A day in my life - an ebay experience.

I have been a great fan of ebay – selling and buying - and not had any issues. However my recent ebay purchase went like this...

Found item...watched item until last day of auction [I have been looking for similar item for last few months and all go for way too much].

Item in last day – came in and bid like crazy – won item! Paid under what I thought it would have gone for – brilliant.

Sent email for address for courier to collect [it was furniture] and informed the seller I paid via PayPal. She refunded it and said could I pay via bank account instead. PayPal did not debit me – not a problem.

Paid into bank account and emailed her. She confirmed address & she recommended a courier to use. I then organised the suggested Courier and agreed on a price. Too easy.

That was Monday - Delivery Wednesday. And now starts the drama.

Courier calls me this morning and lost address. Gave address again. Ok.

Bank calls me. PayPal have debited account and did I know that I am now overdrawn? Apologised to bank manager [my bank still believes in service ] I then transfer funds to cover. Not ok.

Courier calls me again. Seller not at home. I inform them they are 30 mins early. Courier said that they are busy so they thought they would get there early. I inform them again I was told 10-12 pick up and suggested that they call their office to sort out as I informed seller of this. Getting tetchy now.

Leave a message for seller. So not good right now.

I call PayPal. After 10 mins in an automated service designed to try a patience of a saint I speak to a disinterested agent called ‘Patrick’ [Prick would have been more fitting] who informs me that seller had no right to refund payment until she received it. And this is my problem? And anyway I would have to wait for 5 working days to appear in my Pay Pal account. Once appeared I can request to withdraw the funds from my PayPal account I now have to wait for a further 5 working days [ so 2 weeks minimum] before I can have the money back into my account. And no nothing can be done. I thank Patrick for his assistance and tell him that if he showed some empathy to customers they would be much easier to speak to and possibly his job could be easier too. Quite furious right now.

Courier calls again. They have waited until 10:05am and still no one at home. They are leaving and if I want to reorganise to call the office. I do. Owner of courier business give ME a frosty reception and states that he simply can’t do another trip to sellers today. Nor the rest of week. Possibly late next week IF an opening becomes available. I inform him I will call him back. I don’t.
I email seller to reschedule for later this week – maybe the weekend. No response.

I call another courier to get quote. Firstly I am informed that I have called the wrong department and given a new number. Then promptly disconnected. I call new number. Better automated voice and get through to agent. She can’t help me but takes my details and someone will call back soon. I ask when? Soon she repeats. I wait.

I make a coffee and contemplate why you can’t buy vallium over the counter anymore. It’s also the first time in 4 years I want to light up a cigarette and pretend I’m Baby Jane Hudson when I’m speaking to these phone incompetents. If anything just to practice my Bette.

So I try the seller again. She answers. She overslept and missed the whole thing. I tell her my morning and she apologises profusely and tells me she will drop in off within 2 hours. She sounds genuine. I thank her and say a Hail Mary just in case. Im not even Catholic.

Well she did. And she could not have been nicer about. She called the 1st courier to explain it was her issue and didn’t even take petrol money.

So I have my item which looks fantastic [ it is vintage post war Danish buffet for the Dining Room] and have saved on courier costs. Will eventually get my other money back.

Moral of this tale – PAYPAL are cunts but sellers on ebays are not. In fact this one was fabulous.

X b

Ps- Oh yeah 2nd courier company still has not called me back. But you guessed that already.