how to contact ebay to enforce a warranty advertised by a seller

[stephenbuy]

I bought a kitchen tap in September 2020, from a seller 'posting from London', but obviously China based. Initially the tap was fine, but it developed a fault that could not be repaired by a plumber visit (it just spins on it's mounting as it has broken form the central spindle)

Contacting the seller is exasperating - they ask loads of questions, on which I have answered all, even sending photos, but it takes 24 hours for each response with the time difference! It is advertised with a 5 year warranty, even though it's now only months old.

Have I just thrown £50 down the drain or is there a way to get Ebay to intervene? (all links to PayPal and Ebay have now disapperead from the purchase listing)

[red_magpie · Accepted solution]

Have I just thrown £50 down the drain or is there a way to get Ebay to intervene?

No, I'm afraid there isn't. EBay own money back guarantee only lasts for 30 days from delivery. They won't get involved in warranties.

PayPal buyer protection lasts longer, for 180 days, but only covers non-delivery or faults present on delivery, not problems that develop in use.

If the seller is in China you won't have any UK statutory consumer rights either.

Buying from unknown sellers online is risky, especially from China. EBay isn't like the shops.

[tsmgmd]

Originally it was fine.

Then it broke.

The seller ignores me.

Any enforcement of any warranty is between a buyer and a seller..eBay don't get involved with warranties of any description.

You can lodge a claim with PayPal but again they may not get involved with a warranty claim for a itém which worked when purchased.

Had you bought this from B&Q you could have turned off the water, taken off the tap and nipped down to the store for a replacement.

You have to consider the inconvenience now if the seller says send it back..You will have to pay for the return and wait for a replacement.

[stephenbuy]

What a marvelous supportive message LOL Bet you have loads of friends! I know it's a bore to read what's gone before, but here it is again... PayPal have no mechanism hyperlinked to lodge any claim!

I accept now it wasn't my best idea to have purchased this tap. If the UK wasn't so 'chrome centric' for taps in the first place, yes, I would have bought one from B&Q, but they don't sell what I want.

Anyway, thanks for your input, much appreciated buddy, Happy New Year. 🙂

[papso22]

You don't make a claim with Paypal through a link in ebay. You have to go to the transaction in paypal and do it through there. If you paid via ebay checkout using a credit or debit card, rather than with a paypal account, it is a bit more difficult and you will need to contact paypal CS. As already advised though, paypal may well not entertain a claim.

[stephenbuy]

OMG!!! How many times LOL The only option I have on my PayPal account is to claim a refund on postage for returning the item. There is NO option for anything else. Thank you for you kind consideration though, much appreciated...

[tsmgmd]

 yes I have lots of friends..

If you want 5yrs warranty and no hassle you buy from the High Street face to face with the seller.

You asked for advice regarding eBay and were given a response.

You asked about PayPal and were told you have 180 days to claim.

By the sound of it you have passed the 180 day deadline.

As the warranty was supplied by the seller you're down to doing a bit of research.

Check the seller's registered business address on his eBay listings..If it's in the UK take of the tap, send it tracked delivery to his address with a note that it is under the 5yrs warranty.

If the seller's address is China then that's the end of the story..

[stephenbuy]

"By the sound of it you have passed the 180 day deadline..."

Yep, a real pain to read the initial issue - bought in September 2020, went faulty by end of November, that's not even close to 180 days (maybe 85?) LOL Still don't want to take up any more of your valuable time, best wishes to you and your friends for New Year...

[four_mid_able]

There is nothing you can do via ebay or paypal as they don't get involved in guarantees or warranty issues.

It's pointless trying to pursue this if the seller is based overseas,there is nothing you can do apart from learn from it.

If you want a valid warranty/guarantee then it's safer to buy from the high street to cover yourself.

[stephenbuy]

LOL, thought as much. Oh well, a £50 lesson at my age, what an idiot! Annoying that the seller will continue to scam other buyers with a 'warranty' when it's not worth the pixels it's written in...

Never guessed that a 'tap' could go faulty from new, my previous one lasted 30 odd years! Roll on end of darn lockdowns so we can shop properly again!

