topic Re: Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent in Buying

Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent

dml123 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 20:01:00 GMT

Hi,

This is the second time this has happened and I'll likely be writing to eBay with an official complaint as this isn't good enough, but I just wanted to see if anyone else had any advice or experience with this.

I recently purchased a book from World Of Books on eBay. The picture listed was of a book that compiles Vol 1 & 2 into one book. The description matches this. The book that arrived was actually Vol 2 (so a different item). I contacted eBay saying their preset ISBN information is incorrect and that World Of Books obviously hadn't double checked this either.

The eBay agent I spoke to (on a chat so I have evidence) said they'd open a return case and told me NOT to return the book, but that I'd be sent a full refund a few days later. I've spoken to a different eBay agent since and they said there's no mention of this on my account. If it wasn't returned, the refund wouldn't have been processed.

To add to the confusion, World Of Books have sent me a completely irrelevant book for no reason at all (I've no outstanding orders with them) and I've contacted them about this, as someone somewhere is without their order. I guess I've just pointlessly gained a book of no interest unless they want it back or sent on.

I was promised the same "refund without a return" from eBay last year for a very expensive damaged in transit item that I didn't get the money for either (international shipping too).

Strangely, a few weeks ago, two DVD sets arrived from the American (I'm in the UK), one damaged in transit, one not as described (scratched and didn't play) and eBay immediately gave an actual refund and told me not to return. This I could trust as the money was in my account very quickly.

What on earth is going on and why are they allowed to keep lying with their advice? I'm realising now that you must ignore their promises to refund you and keep the item and actually it if you want your money back. If it's not an instant refund, it's not going to happen. Why would you tell people to keep damaged/incorrect items to their own detriment? Do they get rated on the refunds they don't process? Why not encourage people to return items to get their money back instead of advising the opposite? It's all well and good telling me I don't have to do anything to save me the hassle, but not if "not doing anything" means I don't get a refund!

Re: Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent

roger_roger_over_and_nowt — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 19:48:25 GMT

All you needed to do was use Ebay's MBG.No need to contact CS at all.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy?id=4210

Re: Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent

dml123 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 19:55:20 GMT

If the item doesn't match the description, you use MBG and either get a refund and to keep the item or asked to return it. I contacted eBay because their ISBN number does not match their preset information (which they have the responsibility of - had the same issue with eBay saying a car part would fit, which didn't, a while back - partially their responsibility). They are the ones that the opened the return case.

If you read my issue above, it's not about how to send a return for a refund, it's about eBay lying that you'll get a refund if you don't return an item.

Sometimes you keep the item, sometimes you don't. The whole idea was to involve eBay on their mistake and to see if it warranted a return. They told me NOT to send it back.

I guess we just live in a world where we employ people who don't care or don't know what they're doing, aren't held accountable and everyone's ok with that. If a customer service can't provide customer service, why do they exist?

It's also worth noting that the chat is there to help people to get refunds when they need assistance. This isn't helping, it's hindering and preventing the refund.

Re: Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent

papso22 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 20:07:19 GMT

Following Ebay's published process would have got you a refund both times and not involved CS at all.

Yes you would probably have had to return the items but that's how the process works.

Ebay CS is not like customer service in other companies. They promise things they don't deliver on and there is no complaints procedure. It's best to use automated processes where available.

Re: Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent

dml123 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 20:05:58 GMT

I know what you're saying but it is complete nonsense to have such a service in place that can just lie and make promises they can't keep. The poster issue last year involved talking to people in England and elsewhere about the whole procedure and I was repeatedly told contradictory information from everyone about how shipping claims are made etc.

It's also worth mentioning that this advice about the book was from the UK, not abroad. It doesn't seem to matter who you speak to, some will lie or don't know, others seem more knowledgeable. It's a farce when it should be ever so simple by all accounts.

Re: Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent

jonatjonatjonat — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 20:06:42 GMT

Ok, so the learning from this would be eBay customer services can potentially be next to useless so don’t contact them and open a return request.

if you do that, you get a refund. Which is presumably what you wanted?

