eBay over the past five years or so. I have overwhelmingly positive feedback, 99%, and the only two problems I ever had were with two sellers who received payment a little late (it's all money order with me--I don't do Paypal--so it's all through the mail), and those two negative feedbacks were retracted after the fact. Again, there have been hundreds of positive feedbacks.

About 10 days ago (not business days, regular days), I purchased an item, and I sent out payment a little late. The seller contacted me after 7 days, and I explained that the money order was in the mail and she would receive it soon. Today, she still hadn't received it (I guess the mail is a little slow, but it hasn't been all that long), and the next thing I know, I've been banned from the site. I tried to log in, and I'm being told that a strike was given to my account, and as such, I'm no longer considered a registered eBay user.

Again, I realize that payment is a little late, and I have apologized for that. But banned from the site? With 99% positive feedback? For payment arriving 3 days late? I think it's a little excessive.

Now, I'm really pissed because I purchased an item this afternoon, and was planning to do the checkout tonight, but I've now received a "strike" for that one too, because I'm no longer a registered user. I have no way of contacting this new seller to get her name and address so I can send payment, although I think I may have found a roundabout way, I hope. Also, I have about 20 items pending right now (I buy a lot of stuff), and I've sent payment for all of them. But if any of these people try to contact me for any reason, they'll see that I'm no longer registered, and who knows? I have no protection (feedback, or dispute-wise) when it comes to those items now.

Anyway, I've appealed the dispute, and hopefully this will all be settled *crosses fingers*, but does this seem ridiculous to anyone else? I don't understand how anyone who doesn't do Paypal has any protection under this policy. I mean, what if you send payment and it gets delayed in the mail? I've sent payment and had it returned to me because the seller gave me the wrong address even! I just don't get it.....

Sorry, but I just have to rant.




Edited by Jenny_RR

Something's fishy. Getting a strike for whatever reason is not grounds for unregistering (or dis-membering!) you! Recently I had a strike from Vixenwigs - I bought something twice, Carol caught it and reported it to ebay so she wouldn't have to pay the ebay fee, but for some reason it didn't register and I was listed as non-paying and thus the strike. I wasn't kicked off as a member,tho, so that part I don't get. Granted, it will take some time to straighten it out with you, ebay, the sellers involved...and once it IS resolved, there's no guarantee that ebay's computers will list it as resolved. This is really a mess, Jenny, but unfortunately not surprising. When things go smoothly, ebay is great. When something goes awry, it's the biggest nightmare - no one to call, no one to talk to, communication only thru email and they never reply...but it can be done! Sorry to bum you out more, but I'm just sympathizing cuz I've been on the receiving end of an ebay glitch and it ain't pretty.

Good luck and yes, it does sound totally unreasonable.

Also, the feedback thing: if a person has 99% good feedback, it's certain that the bad feedback comes from some unreasonable psycho who wants to mess up someone's feedback on purpose. If someone is 99% pos, I never take the negs into account. Dealt with way too many freaks to fall for that. It's a large number of neutrals that make me suspicious.

Edited by Syren123

Jenny, I'm sorry this has happened to you.  The only time I ever sold anything on eBay, there were communication problems with the girl who bought from me (she sent paypal when I said check or money order only).  However, we emailed back and forth and got everything straightened out.  Sure, it took an extra week to get it taken care of, but I certainly wasn't going to give her any negative feedback over it.

Have you also written to eBay?  I guess their security and resolution center is the place to go.  If that doesn't work, you need to find a person in their corporate HQ in San Jose to get your issue escalated.  I also work in high-tech these days (that's why I'm so busy), and I've learned that's how you get things done when nothing else works.  I'll PM you their phone number (they don't list it online, but their in my local white pages).

