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Amiga computer related discussion => General chat about Amiga topics => Topic started by: TheMagicM on September 20, 2007, 05:38:08 PM
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I sold a old Panasonic video camera (vhs).. very nice, worked perfect when I had it tested a few months back. I sold it for $228 on ebay. Well I had one ebayer ask if I guarantee no DOA, so I said that it works fine and that if he'd like we can put shipping insurance on it so he/they agreed and they won for the $228 + shipping. Well after they get it they claim that white balance isnt working "I think"..so I asked them "do you know what you're doing" to which they replied they've used these cameras for "14 years"...so they take it to a shop which said " the CCD Board and the video amp circuit need replacement" and the cost is $260, well they want to keep the camera and paid $260 for it to be fixed.
So I said basically they should have contacted me so I could have had it fixed for basically parts cost (a local shop owner is a friend of mine) but I also said since the camera checked out fine here AND my auction stated AS-IS with no warranty expressed or implied that I wasnt inclined to help with anything at all. They said pay $114 (half the auction) and they'll be ok with it. I said that it had to have been damaged in shipping because it checked out fine here but they said, no the repair shop said it wasnt damaged in shipping. Kinda got me to thinking that, did they have a camera like this one and are trying to pull a fast one on me?
Comments, suggestions...
PS. and just because i'm a moderator dont say the politically correct thing. need honest opinions.
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If you stated in the auction that it was sold as-is, then I see no problem not refunding anything at all, but since you answered a question making the asker think that you were giving a DOA (which you were not) you should expect to at least get a negative feedback.
Noone can think, that it's ok to get an item repaired WITHOUT agreement with the seller, and then expect anything from the seller.
If they have paid 260 USD for repair, then ask for a receipt and the place where it got repaired. Phone the repair place and ask.
Personally I think it sounds like someone that just want's to get the price cut down, by pulling a scam on you.
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I was thinking something similiar. They did give me the company name/phone # to where its being repaired though.
I also thought it was very odd to get something repaired without first asking the seller to pay for partial cost and just 'getting it fixed'.
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Do you know if this phone number is an actual repair shop, or shop related at all?? The buyer could just have asked a friend to help out. Anyway, the way they did it, I wouldn't shell out, even if they showed you a valid receipt, as they haven't even asked you for helping with the issue.
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having read your and Doctorq`s post`s
you have covered yourself in all aspects of the sale.
there is no onus on yourself, to refund or help with any repair what so ever.
it sounds like he is pulling a fast one.
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They should have contacted you BEFORE bringing the camera to the repair shop. Verify their claim with the repair shop. I honestly don't think you're at fault.
Nevertheless, you could give them their money back including shipping and tell them you're sorry that the product was damaged. I'm the nervous type about these sort of things. I loose sleep over things like that.
You make no money although I assume you got enjoyment out of the camera...but you get the satisfaction of going above and beyond for your customer and perhaps they will appreciate that enough to give you a positive mark on eBay.
Sorry if this sounds corny. This sort of thing happens sometimes.
Alternatively, if you give them 114.00, you still get to keep some of the proceeds and they might be quite happy with this compromise too.
Fester
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as an above poster has already said, morally speaking, I do not think you are obliged to pay repair costs. Just be aware that if this guy has paid through PayPal using a credit card then he may well request a "charge back" to be issued by his credit company for "damaged goods".
if i'm not mistaken, this means that PayPal *MUST* charge-back the full amount to this person's CC account, as they are the financial service behind the transaction. after this, PayPal will either sneak into YOUR PayPal account or issue a Direct Debit (depending on how you have your PP account setup) to recover the funds - WITHOUT WARNING. This has happened to a friend of mine, so beware. :angry:
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Another thing to think about - this person who you sold the camera to has been using that model for 14 years. If there is a valid receipt for the repairs to that make and model of video camera, who's to say that it's not actually one of THEIR own cameras that had the fault?
I smell a scam!
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@Anthomatic: thats exactly what I was thinking. Had i bought something from ebay and it was damaged, I wouldnt fork over $260 just to fix the item without contacting the seller.. I'd want to know I'm getting something back at least.
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Can you point me to their feedback? I can get a very good feel for things if I read some history.
BTW, not knowing the feedback at this time and if I were in the same situation, I tell them to return the camera and I'd refund their $$$ minus the shipping cost. But that's just me. However, if you did have postal insurance I would still say they need to place a claim with the post office. It was good when you shipped it.... period.
Plaz
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True. The only way they could try and get money from you is by "supposedly" paying for repairs first. Obviously, if they contacted you about money BEFORE going ahead with any repair work, your answer (and anybody's answer for that matter!) would certainly have been no.
I've dealt with a few individuals who have tried to claim money back through items that have been "damaged in the post". When I tell them that they can claim it back through the postal insurance (I send everything recorded/signed for) they tend to reply "I don't think I'll bother. Not worth the hassle." Makes you think if it was true in the first place!
