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Purchase on Audiogon arrived not as described

Hello,

I purchased a speaker pair through Audiogon that was listed as a 10/10 falwless pair. The speakers arrived damaged. They were not properly packed they were piano gloss finish and only packed woth a single layer of a very thin fabric cloth and one layer of bubble wrap in a flimsy single layer cardboard box single boxed.

The speakers arrived 11/30 (Thursday) and due to work I wasn't able to open the package until the night of 12/1 (Friday). I took photos of the unboxing process and I was surprised to see how little packaging therewas for a 50lb+ speaker pair with piano gloss finish. I was extremely careful unpacking the speakers and after unwrapping them I saw the damage. One speaker is busted on the bottom with a crack, the other speaker has 3 large strike marks and chips to the edge.

 

Within minutes of seeing the damage I contacted the seller. I have no way of knowing if the speakers were damaged in transit due to poor packaging or if the seller scammed me. I contacted the seller within minutes of seeing the damage and explained the situation. The seller immediately became defensive and said I had plenty of time to evaluate the speakers and that I probably didn't like them so I purposely damaged them. This offended me and was quite ridiculous. The speakers were at my house for one day and I didn't unbox them until I had the time the next day. The speakers have remained in the original packaging taking up space since this date.

 

I tried to communicate with the seller and the seller completely stopped answering messages through audiogon. I filed a dispute through Audiogon and linked the seller Audiogon's policy on selling and items not arriving in the condition listed. The staff at Audiogon managed to get ahold of the seller and told me the seller was not being reasonable. They advised me to file a PayPal claim. I filed my claim on 12/3 after spending two days communicating with the staff and trying to have them be a middleman to communicate between the seller and I. The seller never responded.

 

I have now been waiting for weeks on the dispute with paypal. The seller responded to the dispute and is fighting to keep my money. I offered to send the speakers back to the seller from the beginning and properly package them how I would have liked to receive them packed. I am worried about paypal being so slow and have heard stories of paypal siding with scammers before.

newtoaudio100
snapsc
666 posts
 

Two questions… what kind of feedback did the seller have…sellers with good feedback want to protect their reputation. 
 

Did you request that the seller photograph the packaging and shipping process… this is a must if you have a claim as most shippers want double boxing as a minimum. 

ghasley
2,438 posts
 

A zero feedback buyer purchasing from a zero feedback seller… unfortunate.

yyman23
145 posts
 

I would also file a dispute with me credit card company. Most times they work much faster than PayPal. Also, I never buy from sellers with no feedback, unless it's within driving distance and I can pay and get the item in person. 

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moto_man
323 posts
 

I have been on both sides of this issue.  I bought a subwoofer that was shoddily packed and arrived damaged and unusable.  The seller claimed that I was responsible for getting money from UPS, not him.  I fully documented the unpacking and the damage and opened a dispute.  Although PayPal initially denied my claim (!), I continued to push them with more pictures and they ruled in my favor.  The whole process did not take more than a month.

On the other side, I sold a sub, and had it professionally packed by the company that I have always used in the past.  They apparently did a lousy job and it arrived working fine but with some very minor cosmetic damage to one corner.  I had insured it for full value with Fed-X, and spoke with the buyer about what he would like to do.  I offered to have fed-x pick it up, or leave it with him and give him the money that I got from Fed-X.  Since the sub worked and the damage was minor, he kept it and I got almost all of the money from Fed-X and sent it to him.  So he got the sub for about $50 or so and was happy with how it worked out.  It was unfortunate that it wasn't packed properly, but it all worked out.  When things go wrong, the key is communication.  I think that regardless of what side you are on, talking it out reassures everyone that things will be made right.  But one thing that people must understand is that the seller is responsible for getting the equipment to the buyer in working order.  The seller is responsible for getting it packed properly, and the seller must insure it for its real value or pay the consequences.  When things go wrong, the seller must step up.

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