Customer Service.

[billythecardy]

I just had the misfortune to have to use eBay's customer service for the first time since losing my Concierge.

40 minutes on the chat going over the same thing again and again.  Could have been handled in 5 minutes with Concierge.  A buyer had returned a different item to the one he bought. 

As an example -

Agent - "is the problem with item number XXXXXXX  - sewing pattern"

Me - "No it's item number  XXXXXXXXX - valuable book"

Agent - "do you have the item number?"

Me - banging head on desk.

It's like eBay thought "how could we make life more difficult and annoying for our valued customers? I know, lets make the customer service so appalling nobody wants to use it!"

Aaaaaaagh!

[4_bathrooms]

You need to file a report with Action Fraud, use the "Report a problem" link in the case then include the AF reference number in your report to eBay.

eBay's regular customer service agents are very unlikely to help you. The above is the established process for reporting attempted fraud to eBay and typically results in the seller not being held liable for refunding the buyer. eBay have obligations towards private sellers imposed on them by the FCA to prevent private sellers (consumers) becoming victims of fraud. Whilst these obligations don't extend to businesses I haven't seen a case yet where that process was followed correctly and the seller was still held responsible for refunding the buyer.

[sheba-knows-best]

As someone who has also lost concierge - give chat about 1 minute - and then type "I need to speak to an agent".

You will get a callback within 2 mins usually. 

How good the CS is, is pot luck, but there you go.

[billythecardy]

I have reported this to Action Fraud now. Thanks for the suggestion. Sadly, I suspect eBay will refund both me and him and he'll get away with it.  But at least then I won't be out of pocket.  I mean he didn't even have the decency to send me back a dodgy copy of the same book - it was a completely different book by the same author!

[billythecardy]

Yes, I should really have waited till tomorrow morning to try and catch Irish customer service (if it still exists) but I was annoyed and wanted it sorted.