[m25jet]

Unfortunately there is no way to make eBay enforce a warranty offered by the seller.  The problem with warranties offered for products purchased on eBay is that they're not worth the paper they're written on, as you have no way of being able to enforce it.  Therefore, if you wish to buy a product that comes with a warranty, then the best option would be to purchase the item from a reputable high street retailer so that if the item fails before the guarantee runs out you can either get the item repaired or replaced.  eBay don't get involved with warranties for goods sold on their site, so there is no way to enforce the warranty for the product you bought.

Although you're well out of time to open an eBay case you could try opening a PayPal case in relation to the item, although given the fact that this is an issue relating to a warranty they may decide that they can't issue you with a refund, as PayPal don't get involved in warranties either.  However, at this stage you've got nothing to lose by trying, so try opening a PayPal case and see whether you can get a refund via PayPal.  If you don't get a refund then you're no worse off than you are at present, but if PayPal decide to refund your money then at least you can spend the money on sourcing a decent replacement item from a proper high street company that will provide you with a guarantee for the item they sold you.

[stephenbuy]

Unfortunately, like I already said, there is no option for me to open a case via PayPal, either from the original Ebay purchase link, or direct from my PayPal account. I really didn't expect a '5 year' warranty to be available as I knew that was a sales pitch, but was disappointed that it only lasted 8 weeks before going faulty!

[fargvs]

@stephenbuy
Using a PC/Laptop, check out these PayPal case options ...as said, your case may be rejected >
https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/refunded-returns
https://www.paypal.com/uk/smarthelp/home
https://www.paypal.com/uk/smarthelp/article/what-if-i-didn't-receive-my-item-or-it's-not-as-advertis...

[rusticrye]

Ebay and PayPal can't help you with items which develop faults in use, as they can have no idea who is at fault - the seller for supplying substandard goods, or the buyer  for misusing the item (or the installer for badly installing). Ebay and PayPal (or any payment processor) can only help with items which you can see are damaged, faulty, or not as described ON RECEIPT, as they have to be returned in the exact same condition as when received.

Items which fail under warranty are between you and the seller to resolve, or Small Claims court if the seller is in the UK and proves to be unhelpful. If the seller is not in the UK, there is nothing you can do, I'm afraid.  However, if they have a UK presence, as appears to be the case from what you say, go to the CAB's website for further advice.

@stephenbuy
@95ardenfield

[rusticrye]

Ebay and PayPal can't help you with items which develop faults in use, as they can have no idea who is at fault - the seller for supplying substandard goods, or the buyer  for misusing the item (or the installer for badly installing). Ebay and PayPal (or any payment processor) can only help with items which you can see are damaged, faulty, or not as described ON RECEIPT, as they have to be returned in the exact same condition as when received.

Items which fail under warranty are between you and the seller to resolve, or Small Claims court if the seller is in the UK and proves to be unhelpful. If the seller is not in the UK, there is nothing you can do, I'm afraid.  However, if they have a UK presence, as appears to be the case from what you say, go to the CAB's website for further advice.

@stephenbuy
@95ardenfield

[95ardenfield]

Open a paypal claim you have 180 days from purchase.Ebay only offer 30 day refund policy

[stephenbuy]

Have just opened the transaction in my PayPal account, and can only see the option to start a claim for a refund for the 'shipping' cost of return. Nothing for an item query. Also, I see the issue of me having to buy another tap first (for obvious reasons!) before I'm in any sort of position to return it, and with the seller giving no authorisation for a return in the first place, get the feeling that the PayPal option is non existent...

[rusticrye]

PayPal can't help you with items which develop faults in use. Ebay and PayPal (or any payment processor) can only help with items which you can see are damaged, faulty, or not as described ON RECEIPT, as they have to be returned in the exact same condition as when received.

Items which fail under warranty are between you and the seller to resolve, or the courts if the seller is in the UK and proves to be unhelpful. If the seller is not in the UK, there is nothing you can do, I'm afraid.

@stephenbuy
@95ardenfield

[stephenbuy]

Well, that seems to be the consensus of opinion LOL I buy lots of stuff from China, mostly cheap cr*p, thought this tap would have been worth a punt as no UK sellers have one that I wanted (Why does everyone want a 'chrome' tap these days!).