[Leica] EBay Paypal sting - off topic

[jsmith342 at gmail.com (Jeffery Smith)]

I stopped using PayPal for anything involving somebody I don't know. I 
bought some GTD software and paid digitalriver (the conduit for the software 
sale) through PayPal. They accepted the payment but wouldn't send me the 
install code. They claimed that they hadn't "authorized" the sale and, 
therefore, bear no responsbility. They kept my money and blew me off. PayPal 
blew me off as well. The fellow who authored the software (he is in eastern 
Europe) told me that this has happened to several of his customers. He gave 
me an install code gratis even though digitalriver kept my money and refused 
to transfer it to him. PayPal appears to be deaf to all complaints and 
issues.

Jeffery

On Sep 11, 2010, at 10:36 AM, H&ECummer wrote:

> Hi Luggers
> Since some of you, perhaps many, buy things from and sell things on Ebay 
> and use Paypal. I thought you might benefit from my cautionary tale.
> Over the last two years I have been liquidating my model train collection 
> and selling the occasional unused lens (some Leica - to slip back on 
> topic).
> In just under 100 transactions and over $16,000 in sales I have not had a 
> problem until now. In early August I sold an N gauge model train to a 
> buyer in the south of France. He elected to have cheap sea shipment as the 
> engine wasn't very expensive, paid his money to Paypal and I shipped the 
> train, including a Canada Post tracking on August 5. By August 19 the 
> tracking number didn't show any movement from the post office and the 
> buyer put a hold on his funds. On August 24 the tracking picked up again 
> and showed the parcel had left Canada. I asked the buyer to release the 
> hold and he said he would after the goods arrived - not cricket but what 
> can one do? On Sept 6 he advanced the hold to a claim. I gave all the info 
> I had to Paypal, including a scan of the Post Office receipt and on 
> September 9, despite the information about the length of time a sea 
> shipment could take, they reversed the funds in my account and gave him 
> his money back! So, in the next weeks he will receive his train for free 
> and I have very little recourse because I only get 10 days to dispute the 
> pay back and the only proof I can give is delivery of the package which 
> may not have happened in that time. I have complained loudly to Paypal (IN 
> CAPITALS) and they have answered with anodyne lawyer approved boiler plate.
> To add insult to injury the buyer has left me negative feedback for non 
> delivery and there goes my 100% positive rating! That hurts more than the 
> money!
> So, some words to the wise. Don't deal with anyone who uses a hotmail 
> address. Don't deal with anyone with several neutral ratings (funny he 
> didn't have any negatives in nearly 600 transactions but several neutrals 
> with complaints) and take out your money for every transaction as soon as 
> it is deposited. Paypal is not the seller's friend.
> Older (day by day) and wiser (only once in awhile).
> With regret,
> Howard
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information