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Product safety recall - or eBay's mistake?
Summary: durham_nige describes a frustrating experience with a potential product recall from eBay, receiving incorrect information about a dangerous tool purchase. They reached out to the seller for clarification without success and encountered difficulties contacting eBay for support. papso22 suggests checking the government website for accurate recall details, while tobiasd4 notes that recalls are typically between buyers and sellers. durham_nige feels that eBay is not fulfilling its responsibilities in facilitating recalls and allowing potentially unsafe products to be sold, expressing dissatisfaction with the platform.
Last week eBay sent me an email saying a product I had bought was subject to a product recall and to stop using it. According to the email, the product is dangerous and can produce a potentially fatal electric shock. The email included a link to the UK government trading standards site with 'full details' of the recall. And here's where it goes off the rails... the link is to a totally different tool (I bought an impact wrench, eBay's link is for a polisher). Baffled, I reached out to the seller (an 'official' channel for the company that made the wrench), which has ignored me. And, of course, it is impossible to actually speak to anyone at eBay. So I'm left with a tool which may - or may not - be potentially lethal and out of pocket because I don't feel like taking a chance. Thanks eBay. After 15 years as a buyer and seller I don't feel like using the platform again after this debacle. Anyone else had a similar experience?
tobiasd4
Mentor2 weeks agoEbay have no part in recalls except to pass the details on to buyers.
It is between you and seller.
durham_nige
OP1 week agoYes I understand that but it seems eBay is doing the very least it can in order to meet its legal obligations here. If I bought from a bricks and mortar store, it would have an obligation to facilitate a recall. eBay washes its hands of this by claiming to be a marketplace. By doing so it is happy for a seller to continue selling Chinese imports which may (or may not) be dangerous on its platform. It is also happy to see that same seller to ignore requests for help from buyers without any eBay sanction. Caveat emptor I guess.
papso22
Mentor1 week agoEbay is a market place, it has no legal obligations for recalls, I am not even sure they are legally obliged to let you know about them, but at least they do that.
papso22
Mentor2 weeks agoThe place to look for definitive recall info is gov.uk
Unless you bought your item less than 30 days ago ebay will not help you with it.