Buyer questioning what i have sent

[fro1501]

Recently sold an hearing aid item and after several days the buyer said he could not get it working even after several others tried for him and that he was going to return it.

Even though I didnt accept returns and as he couldnt get it to work (the item was bought and never used so as new still in box with only been tried out once for a couple of hours) I would accept the return and come to an agreed price that i would refund him with.

Then shortly after, he sent me pictures of what he said was damage to the item (see photos) and that he was not happy with this. 

I told him that the item was definitly not sent to him in that condition, and proved this with other photos showing my it all laid out on my dining room with the said area in perfect condition.

The first photo clearly shows the perfect item with no damage (to the right hand side cable) and the 2nd er photo of what he said is  the damage. which looks like it has been cut.

I have been paid and also policy shows no returns so not worried about this but now getting emails from him on ebay asking what my thoughts are about it.

He has returned the item complete with the suddenly now damage cable.

[vinylscot]

You made an error in attempting to refuse (or limit) the return. Irrespective of your own terms, the buyer has the right to return the item for a full refund, including postage both ways, if the item is "significantly not as described".

If you had agreed to the return, the item would have been sent to you, and, who knows, the damage may not have been present. However, the damage is obvious, so the item is significantly not as described. Your photo only show what a cable looked like at a specific point in time - it doesn't prove that was the cable you sent him. It's the buyer's word against yours, and in such cases, eBay must always back up the buyer.

You need to agree to the return (eBay will approve it automatically), and to refund fully when it arrives. You can then report the buyer for misusing the money back guarantee, but I wouldn't expect much to come of that.

[arkwebus]

I seem to remember that hearing aids are not allowed to be sold on eBay.   Others may have that at theur fingertips!  This is what eBay says!  

• Hearing aids may only be listed by sellers properly registered with the Health & Care Professions Council, and their registration number must be displayed in the listing

If the buyer claims that the item is damaged [and that "could" have occurred in transit] then despite the idea that you "do not accept returns" he must open a "not as described" case. 

You cannot set conditions!   You send a label through the case and when returned refund everything paid in full.   You get a fee credit.  

It is very unwise to dispute this with eBay.  We have heard of cases where a seller simply contacting eBay resulted in the case being closed to the buyer's adavntage.   @fro1501 

[dancewithadingo]

Good Evening Fro

You will have to refund him.  It makes no difference that you put no returns on the listingI assume that he opened an official case through eBay

Good Evening Fro

You will have to refund him. It makes no difference that you put no returns on the listing. He has a damaged item that as far as he and eBay are concerned, does not work.  

I assume that he raised an official case through eBay.  As you are discovering eBay generally side with a buyer, which in your case is fair enough as they don't know just what the condition it was in when you sent  it.

The pictures don't help as they could have been taken at anytime.  When selling on eBay you are sending items out on approval,as it were.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Take a deep breath and refund.

[*knight-rider*]

Am i the only one who thinks that cable in the second photo is a different colour than the first? I know the photos dark, but that cable looks brown to me, certainly not grey like the first one 🙂

[technthread]

Pictured next to a ruler... they may just be thorough but it seems over thought. The unit it is plugged into doesn't even seem to match. 

[fro1501]

The buyer agreed to return the item and we both came up with an agreed cost i would refund to him. This was all done awat from the Ebay platform and done indipendantly between the both of us on private mobile messages so now away from Ebay.

it was only then (several days after him having the item and trying to get it to work) did he then send me the photo of the damaged cable. therefore this would mean I would be giving him a refund and he would send me back the damaged goods.

he said he would draw a line under all this and returned the item with the now damaged cable, but asked me to question my morals upon receipt of the item so in my view basicaly saying i had sent it in the damaged condition.

[fro1501]

This is not an hearing aid but some equipment that links into a persons hearing aid .

[fro1501]

This is definitly the cable that was returned to me, appreciate that it is a bad photograph.

[fro1501]

The item is definitly the one returned to me.,yes it is a bad picture, hopefully a better picture attached here

 

[fro1501]

Agree its not the best photo in poor light but hopefully here is a clearer one.

Rest assured, this is the damaged cable that was returned to me.

[technthread]

I guess you will just have to refund. Advisable to do it via the eBay order, not outside of eBay. It seems a very odd way of dealing with a return and refund to communicate mostly away from the eyes of eBay like this. I would be opening the unit up and having a good look at it to make sure they haven't sent you their old one back, put it that way.

[dancewithadingo · Accepted solution]

Good Afternoon Fro

Do everything through eBay for this and any other future sales.  I am a tad confused as in your opening post the last sentence  states that you now have the returned item but reading your latest message it puts this in doubt.

All of that said simply refund in full including the postage costs both ways. If you feel that he is trying to pull a fast one then when you have refunded report him. 

As I have previously stated selling is a minefield and the power lies with the buyer and eBay. You basically send goods out on approval. We will never get to the bottom of this,refund and draw a line under the whole sorry saga.

[4_bathrooms]

---

@fro1501 wrote:

Agree its not the best photo in poor light but hopefully here is a clearer one.

Rest assured, this is the damaged cable that was returned to me.

---

If I'm seeing the right cable from one of the listing's original pictures isn't the damaged cable just a standard 3.5mm jack to 3.5mm jack audio cable? If so just buy a replacement cable; they're about £1.50 for a regular one and £4.00 for a fancy one with gold-plated jacks. Provided you can check the rest of the unit still works you could always buy a replacement cable and relist.

Items like that usually have a unique serial number on the bottom. I'm guessing you didn't record the serial number before selling to check you received the same item back?

[arkwebus]

Thank you - the o/p says "a hearing aid item"!

@fro1501 

[fro1501]

Just to clarify, the seller asked to contact me outside of ebay via wattsapp (this was several days after the ebay sale went through).

He told me that he couldnt get it to work as not compatible with his TV and hearing aids (it allows the tv to be connected to Hearing Aids in a wireless state), all this was well after the Ebay sale had been done.

As we were now not in Ebay and basically a private discussion as he described, he asked if I was prepared to give an agreed refund. I told him that if he sent it back we could agree a refund by me to him as it wasnt compatible with his equipment (obdviously thinking I would get the item back in same condition i sent it to him) and he agreed on this.

It was only then he told me that there was a damaged cable and he was returning it.

I questioned that the cable was in perfect condition (as per one of the photos) when i sent it and that he would be sending me back the item now damaged

I duly received the item with the damaged cable 

The only reason for me posting this on here was because the seller messaged me on Ebay asking if I had received the returned item and was wanting my thoughts on the matter.

So if I am right in thinking, It is possible for somebody to sell a perfectly good  item on Ebay only for a few days later the seller returning it claiming it was damaged, thus leaving the seller with no sale and an unusable item upon return of the damaged goods that then cannot be sold on as now unusaeble.

[technthread]

Yes buyers can scam sellers like this all day long but if they do it too often and keep getting reported, eBay will end up banning them.

If any buyer wants to take things offline to WhatsApp that is a red flag. Keep all comms on eBay, they were perfectly capable of messaging you on eBay to start with so why do they need your phone number? If you keep all comms on eBay it protects you, if a buyer wants to hide messages from eBay there is usually a reason that doesn't benefit you. 

[fro1501]

Very helpfull and thanks for the advice about keeping all comms on eBay.