eBay woes: buyer is a nutcase need advice

[quruli]

Ok. So I have had my first bad experience one eBay and it was for a friend which makes it worse. I will explain.

So a friend of mine at work had a broken laptop. It had recently died and she was out a computer and what not. So we found her a new Dell (I tried to get her to switch) and it was all good. So I told her she might be able to make some cash back on eBay for the laptop. The trouble begins...

I put it up, it sells in a day. Then buyer tells me I want to pay with a money order. Now, this is fine. But I specifically ask those who want to pay with money order to contact me beforehand so we can discuss things. He did not do this.

I asked him if he could pay with paypal as that would be faster. He says it would take longer, and thought it was a problem that I asked him to use paypal. I said ok to the M/O and let him know it would not ship til it cleared.

So, I get the money order and pop it in the bank. He doesn't give you time to let him know the status. He simply emails you and threathens to leave negative feedback because you didnt let him know what you had for breakfast.

So when he emailed me, i let him know that the money order was here and the bank was processing it. A few days go by (it was the weekend) and he emails again saying that a M/O is basically guaranteed I am going to leave negative feedback blah blah. That afternoon the M/O had cleared and the item was shipped. Yet he wanted to complain that I am not professional and he said this and I quote "Us poor people like too know where our pennies are."

Now, I have a good track recored on eBay. And I have sold items totalling well over $1000, so his $270 was rather small in comparison. And mind you, no one has ever given me a negative or has been dissatisfied with my service.

Now, yesterday he recieves the broken laptop. And he says it doesn't work. No sh*t! I mean, in the auction I stated AS-IS. I said that I wasn't sure what was wrong with it. So now of course he threatens to take legal action if I don't let him send it back for a refund. Insane.

I emailed eBay already, but what would you guys do in this situation? I knew from his first message that he would be a complete douche bag. I should have cancelled his bid, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt besides him being a jerk.

Sorry for the long read, at least it makes sense...

 

[MBHockey]

Could you post the link to the auction? I just want to see how it was worded, and how crazy this guy actually is.

 

[MattyMac]

This sounds like a nightmare.

This is why I like to avoid selling things for friends and keep the electronics to a minimum. Also..I try make sure that it is perfectly clear in the title and description if the item is not working, or broken, etc.

Good luck.

I too am interested in a link of the auction.

Thanks.

 

[aristobrat]

Now, yesterday he recieves the broken laptop. And he says it doesn't work. No sh*t! I mean, in the auction I stated AS-IS. I said that I wasn't sure what was wrong with it.

If your description said that it didn't work, then I wouldn't worry about it.

If you said AS-IS but didn't say that it wasn't working, then I'd worry a little.

 

[quruli]

If your description said that it didn't work, then I wouldn't worry about it.

If you said AS-IS but didn't say that it wasn't working, then I'd worry a little.

I said that "it didnt display anything on the screen. It does boot up though. I don't not know exactly what is wrong with it, so this item is sold as-is."

The boot up thing probably should have read "it does power on". It did power on when I shipped it, now he is saying it doesn't. Here is his message to me.

"I received your item today, and tied to turn it on, but with no luck, I connected it to my monitor, no luck. It does not boot up at all, and you listing states that it boots just fine. This item is dead, it is not any good, I looking for it only to have a display problem, yet the DVD dirve is broken it doesn't play nor does it open. Nor does any of the harddrives work. I took a good one from another laptop and tried it and it still does not work. I am requesting a full refund minus shipping. We need to work something out here. I will be shipping all this back to you asap. I have options here, and one is to leave negative feedback on this transaction and to start some form of legal action done for monies owed. It is truly no good."

What bugs me here is that he is saying it doesn't play a DVD, yet he says that it doesn't open. So how does he know that it does not play? Also, the hard drives. What does he mean they don't work? He took the original out and put in a new one and it doesn't work. Well duh nothing displays on the screen.

I think the laptop does power on, however he is having buyers remosrse because he thought it would be a simple fix.

 

[quruli]

This sounds like a nightmare.