Ooo Jenny, I'm so sorry for you chick.  The only time my account has been restricted is when I'd forgot to pay my seller fees but they didn't ban me.  I didn't think people could be banned.  There are people on ebay that have say 95% feedback but when you check their account they've sound 1000's of items and have at least 20 bad feedback's a month so tell me how they flipping get away with that then.  I'd make a serious complaint to ebay, its disgusting.  I have opened two accounts with them just in case anything like this happened.  I used it whilst I couldn't use my normal account whilst I was bringing my fees up to date xx

well I went to the Q&A board to ask for you, and boy those people are snippy. here are the replies...

me: Hello everyone, Im posting this for a friend because she's having some problems, and advise would be greatly appreicated :) (I then copied and pasted what you posted)

festering_negs:  locked out ? bummer

abcd_goldfish:  kalika.....Only one who might be able to help is LIVE HELP. Scroll UP and click on HOME and then click on the LIVE HELP link (be sure pop-up blockers are turned OFF first). Your friend can do that even if she's not a registered user

cargovanfan: Kalika, nobody's banned for ONE non-payment report. You got a bogus email?

festering_negs: kalika_22 - you know about this stuff ?

*tanstaafl!: kalika

Your friend isn't telling you the whole story. She's not banned because of one seller. It takes a LOT. I know of one bidder with at least two dozen negs for not paying and they're still registered

Deb

me: "Kalika, nobody's banned for ONE non-payment report. You got a bogus email?" - Not a bogus email, this is an actual problem, just copying and pasting what she was distraut about.

hobjogus: kalika-22~Could you have responded to a spam email that really wasn't from ebay? I can't imagine you being locked out for a late payment......that sounds severe. YOu'd have to go through the "conflict resolution" process first...Am I right?

me: ok I will tell her to go to live help (actually I want to say YOU PEOPLE SUCK AND ARE NOT HELPFUL AND HAVE THE CHARM OF AN OLD SWEATSOCK, but I dont)

twopainters: kalika_22, you might ask Live Help what's up. Here's a link for you.

nomad55: If you wish to prevent an argument, let us know in advance what the answer you desire is.

Otherwise, select from the following list:
A) go to the site map
B) ebay does not do phone contact
C) perhaps, there are two sides to every dispute
D) eat more chocolate.

me: its not a spam mail. thanks everyone. (I HATE YOU ALL)

abcd_goldfish: kalika....once again, nobody here can do anything about that...we're just chatters like yourself. Your friend will need to contact eBay and the only way I know of is to use Live Help, because you don't have to be a registered user to use live help.

carberry: kalika_22 if you were no longer a registered user you couldn't be posting with the user id on this board (a little on the slow side...)

abcd_goldfish: carberry -- She is posting for a "friend" who is not registered.

carberry: abcd_goldfish thanks for clarifying I'm getting old ;) I'm assuming if that user is 99% fedback they have other strikes in the past and this might have been #3

*tanstaafl!: carberry

Isn't three strikes and you're out anymore (sigh)

Deb

baylove: kalika_22

Your friend received a scam email.

It LOOKEDE like a real email from ebay, but it was actually from a scammer who FORGED an email to make it LOOK LIKE a REAL email from eBay.

We see this several times a day here.

 

I swear, those people are just grumpy. back in the day they used to be nice.  but that was back before ebay went to sh*t

Thanks for trying, Kalika. That thread is crazy, and those people are absurd. What happened was that this one vendor issued a strike warning and then said that we couldn't "come to an agreement," whatever that means. I don't think I responded to any spam, although it's possible I guess.

I think I'm done with eBay after this. I've been spending way too much money on crap I don't need there to have to go through this aggravation. Screw it: I'm saving up for breast implants instead.

Thanks again! :)

boobs are MUCH more fun then ebay

hmmmm... is it legal to ebay a phone number?  I have charles barkley's number, he left it with me after I declined an offer to sleep with him for money.

I should be paid for my trouble

Go Kalika!

Sorry for all the suckness and haha on the cheap bastard part.

Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you with the ebay stuff.

Ive been on ebay since gosh, I think 1998 and the whole scene gets worse and worse each year.