Re: Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent

dml123 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 20:10:33 GMT

What I wanted was to be given the correct advice instead of appeased with lies, all the moreso since these days every customer pays for that added protection which should include a service for when things go wrong but hey, this isn't the 1950s and we've been normalising a drop in standards for about 25 years now.

Re: Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent

jonatjonatjonat — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 21:02:05 GMT

The buyer protection fee? It’s nothing to do with getting refunds.

your issue is you seem to be expecting a service that eBay don’t even offer (return and refund decisions). Fair enough you were given the wrong information - but you’ve now had the right information.

you got the wrong item. You followed a process you alone seem to have decided is correct. If this happens n the future. Just open an item not as described case.

Re: Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent

dml123 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 21:38:25 GMT

Firstly, eBay CAN make these decisions. I literally mentioned how they immediately decided to send me a refund for two items where a returns case was opened. I spoke to the seller and that was eBay's decision. Another time, they didn't make that decision. So that's twice I've been told by eBay that I don't have to send an item back but will be refunded. Once I was refunded with no return, another time I wasn't. No explanation from them as to why the decision was made. eBay themselves said that "eBay" made that decision.

Secondly, at no point in my original post did I ask "what to do next time" or "what did I do wrong". I know what happened. I know what I was told at the time and since. My post has questions in that noone has answered as presumably noone knows the answer to them and just enjoy hearing the sounds of their own "I know stuff aren't I helpful" selves. If noone knows the answer, don't reply. It's pretty simple. This is classic online forum "I have a voice" nonsense. Don't waste the time and finger tapping if you don't know.

To quote my original post:

"What on earth is going on and why are they allowed to keep lying with their advice?"

"Why would you tell people to keep damaged/incorrect items to their own detriment?"

"Do they get rated on the refunds they don't process?"

"Why not encourage people to return items to get their money back instead of advising the opposite?"

Once more, I know how to do a return for a refund. I contacted eBay to let them know of an error and to ask advice. They gave incorrect advice. This has happened multiple times. I am now aware that they lie to presumably please customers. I've also spoken to another advisor who's said this is what some agents do, it's a known thing, and he works for eBay! Maybe it's as simple as that. To shut a customer up and not care what the outcome is. I'm asking those with insight into the workings of eBay.

Feel free to keep dealing with a company that doesn't see through it's own policies, which includes providing customers with accurate information and sticking to their word. I'd be re-educating my staff and if they continued and firing them if they still didn't listen for not doing their job. Big cooperations don't care and probably welcome the chaos as they get their money either way. People leave but enough stay, standards drop, no one cares until it effects them. Same old.

I don't require any further response as I'm shouting into the void once again in an eBay forum. A place eBay created to let you battle it out instead of getting a resolution half the time and saving them from having to hear any complaints. Well done boys.

Re: Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent

rainbowtrax — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 21:56:06 GMT

I wouldn't waste your time writing an official complaint. Ebay's CS are known for often giving wrong info and ebay's product catalogue is not fit for purpose and hasn't been from day one. Ebay know it and always have but they can't be bothered to even attempt to fix it.

A few years ago, for a few months, you could submit a data error report but, as you can generally find at least one error in most catalogue entries, they soon took that option away. They didn't actually correct any of the reported errors even then, it was probably more to make people think that they would. The catalogue data is so bad that I now enter "Does not apply" in the compulsory EAN/ISBN field so that none of my listings can be linked to it. It's much safer.

You'll find that any of the megalisters will list by EAN/ISBN only without checking the catalogue details. They have to with their business model as they'd never get it all listed if they took the time to check it all. So whatever random details ebay's catalogue throws up, that's what you'll get on the listing - it generates, the title, author, image, format, year, publisher, genre, topic, literally everything - which means that you can't trust any of it to be correct. The only thing that's guaranteed is the EAN/ISBN as that's what's scanned to create the listing.