This is why I like to avoid selling things for friends and keep the electronics to a minimum. Also..I try make sure that it is perfectly clear in the title and description if the item is not working, or broken, etc.

Good luck.

I too am interested in a link of the auction.

Thanks.

My title said what the laptop was and as-is.

 

[dpaanlka]

I learned the hard way, in a similar auction (though for much less money) that AS-IS is not a legal selling position on eBay.

AS-IS means absolutely nothing!

If you cannot get it to display anything on the screen, nor an external display, then it is not booting or powering on.

Nowhere in eBay's policy does it say that "AS-IS" allows you to sell any junk that you have.

 

[iKwick7]

It does sound like you did not word things clearly in the auction, if what he is saying is true. A link to the auction would clear things up.

 

[andiwm2003]

I said that "it didnt display anything on the screen. It does boot up though. I don't not know exactly what is wrong with it, so this item is sold as-is."

The boot up thing probably should have read "it does power on". It did power on when I shipped it, now he is saying it doesn't. Here is his message to me.

"I received your item today, and tied to turn it on, but with no luck, I connected it to my monitor, no luck. It does not boot up at all, and you listing states that it boots just fine. This item is dead, it is not any good, I looking for it only to have a display problem, yet the DVD dirve is broken it doesn't play nor does it open. Nor does any of the harddrives work. I took a good one from another laptop and tried it and it still does not work. I am requesting a full refund minus shipping. We need to work something out here. I will be shipping all this back to you asap. I have options here, and one is to leave negative feedback on this transaction and to start some form of legal action done for monies owed. It is truly no good."

since you said it boots up it is reasonable to assume that everything except of the screen works. i think in that case your description was misleading. i would take it back and relist it as broken.

you can hear if the HD or the DVD drive starts spinning. if they don't something is broken.

my 2 cents.

 

[quruli]

since you said it boots up it is reasonable to assume that everything except of the screen works. i think in that case your description was misleading. i would take it back and relist it as broken.

my 2 cents.

Well that was how it was when it left my hands. The laptop turned on. Naturally I can't see what is happening because there is nothing on the screen.

Initially he was saying "it doesn't do anything" then its the dvd doesnt play or open and the hard drives don't work. Things you would only know if you could power it on.

I mean, who is tyring to open the drive tray when the laptop is off. You know?

 

[quruli]

Auction link

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160019276214&sspagename=ADME:B:AAQ:US:1

 

[dpaanlka]

The laptop turned on.

But how do you even know that? Because an LED is on?

You can turn the headlights on but if the car doesn't start it doesn't work.

 

[bucho]

Well that was how it was when it left my hands. The laptop turned on. Naturally I can't see what is happening because there is nothing on the screen.

Initially he was saying "it doesn't do anything" then its the dvd doesnt play or open and the hard drives don't work. Things you would only know if you could power it on.

I mean, who is tyring to open the drive tray when the laptop is off. You know?

No offence intended, but if you implied that everything except the screen worked, he has every right to return the laptop to you. It's not enough to say you don't know what's wrong with it if you stated in the auction that 'it boots up'.

 

[quruli]

But how do you even know that? Because an LED is on?

You can turn the headlights on but if the car doesn't start it doesn't work.

Um, lights and hard drive spinning up is a good indication. I didn't claim to know what it did when it turned on, just that when I pressed the power button it turned on and sounding like it was booting.

 

[dpaanlka]

If you stated that the computer boots up but shows nothing on the LCD, then I would have assumed you attached an external display to verify it is in fact booting.

 

[quruli]

No offence intended, but you're reluctance to link to the auction leads me to suspect that your wording may have implied that everything except the screen worked. If this is the case, he has every right to return the laptop to you. It's not enough to say you don't know what's wrong with it if you stated in the auction that 'it boots up'.

No offense but I posted an auction link and never said that I wasn't going to.

As far as I could see everything worked except for the screen. However I did say that I have no idea what is wrong with it for sure and that it was sold as is.

