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

Showing 2 responses by elliottbnewcombjr

elliottbnewcombjr
5,230 posts
 

you have my empathy, it’s a bummer. 100 lb amp is a beast, it’s unfortunate someone wasn’t lined up to help sooner. going forward, fund your paypal account with your best credit card (not a bank), then you have another layer. basic function and every feature, new or used needs to be messed with so you don’t find out later something you could have known.

I hurt my back, been using a walker for a week, still not picking anything up. I came home from the chiropractor, and fedex had left a pair of AR2ax's against my garage door. door flips out, so couldn't even open the door. I realized, gotta move em, get em inside, open em up, hook em up and make sure all drivers are good. Luckily Jim, a new friend I met here on Audiogon was here, so he got them in and out of the boxes.

elliottbnewcombjr
5,230 posts
 

I've already stated my empathy to OP, a damn shame PayPal failed him.

Reverb helped me on one disaster; PayPal saved me on Fraud. Thank goodness I did not 'send money'.

1. via reverb, a McIntosh MC2002 was not packed properly, (single box, only collapsible air bubbles inside with a 55 lb object moving about) arrived seriously damaged.

Seller had bought insurance from Reverb. Reverb covered seller 100%  (UPS certainly would have denied a damage claim based on improper packaging). Reverb contacted seller and offered me a full refund, or $300. credit, keep it. A tech I know wanted to fix it, so I took the credit, he bought it from me. Happy ending.

2. also Reverb. bought an mx110z in Spain. used Paypal thru Reverb (thus it was for 'goods' not friends and family, PayPal funded by my credit card. I suspected 'too true, might be fraud' but trusted my protection setup.

'Not Shipped', not a word from seller, zero response to my messages to seller. Requested refund thru Reverb (easy). Reverb could not get a response from seller and told me "make your claim thru PayPal because that is how you paid, (their contact info is ...., let us know if you need help with that") Filed an 'Item Not Received' with PayPal.

Now, even though Reverb still said 'not shipped', via PayPal, there was a tracking link, and a full FedEx history: Now I got worried, I've been thru that once before. Remember, Item was in Spain. purchased on the 28th, false shipping said left Pennsylvania, USA on the 29th .... went here, there, delivered (no signature).

Without any delay PayPal gave me a full refund. Couldn't have been easier, how lucky I am,

as OP showed, even proper coverage can fail you, and it is crazy how they can create these fraudulent shipping histories.

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