How many cases to open to get a full refund?

[jalve]

I bought six different colours of electrical wire from a UK seller. Usually packages come to Finland from UK in a week or so, but it has taken almost a month now, and I still haven't received my package. So, I decided to check with the seller if he has a tracking number, and what carrier he used. He said he didn't, but he instructed me to wait a bit longer because of COVID-19, and I was willing to do so. Now I received a message from eBay that the case has been ruled in my favour! I didn't even know I had opened a case. Anyhow, they refunded me only for ONE of the six wires. I thought I would have to open five more cases to get a refund on the other wires. I managed to open three, but now eBay is saying I already have a case open on them all - however, I have only three open cases.

Why is this so messed up, and whom can I contact to straighten things out?

[jalve]

I bought six different colours of electrical wire from a UK seller. Usually packages come to Finland from UK in a week or so, but it has taken almost a month now, and I still haven't received my package. So, I decided to check with the seller if he has a tracking number, and what carrier he used. He said he didn't, but he instructed me to wait a bit longer because of COVID-19, and I was willing to do so. Now I received a message from eBay that the case has been ruled in my favour! I didn't even know I had opened a case. Anyhow, they refunded me only for ONE of the six wires. I thought I would have to open five more cases to get a refund on the other wires. I managed to open three, but now eBay is saying I already have a case open on them all - however, I have only three open cases.

Why is this so messed up, and whom can I contact to straighten things out?

[tressygirl · Accepted solution]

Are you still within 30 days from last estimated date for delivery to claim?  If you have just gone over that timeline the system will not be allowing you to open any more cases,  and you need to do so with the missing ones now, from Paypal.

[jalve · Accepted solution]

The last estimated date for delivery was the 11th of August, so I am still within 30 days. I can't open more cases because the system says I already have a case open.

[tressygirl · Accepted solution]

Good so well within time. If these were 6 separate purchases and you've bern refunded for one, and the system is not allowing you to open 5 more then call eBay CS when the lines open today at 9 a.m. they can open the extra cases for you, obviously some glitch has occured here.

To contact eBay Customer Support type in Advanced Search in the Help & Contact tab top of your eBay page , and scroll down to bottom of that page, there should be two options for contact, Chat with Us, and Have Us Call you. Both will give an approximate waiting time too.

[jalve · Accepted solution]

Problem solved! Something happened overnight. Now the system clearly showed which items I have a case open on, and which not. I was able to open more cases on the remaining items. Last night I couldn't, no matter how much I tried.

I still find it strange that I have to open six cases to get a refund on all six items that were in a single order.

[tressygirl · Accepted solution]

I was just about to write this..... if trying on a Friday, it's eBay's maintenance day, many things go awry from time to time!

Glad it's sorted!

[jalve · Accepted solution]

Thanks! I accepted your post as the solution. The really helpful advice was in the comments below it, but I can't mark them as the solution for some reason.

[rusticrye · Accepted solution]

The reason you have to open a case for each item in an order, is because a buyer may wish to return only one or two of those items.

@jalve

[jalve · Accepted solution]

That makes sense only for returns, but not when the package is missing.

[rusticrye · Accepted solution]

That's how the case system works, so don't shoot the messenger. Contact Ebay to complain if you like - Help & Contact is at top and foot of any page.

@jalve

[jalve · Accepted solution]

No intention of shooting the messenger, more like thinking aloud... If a real human being handled these refunds, it would be pretty obvious, or at least they could ask "Did you get the other items in your order, or are they missing as well?", but I have the feeling they are employing some kind of not-so-intelligent artificial intelligence these days...