So before you buy anything from a listing that's linked to ebay's catalogue, your best bet is to do your own research away from ebay as to what the EAN/ISBN is really for. Obviously, if you don't, you're covered to return under ebay's MBG which is fully automated and much easier than contacting ebay.

Re: Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent

dml123 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 22:08:09 GMT

Thank you for confirming my fears but making me feel I'm no going mad with the misinformation eBay has give me! If it really is that pointless, as you say, it's worth checking elsewhere prior (I often do since the car parts mistake last year and when knowing big companies aren't going to take the time as you say - I didn't even know there was a variation on this book until I'd done a huge amount of research when a different cover arrived!)

It's a shame but not a surprise that big companies, especially eBay or WoB, don't want to take responsibility as it'd cost them money/staff I'm sure, but if nothing can be done "it is what it is".

I may attempt a letter all the same as I'll feel I've spoken up as noone ever does and the standards continue to drop. I remember Citizens Advice years ago saying the UK is especially bad for not actually complaining which is why we "get what we deserve" and the world is like it very much these days. It may end up in the shredder but I'll have tried! I do have an official address so it's worth a go.

Thanks again.

Re: Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent

rainbowtrax — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 02:06:52 GMT

@dml123 wrote:

I may attempt a letter all the same as I'll feel I've spoken up as noone ever does and the standards continue to drop. I remember Citizens Advice years ago saying the UK is especially bad for not actually complaining which is why we "get what we deserve" and the world is like it very much these days. It may end up in the shredder but I'll have tried! I do have an official address so it's worth a go.

Thanks again.

Fair play for trying. Set your expectations low and at least you won't be disappointed. I spent well over a decade trying to work with them on the audio books catalogue to no avail. When, after 10 years plus, they still couldn't even manage to do a bulk edit to get them into the correct category, I knew it was time to give up. I'm completely chilled now that I just put "Does not apply" for every EAN/ISBN and never have to even see the catalogue when listing.

Re: Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent

dml123 — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 03:58:29 GMT

Thanks for the kind words and I'm sorry to hear it's been a battle for you too. I buy and sell on a few marketplaces online and so many things are becoming more and more "illogical" to the users, which I can only assume is more "profitable" for the marketplaces themselves. They fit corners and make money regardless without having to pay trained staff and find loopholes etc. The small businesses and a few customers leave but they make a lot out of the bigger companies (who are also stamping out the smaller ones as you can't compete price wise). It's a sad old time. I've a few other complaints to make that I started writing up a while back. I'm sure they won't care but it'll be therapeutic if nothing else and potentially legally standing on some of the other issues, should it come to it.

Best of luck with your future endeavours and thanks for taking the time to read and reply.

Re: Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent

dml123 — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:10:51 GMT

And just as a follow up to add to the confusion (and to correct those who implied I wouldn't be getting a refund without going through the returns procedure), eBay actually sent a refund through today. World Of Books replied to my last message saying eBay had done it, not them, and that it's all settled. What a life!

Re: Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent

biltoml_2244 — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:18:29 GMT

I sent a ring back as the stone looked like it has dropped so I returned it .it arrived in usa inspection hub I was told I would receive a refund by 12th Feb I still haven't received a refund or a call back and I feel like I am getting the run around from ebay i would mind but it's $600 i dont know what else I can do any ideas would be fab as I am disabled and cannot afford to lose so much money

Re: Ebay Promising A Refund They Haven't Sent

dml123 — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 16:26:51 GMT

Hi @biltoml_2244

I'm so sorry to hear this has happened. I'm assuming you've tried contacting eBay via the chat and on the phone? Sometimes it's best to ring them on the phone earlier in the morning, but I've just found persistence (even if it wastes time and is enraging) gets results. There should be some sort of option to escalate the return if the seller hasn't refunded you, so do check the return claim itself. Apologies if you've tried all of this. If something strange is going on and your still not getting the refund, call Citizens Advice and see if they can assist or put you onto someone who can help out.

I hope you get it resolved asap.