Purchase problem with a forum member

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ScruffyLookingNH

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With so many good news threads highlighting outstanding actions by fellow forumites, it's a shame that I have to post this, but I have tried to resolve this and now need to add a little pressure on the seller by threatening to reveal their name by publishing this post.

Some weeks ago I bought a boxed vehicle in the FS thread. Wasn't a large amount of money. No mention of any damage was made. I paid and some days later the item arrived. I wasn't wowed with the packaging but it was in a box with at least a nod towards padding, so better than a jiffy bag. First thing that annoyed was the postage, though. I had been charged £6 and it cost £3.90. OK, so it's minor but I see it as bad form. Want to overcharge on postage do so on eBay where your feedback can be affected by doing so. Me whinging about being overcharged by a couple of quid looks petty. Would have been happy to overlook it had the packaging been decent, but as mentioned it was not.

Anyway, the important thing was the vehicle. Open it up and to my dismay find it was fully assembled in the box. The box was not designed to allow this. Immediately I notice a part has snapped. I thought it may have happened in the post, but the way I was feeling by now I was wondering if it had not happened prior to packing. Still, simple enough to resolve....

I sent the seller a message saying the item had arrived but mentioning the part was broken and asking if they had a spare. I saw they were online so expected a reply. Nothing, despite my message having been read. So I waited and the next day sent another message saying I'd appreciate a response. Got one back: no apology, not even expression of regret. Simply stated they didn't have a spare and they'd start a postal claim and would look out for another.

Whilst waiting I came across another FS thread of the seller for an identical vehicle (different box). I had seen this but forgot he had it. Maybe it's just me, but if I'd been the seller I would have immediately taken the affected part from the unsold item and sent that out to the buyer. Maybe that's just me, but I don't think so. I'm sure there's plenty here who would have done the same. Anyway, by the time I rediscovered the listing it had sold so that was no longer an option.

A few days passed and no update. I contacted a well known seller here to see if he had a spare part available. He did, for a very good £5 posted. So I sent my seller a message asking if he'd like to go ahead with this option. No reply. My message sat there unread despite the seller having logged on TWICE and not reading it on either occasion. By now, I am royally pissed off.

I send him another message titled "Please read". That was 10 days ago. I also sent him an e-mail to his PayPal e-mail address. No reply. In one message I did threaten to make my grievance public if he didn't sort things ASAP, but as he hadn't read the message, or indeed logged on since I sent it, I thought it only fair to give him chance. He may have been out of the country or unavailable for some reason.

However, this morning, for the first time in 10 days the seller has been on the forum and once again failed to read either message. Frankly, I've had enough. Personally, I think I've been more than fair and given him ample opportunity to respond. I'm not even outing him here yet in the hope he'll come to his senses. Jesus, my grievance totals £7 (replacement part at mate's rates from a seller and the excess postage refunded). Is that really worth pissing someone off for? There's people I don't like and I wouldn't even piss them off for the sake of £7!

Why give someone this much of a chance? Well, they've been a member here for a number of years, have a post count in the high hundreds and has PAGES of positive feedback. I don't want to burn someone's reputation for the sake of £7 but there's no way on earth they should be treating anyone so badly, let alone a fellow forum member who has done nothing (that I'm aware of) to piss them off.

Any comments on the above are welcome regardless if supportive or telling me to get over it. Using you guys as a sounding board is helpful.
 

Ian_C

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I have no clue who is being referred to here, but in my opinion, if an item is mailed and arrives broken, especially when it's due to not being packed properly, it is on the seller to make it right. Either offer a full refund and return it, find the part needed to repair it and mail it to you, or, if acceptable to you, to offer a partial refund to cover the damage.

I don't distrust you, but hearing the other side is usually good too. My advice is based on the assumption everything you posted is 100% accurate.

Best of luck. Feeling unhappy about a purchase is never a good thing, unless you're needlessly picky, and it doesn't sound like that applies here.

Ian
 

weasel

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Ian_C said:
I have no clue who is being referred to here, but in my opinion, if an item is mailed and arrives broken, especially when it's due to not being packed properly, it is on the seller to make it right. Either offer a full refund and return it, find the part needed to repair it and mail it to you, or, if acceptable to you, to offer a partial refund to cover the damage.

I don't distrust you, but hearing the other side is usually good too. My advice is based on the assumption everything you posted is 100% accurate.

Ian sums it up pretty well.
 

Bonsai_Tree_Ent

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I'd say on the issue of postage being £2 over... that's not a big deal, move on. On the issue of a low cost part being broken in transit (im guessing an X-Wing cannon?)... that's not a big deal either and is not malicious - these things happen in the post. On the issue of being ignored by a seller - that's the real grievance, it would be nice to get a swift expression of regret and a fiver refunded...
 