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Last I remember AS-IS meant AS-IS. You don't have to do anything about the Item. If it could have been damaged in shipping insurance would have covered it, but since they didn't contact anyone and just supposedly had it repaired, well sorry but thats tough for them.
Cheers
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http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=dfp71
page 3 is what had me wondering.
well they didnt want to go through the postal service because they said that its happened before and the seller didnt give them the money from the insurance and then they said that the repair company said no its not due to shipping. The only way in hell that camera is broken would be shipping.. I know, because I used it for about 45 minutes before even putting it up for auction.
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Sorry, but I smell bull***t. No one pays $260 to fix a $228 item without contacting the seller first.
First rule in a situation like this, buyer contacts the seller and *asks them* how they want to handle it.
If they want to send back the camera for a refund minus shipping, fine. (...and, technically, you're not even obligated to do that.) But trying to pull the seller into some kind of suspect repair deal doesn't sound legit to me.
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ok, these replies answer my question. I was wondering if I was thinking correctly when I also wondered about paying for a repair when its even more then the cost of the item.
I'll keep you posted on further occurances.
anyway.. gotta get my butt in gear.. a certain AO user is waiting for his A4000D :)
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anyway.. gotta get my butt in gear.. a certain AO user is waiting for his A4000D :)
My post in this thread was so super sweet that you're sending me an A4000D?!? FOR FREE?? THANKS! :lol:
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@ TheMagicM
Hi there
If you stated in your listing that the item was sold "as is" and with no guarantee, then certainly in the UK it would mean "you pays your money and you takes your choice". In other words the buyer agrees that it is as described and buys on that basis.
I am completely naffed off with ebayers throwing their toys out of their pram because they feel hard done by. I had a recent situation with a seller who decided not to play by the rules after the auction had ended. I bid, perfectly legitimately, on a nice retro Amstrad CPC6128 computer system with green screen monitor. I won the auction at an amazing £6.50 plus postage. The seller then told me that he was not going to sell it for such a ridiculously low amount stating "would you sell a computer system for £6.50?". He then invited me to make my best offer and he would consider it. HELLO ??? I won the auction fair and square! It was not my fault that he had not covered his ass with a minimum start price or a reserve. What a complete ass*ole!!!! It just makes me angry!!!
Anyway, to get back to you - IMHO I think you tell them to take a hike!
Hope this helps :-)
Retro
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I smell a rat.
Sound to me that they are using the camera to repair their own and hoping for a full or partial refund.
I would tell them that the camera was working fine and it isn't DOA so sorry but it's not my problem.
AS-IS is AS-IS after all.
Fester wrote:
They should have contacted you BEFORE bringing the camera to the repair shop. Verify their claim with the repair shop. I honestly don't think you're at fault.
Nevertheless, you could give them their money back including shipping and tell them you're sorry that the product was damaged. I'm the nervous type about these sort of things. I loose sleep over things like that.
You make no money although I assume you got enjoyment out of the camera...but you get the satisfaction of going above and beyond for your customer and perhaps they will appreciate that enough to give you a positive mark on eBay.
Sorry if this sounds corny. This sort of thing happens sometimes.
Alternatively, if you give them 114.00, you still get to keep some of the proceeds and they might be quite happy with this compromise too.
Fester
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Well after scanning the feedback, it doesn't look too bad. Only one ticked of person out of the lot. And anyone can get stuck with a noob once in a while. After reading all that, I'd stick with my original reply..... Tell them to either file a claim with the post office as a damaged delivery or return the camera for a refund minus shipping.
Plaz
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@TheMagicM
I say just ignore them. You said AS-IS, and didn't guarantee no DOA, so you're in the clear. Maybe, if you want to do something at all, offer to be a witness (or whatever) that it was working when they make a claim for the shipping insurance. Just hope the post office doesn't know that those old cameras apparently are on the verge of death anyway. I tried to get the VCR part of my old Panasonic camera fixed, and the repair guy refused because once he'd fix one thing, another thing would break and people always came back complaining that he didn't fix it. He also was amazed because mine was the only one he'd ever seen that had a working camera part. Anyhoo, I say steal some slang from the movie Hot Fuzz and tell that guy to "jog on". :-)
If he threatens negative feedback, you can report him to ebay since that's feedback extortion.
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Hmmm the thing which got me going was the "I've been using this camera for 14 years", right there he tells you he already owns one.
It sounds like he got his old one repaired and is trying to get money back from you.
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Oh, and if it is a return make sure to check the serial number. Swaping his bad one for a good one or such....
Plaz
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Actually, Paypal is really good about protecting whomever NEEDS protecting. If your auction said As-Is, AND you got shipping insurance, then from my experiences with Paypal - you should be covered.
Whether he IS running a scam or not isn't important, what IS important is that you did everything right. You tested it before you shipped it. You added a disclaimer in the auction itself. You got shipping insurance. You did your job the best you could. I personally wouldn't worry about it - ESPECIALLY if he paid through Paypal (which I sincerely hope he did).
In any case, try to save any and all correspondence with the guy, just in case you need to refer back to it later. I imagine it will go away if you just refuse to participate.