Buyer has sent me the wrong item back after claiming the one i sent was defective

[weedeochandoris]

I sold a kettle base (used condition) and 4 days after the buyer received it, they claimed they had just opened it and it was defective.

I tested the base before listing it and it was working fine, i even included photos of it all lit up and when i pointed this out they said the touch switch wasn't connecting.

Anyway, i had to accept the return which i have just received and it is not the 1 sent, the 1 sent had a distinctive white mark on the base of it and a prominent scratch on the silver surface, the 1 have received has neither of these and the barcode of the bottom of the received has quite a large "bump" running through it, is there anything i can do ?

I suspect what has happened is their kettle wasn't working and they thought that buying the new base would make it work again and i'm guessing it either hasn't so they've sent me their defective base and requested a refund or it has solved their issue and they've still sent me the their base back so are quids in.

[zoomingmouse]

There is another seller who was returned an item that had been broken by the buyer, but the advice would be relevant to your case too I think. 

See the link below & post number 19 by  @4_bathrooms 

Good luck.

https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Seller-Central/Buyer-wants-to-Return-Item-Says-too-big-when-Measurem... 

[weedeochandoris]

Thank you, iwill do that in just a moment.

I think it's because i don't really sell a lot and it's purely the principle because it was only £18 and i offered free postage but then had to provide a return label too.

[weedeochandoris · Accepted solution]

Just a wee update.

Gosh, that was a super quick decision from eBay, they have decided to issue a refund to the buyer without any impact on me, i an not required to reimburse the buyer or eBay and it will not be counted in my seller performance evaluation.

Now while i am happy about this, i am not happy that the buyer doesn't get their knuckles wrapped for it so they may well go on to do it to someone else which really isn't fair to all the honest people out there.

Thank you so much for guidance @zoomingmouse and also to @4_bathrooms , i really do appreciate your replies and help as i was so worried and annoyed about it.

[zoomingmouse]

Great news to hear you have not lost out here.  I am hoping that as Ebay have had to refund the buyer themselves there may be a special little list that they are now on...

In the meantime, block the buyer here so you don't have to deal with them again:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/bmgt/BuyerBlock? 

[myriad*seller]

Try changing the fuse on the one they sent you, and you can probably sell it... 

[weedeochandoris]

I may try that at a later date @myriad*seller , quite frankly i feel like chucking the effing thing in the bin 😓

It had me so stressed out and i'm up to my eyes in it right now what with trying to get ready for a new kitchen being installed in just over a week plus i'm going on holiday when it's being done so everything is everywhere and the last thing i needed was that situation.

I sincerely hope that more people report this sort of thing no matter how small the amount.

[johnwash1]

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@myriad*seller wrote:

Try changing the fuse on the one they sent you, and you can probably sell it... 

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There may not even be a fuse in the base.

Last week my wife told me our Bosch kettle was no longer working.  To cut a long story short, after checking the plug, the cord, dismantling the base (6 screws), checking the heating element, and trying to figure out the bizarre mechanism that flips the switch off when it boils... it was working again!

Not quite an IT Crowd "turn it off and turn it on again" story, but close.

I don't like the sound of the bulge that  @weedeochandoris mentioned.

[myriad*seller]

The fuse is in the 3 pin plug... 

[johnwash1]

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@myriad*seller wrote:

The fuse is in the 3 pin plug... 

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Ah yes, mine too, first thing I checked.  I assumed you were talking about some fuse in the kettle base itself.  Sorry.

[weedeochandoris]

The best of it is, i can't even test it anyway as the kettle that went with it had lost the handle of the lid so after checking the unit actually worked at boiling aforementioned kettle, i took it to the dump.

As soon as the buyer said it was defective when i knew it wasn't i went and bought a UV marker pen and UV torch so that i can mark any future electronics i sell and if i take the photos but not show the UV mark (obviously) and keep that in a file then i'm sure that eBay could check the meta data on that photograph although i doubt they would go that far.

It sounds a bit extreme i know but i'm just trying to protect myself.

Oh no no no @johnwash1 bulges of any sort are not good, no siree.

Glad you managed to sort out your kettle even though technically you didn't do anything but hats off to you for taking a look anyway.

[weedeochandoris]

Unless the bulge is in your wallet or purse, no that is a good bulge 🤣🤣🤣

[johnwash1]

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@weedeochandoris wrote:
..

Glad you managed to sort out your kettle even though technically you didn't do anything but hats off to you for taking a look anyway.

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Actually, no credit to me for taking a look.  Quite the opposite, I was delighted when my wife said the kettle had died.  It's leaked for ages, so my reaction was: Great, at last an excuse to go buy a replacement!

Wife:  "Aren't you even going to look at the fuse?"

So off I schlepped to fetch my multimeter.  The rest is history.

Alas, kettles these days don't last long.  Time was when you could enjoy your Russell Hobbs stainless steel kettle for decades.  And if the bimetallic strip packed up, you could even get spare parts.

[weedeochandoris]

You should have told her you did check the fuse you numpty.

I've got kettles, toasters and hot water dispensers all over this house, i could have sold you one 😜

Nope, nothing lasts anymore. I've got a hand blender that is almost 40 years old and still works and i nearly bought a new one purely because it is discoulered and looks awful but i'll plod on with my ancient but working Braun one, aye those were the days eh @johnwash1 

[kath3735_wxmjn]

Ah yes, the golden days of actually being able to get electrical items repaired instead of binning them!  Progress they call it,,,,,  Mind you it keeps e bay/car boots in business!   Cannot remember when i last bought a new kettle, usually can pick one up on the car boot for a couple of quid, sometimes they last a few months other times a year or two.

[johnwash1]

@weedeochandoris @kath3735_wxmjn 

🙂

I guess it's just me and I must be a sensitive little soul, but whenever I see the phrase "hand blender", I shudder as my imagination runs riot.  Very useful things though, I use one for soup often.

Been a long long time since I went to a car boot.  Too early in the morning.

My hope for the future is the repair cafes that are springing up.

[4_bathrooms]

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@weedeochandoris wrote:

Just a wee update.

Gosh, that was a super quick decision from eBay, they have decided to issue a refund to the buyer without any impact on me, i an not required to reimburse the buyer or eBay and it will not be counted in my seller performance evaluation.

Now while i am happy about this, i am not happy that the buyer doesn't get their knuckles wrapped for it so they may well go on to do it to someone else which really isn't fair to all the honest people out there.

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I highly doubt the buyer hasn't suffered any consequences at all. Ultimately, eBay ended up refunding you out of their own pocket because they believed you and not the buyer. The buyer has likely received a warning about abusing the MBG process or may even have had their ability to open MBG cases removed entirely as per eBay's MBG policy.

[weedeochandoris]

I hope so 4_bathrooms. I am not a seasoned seller so i don't really know the ins and outs of selling or the policies (yeah i know i should have read all this stuff 🙄) It's not until you have a problem that you go looking for help and even this "community" is quite hard to find but i know where it is now so it may come in handy in the future although i hope i don't encounter any more issues.

If i have ever had a problem as a buyer, i have contacted the seller first rather than just opening a case, if only everyone did the same but hey ho, it is what it is i suppose.