ScruffyLookingNH

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Cheers Iain, and I quite agree: both sides must be heard to make a fair call. I'd welcome the seller's input.

On being picky, it's a subjective thing: The damage done here could be hidden. It snapped at a point where should the item be assembled and put on display you wouldn't know it was done. However, it is snapped and requires gluing to hold the item in place and to make it one piece again. That, to me, is unacceptable damage and something that would have to be stated clearly if and when I sell it. I wouldn't be happy buying a figure with an undisclosed paint rub or an EV-9DP with a separated arm even if not visible when on display.

Matt, fair call. No, nothing malicious. And had the seller done as you suggested, hell, had they even expressed regret, I'm certain I wouldn't have got wound up to this extent. Same with the postage; it's a small thing but you add up a lot of little grievances and it becomes a bit of a brain worm :? For me, anyway.
 

SublevelStudios

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That's a bugger Simon, it's a shame over such a small amount but a sale is a sale, no matter how much and you need to be happy with the purchase.

The problem here is it's a trusted seller, a SWFUK veteran with good rep. If it were a noob, we could go in all guns blazing but this behaviour from an established member - there must be a reason. I doubt anyone who sells on here regularly will want to tarnish their rep for a measly £7.

Maybe one of the admins or other established members can step in and mediate to resolve the issue swiftly.
 

edd_jedi

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Agree neither of the issues are exactly crime of the century, but I know how annoying it is to be ignored. I think people often forget you can see when they last logged on to forums. So if you're ignoring people, logging on and not reading/replying will only piss them off further.

If you don't get a response personally I would put the £7 down to experience, and give the seller a 'neutral' feedback post on their thread mentioning mediocre packaging and poor communication.
 

ScruffyLookingNH

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See? This is why it's worth posting these things: the voices of reason come out and and give an objective view.

I'm happy with the advice given and will do as suggested by Edd. I'll give it another 7 days and leave appropriate feedback. I will add a final private message to the seller, however, letting them know what I think about them. Sorry, but needs to be said in non-fluffy terms.

Thanks all for your views, I do appreciate it.
 

Richard_H

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If it was me I'd have mailed you a new part, bought a replacement, did whatever. It's just common practice IMO. Going silent is not good. As Ian says there are two sides to every side, but if the other guy won't communicate then it looks one sided to me.
 

Matthieu

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Now that some reasonable advice has been given, let me give you mine: go to his home and burn his collection with fire!!
Seriously though, I think it's not a matter of how much you got screwed over for, just a question of respect. Any buyer has to be treated well especially where buyer and sellers have been long time members of the community.
Sadly though, having been a member of other forums and of FB too, I don't find it surprising anymore.
-Matth
 

benny100

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Bonsai_Tree_Ent said:
I'd say on the issue of postage being £2 over... that's not a big deal, move on. On the issue of a low cost part being broken in transit (im guessing an X-Wing cannon?)... that's not a big deal either and is not malicious - these things happen in the post. On the issue of being ignored by a seller - that's the real grievance, it would be nice to get a swift expression of regret and a fiver refunded...
You've summed it up perhaps far better than I have, the only issue here is I didn't read the messages and act immediately, this was not intentional, just a by product of being overly busy.
 

benny100

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I should also say the length of the post suggests, Simon, that you have a very skewed sense of perspective. When I said I'd find a replacement part for you, I didn't think you're whole world would collapse if you didn't get the snowspeeder cannon, yesterday.
You received the item quickly, your suggestion that the item was poorly packaged is a complete lie, I've never sent anything badly packaged.
The only issue here is your lack of patience and assumption I'm trying to rip you off.
Are you really stupid enough to believe I'd ruin years of good feedback or perhaps just never visit the forum again, over a £5 item?
The other snowspeeder I had for sale was already spoken for by the time you made me aware the cannon was broken.
 

edd_jedi

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To be fair Benny, 10 days is not a reasonable amount of time to ignore a PM for IMO when there is a dispute going on. Nobody is so busy they can't take 30 seconds out of their life to send a PM, especially as we all have mobile phones these days. It looks like all of this could have been avoided if you'd simply replied to the PM. I don't think anything you've done is horrendous, but I do understand why Simon is annoyed after being ignored for 10 days.

Anyway please refrain from name calling, let's try and resolve this civilly.
 

steve obi wan

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Hopefully sorted ,

I know this problem all too well , never nice to have issues with other forum members , I am sure you can sort it out between yourselves

Good luck
 
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