 

[quruli]

If you stated that the computer boots up but shows nothing on the LCD, then I would have assumed you attached an external display to verify it is in fact booting.

He asked me this after the fact and I told him I did NOT connect and external display.

 

[dpaanlka]

Um, lights and hard drive spinning up is a good indication.

No, it isn't.

I didn't claim to know what it did when it turned on, just that when I pressed the power button it turned on and sounding like it was booting.

But you don't know that it was booting, which you claimed it did.

 

[MBHockey]

It was working fine up until about a week ago. It would no longer display anything on the screen. It does boot fine though. I suspect it is the LCD power inverter or the Display. However I don't know what exactly is wrong.

This is a great fix-up laptop for someone looking for portability.

Regardless, I think anyone looking for a *working* laptop (out of the box) would obviously pass on this auction.

 

[MattyMac]

I said that "it didnt display anything on the screen. It does boot up though. I don't not know exactly what is wrong with it, so this item is sold as-is."

The boot up thing probably should have read "it does power on". It did power on when I shipped it, now he is saying it doesn't. Here is his message to me.

"I received your item today, and tied to turn it on, but with no luck, I connected it to my monitor, no luck. It does not boot up at all, and you listing states that it boots just fine. This item is dead, it is not any good, I looking for it only to have a display problem, yet the DVD dirve is broken it doesn't play nor does it open. Nor does any of the harddrives work. I took a good one from another laptop and tried it and it still does not work. I am requesting a full refund minus shipping. We need to work something out here. I will be shipping all this back to you asap. I have options here, and one is to leave negative feedback on this transaction and to start some form of legal action done for monies owed. It is truly no good."

What bugs me here is that he is saying it doesn't play a DVD, yet he says that it doesn't open. So how does he know that it does not play? Also, the hard drives. What does he mean they don't work? He took the original out and put in a new one and it doesn't work. Well duh nothing displays on the screen.

I think the laptop does power on, however he is having buyers remosrse because he thought it would be a simple fix.

He sounds like a reasonable guy...he is not trying to jip you out of shipping costs or anything, just a simple refund. Next time, just be blantantly honest.

 

[andiwm2003]

you stated it boots up fine. you even said the HD is basically new. i would have assumed that you checked the booting on an external display. seeing the power indicator light going on and "it boots just fine" is not the same. i think your wording is not correct. it would be fair to take it back. and from the buyers reply it seems he's a reasonable guy and wants to work out a fair solution. he could also be a lot less nice.

 

[quruli]

No, it isn't.

I disagree.

But you don't know that it was booting, which you claimed it did.

Did you ask him to connect an external display?

I said it booted just fine, I said that maybe I should have worded it by saying "it turns on". It is fine if you think the wording is off. It doesnt cover up the fact that he is having remorse for buying it. He has holes in his claim.

It is no skin off my back if he wants to return it. I am not losing money. However, when he has been nothing buy rude throughout I am a little less inclined to believe what he is saying.

I didn't ask him to connect it to an external display however, he did and said it didnt work when it connected it. Again, why the heck would you even try to hook it up to an LCD if it wasnt working at all?

 

[dpaanlka]

Since he connected it to his external monitor and it shows nothing, then clearly the machine is not booting. I don't see what the problem is. AS-IS means nothing... what part of that did you miss

 

[bucho]

No offense but I posted an auction link and never said that I wasn't going to.

I saw that after my post, I've edited my message.

As far as I could see everything worked except for the screen. However I did say that I have no idea what is wrong with it for sure and that it was sold as is.

It's unfortunate that you implied that you thought you knew what the problem was. Had you left that little bit out, I would side with you 100%. Your suggestion as to what the problem is makes this whole issue a little more complicated. To avoid a huge headache however, I would take it back and relist.

 

[paleck]

It looks like someone did something, as the eBay now says the buyer ID no longer exists.

Buyer Link returns this message:

The user ID you entered was not found. Please check the User ID and try again .

Note: If you only know the eBay member's email address, you must first look up their User ID.
Learn more about this policy.