How do I get my money back

[situ-ations]

I bought a gazebo cover in error.  I sent it back 3 days after I received it.  Parcelforce delivered it, I paid for it out of my own money.  I asked the seller if they had refunded me because I couldn't see any evidence of it.  They told me they hadn't and told me to track the number.  I did and in fact they had received it and had signed for it.  I phoned Parcelforce and they sent me a screenshot of the proof of delevery, I sent all off this to the seller and they did not respond.  So I asked EBay to step.  They MISREAD my complaint and thought that the date of my complaint was when I sent the item back, it clearly states on the document I sent ebay that the item was returned well within 14 days - I HAVE PROOF!

They said the case is closed and now I cannot access it to correct their error, and the appeal line is closed because of Covid-19.  So I sent another message to the seller asking them please in view of all the proof I sent them could I now have my money back.  They still have not responded.  So WHAT DO I DO?????????????

[m25jet · Accepted solution]

Given that eBay appear to have screwed up you will have to open a case via PayPal.  You have one hundred and eighty days during which to do so, so open a PayPal case and make sure that you include the tracking number that proves that you returned the item to the seller.  PayPal tend to look at cases far more closely than eBay do, so once they see that the item has been returned to the seller but you have still not received a refund they will more than likely decide the matter in your favour if the seller will not voluntarily issue a refund.  If that is indeed the case then you ought to receive a total refund of the money that you paid for the item.

Once you have opened the case, if the seller says anything along the lines of "I'll issue you with a complete refund so long as you close the case" then make sure that you refuse to close the case.  If you allow the seller to persuade you to close the case on the promise of a refund there's no guarantee that the seller would keep his word and actually refund the money, and you would probably never get your money back again.  You have a lot more clout with the case open, so if it does become necessary to escalate the matter to PayPal then make sure that you escalate the case to PayPal after two days, but no later than the twenty day cut-off point.   If you leave it too long and the case times out, or if you allow the seller to mislead you into closing the case, then you will not be able to open another one and you won't get your money back.

[rusticrye]

The seller did not sign for the package. For health and safety reasons, no-one is allowed to sign for them except the delivery person. You can check this information for yourself on Parcelforce's website (or any carrier's website) under 'Coronavirus'. So it is totally possible that the seller has not received the package.

That would normally make no difference to Ebay's returns system - tracking only has to prove delivery or attempted delivery, BUT Ebay can't help you now - because, it seems, you failed to follow instructions. It's not clear to me from your post whether you opened a return request or not, prior to returning the item. But if you did, it seems you failed to escalate the return request to Ebay - and instead sent them a 'document'. The entire system is automated, so unless you do as instructed, and within the stated timescales, a return request will auto-close in the seller's favour. You have to properly use the tools that Ebay provide - you can't contact Ebay and expect them to do it for you because they can't.

Nor can PayPal help you. PayPal (or any payment processor) can only help with claims of Not As Described, not with items which you ordered in error.

Contact Parcelforce again, and tell them to supply you with absolute proof that the package was delivered to the seller's address - they can check this because their vans use global tracking systems.  If they can absolutely prove it, send this information to the seller, with a set time to refund you by (7 days, say), and telling them that if they do not do so, you will take legal action to recover your money plus all associated costs. If they don't refund within that timescale , go to the CAB's website to learn what to do ('before action' letter by Signed For post, followed by Small Claims court if necessary).

@situ-ations 

@m25jet 

@arkwebus 

@john1297576 

[situ-ations]

I phoned parcelforce so although the person didn't sign they got his hame (he was the managing director!), they sent me a screenshot of their delivery timeline so I know when they delivered it, who to and what time.. I did open a return request with ebay but then I realised the postage for returns is only £2.50 or so, the parcel was too heavy so as the company refused to pay postage I had to then take the parcel to parcelforce, the open return on ebay couldn't understand why I hadn't printed out the label and I couldn't find a way of cancelling it or a way of telling ebay that I had to pay for it myself. So the open return stayed like that. There's no way of contacting ebay except asking them to step in, which I did but they misunderstood because of the bloody open return, they thought I hadn't returned it yet and they closed the case, even though I'd returned it 3 days after receiving it (after the weekend). It said I could appeal their decision by phone but then it said all phones are closed due to covid-19. But then yesterday the company finally came back and said they would refund the money (because I sent them the screenshot). They said they get hundreds of parcels, (obviously I'm not the only one sending things back) and they couldn't monitor every parcel. I said it wasn't my job to do their job, they said they would take £8 off the refund for the original post sending it to me!!!! Wasn't that included in the price? No apparently, so I decided that's how they make their money, they make you think you're buying a gazebo by plastering the page with gazebo's when in fact it's just the cover and when it arrives the parcel is falling to bits, then when you return it you have to pay postage and they charge you for sending it to you. So could everyone stop telling me I didn't do it properly, when ebay should have a system that is flexible and not rigid, where you can tell ebay that you've had to return it outside because you had no choice.

[john1297576]

If you had dealt with this correctly you could have asked ebay to step in.

You shoud have opened a return case, seller being a business has to accept change of mind returns.

Then you return using tracked mail, and enter the tracking number into the Return Case, and on receipt seller refunds. If they don't then you escalate to ebay who refund at sellers expense.

You cannot ask ebay to step in UNLESS you have already opened a case.  If you don't do it correctly then the case will close.

You have 30 days to use the Ebay Money Back Guarantee, not 14 but you have to do it by the book.

All you can do now is consult Citizens Advice or Trading Standards.

[situ-ations]

I could not send it back through email labels because it was too heavy, there was not place to put in the parcelforce tracking number. I did ask ebay to step in, but they did not look at the evidence from parcel force to show I had returned in 3 days, they didn't look at my attachment. That is not fault, that is theirs for not reading the message properly.

[arkwebus]

I am glad that you do seem to have got some sort of resolution.  No one here is being beastly to you but - for the future - it is important to use eBay's system.  EBay must have hundreds of thousands of sales passing through and their systems are quite inflexible.  

If - as I understood - there was something wrong [you thought that you were getting something but got something else] then the seller pays the postage and you open a "not as described case" and the seller sends a label. It may well be for a small amount covering up to 2kg but if it is incorrect you can get a correct one.  The advantage of the eBay labels is that it has tracking which is picked up by Royal Mail and - as if by magic - gets transferred to your case and eBay can see the progress.  The refund with a good seller is almost automatic

@situ-ations 

[arkwebus]

We accept that it was probably a mistake.  If you get a wrong label then you contact ebay and gett he proper one. 

Now please follow @john1297576 advice and open a case through Paypal.  There is no way to get  "somebody" in ebay to do this

Also you must not mention sellers names here; against eBay rules

@situ-ations