2. misc-audio
  3. 178867-1444

Paypal...buyer protection fees didnt help me

   I had a previous post about buying with PayPal so i'm piggybacking off that one.I found an integrated amp on U.S.A.M. for a decent price,the seller wanted me to pay PayPal / friends and family but because it was over 6k I went ahead and pay the fees (approx $200.00 and change) thinking it was worth the extra money  for buyer protection.The shipping was $300 from the east coast to the mid west and took 6 days i believe.The crate was over 100 pounds,it came on Monday and it took me until Sunday to get a buddy to help me get it up a flight of stairs,out of the crate and on a dedicated stand..i'm in my 60s and retired.The amp had distortion on one channel,we both heard it,I swapped cables on speakers and same result coming now on the opposite side...but to make sure before I started screaming the sky is falling I borrowed other gear and went through the testing...this all took another week....After i did my due diligence I contacted the seller and told him i wanted my money back which fell on deaf ears so i filed a case with PayPal...I was told by PP that i needed get verification of my complaint in writing from a legit source and submit this info within 10 days.I called 2 audio stores in the mid-west and was told that they did'nt have nor could they verify on gear they don't sell.  I needed to send it to manufacture who's on the west coast,so i called the manufacture..approx 7 days to get it to them at a cost of a few hundred in shipping ,the down time could be anywhere from a few days to weeks depending on back log..and then cost and time to get it back not repaired as i'm just looking for them to tell me its messed up in writing for these clowns at PP..I called PP and told them the 7 to 10 days i was given to get this all done was insane,forgetting the cost involved..I mean it took me a week to get it upstairs and unpacked with help......So I was denied my claim and will have to deal with getting this going again.I informed PayPal that i will never pay their fees again because the buyer protection i thought i had did'nt really exist,the burden of proof was on my shoulders to show them that what i got which was described as mint was'nt...Maybe its their new policy because the company's stocks are in the crap hole and the share holders need paid,who knows but they wont get my money again.I think ill buy new from a USA dealer........

missioncoonery
missioncoonery OP
1,192 posts
 

   Better story?...yea it worked when I sent it to him just fine,lol......My story isn't a story,it's the truth.There was no physical damage to the box or the unit so I assume his story should be it was distorting through one channel when I sent it.

   All I wanted was what I paid for, a working correctly int amp or  PP to  to do good on what I paid for and get my  funds back .There's no gray area here,no buyers remorse,no my wife is pissed and demanding I send it back....nothing but simply I got a unit that doesn't work properly and the buyers protection I paid for failed me.

roxy54's avatar
roxy54
7,676 posts
 

Just because there is no exterior damage doesn't mean that something in the interior workings wasn't jogged loose.

Having it repaired may cost less than you think. Why not get an estimate?

missioncoonery OP
1,192 posts
 

Oooh....I've already stated its going to manufacture for repair.The point of this post was I shouldn't have to....

sbank's avatar
sbank
3,378 posts
 

Sad story. A suggestion for others that worked for me. I bought a misrepresented used Sota turntable and paid via PayPal. I arranged for the seller to ship it directly to Sota for evaluation and potential upgrade recommendations. Sota was able to document that the condition wasn't as advertised. PayPal made good on my claim promptly. If a similar path is available on used gear you're considering, it might be worthwhile.

Kudos to Donna and the folks at Sota who supported my efforts to document and submit the timely claim. As karma often comes full circle, I instead bought a new table directly from Sota after the claim was settled. Cheers,

Spencer 

sns
3,003 posts
 

@missioncoonery Not saying you're not being truthful, just saying there may be high likelihood damage was incurred in shipping, in which case seller is not at fault. I'm surprised this possible issue hasn't been brought up in your statements thus far. I presume paypal and seller (if seller honest here) brought this up amongst themselves, if not with you.

 

Too bad you couldn't have worked out something with seller. I've had two issues as seller when things were damaged in shipment, both cases no outward appearance of damage on packaging materials so no shipping insurance coverage. In both cases I worked with buyers by my partial payment of repairs, maybe I was lucky in having such understandable buyers. This just to say shipping is tricky proposition, shippers pretty careless these days, overworked and under great stress, I see this every day at my family business.

 

Also, did this seller have large amount of feedback? I always check for this, will purchase from someone with little feedback, but only after telephone conversation.

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