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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
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.

helomech
1,525 posts
 

Give Paypal some more time to resolve your dispute, but don’t let more than 30 days pass before filling a claim with the CC company. Either way, I believe you will ultimately get your money back. I had to file a CC dispute against Home Depot last summer. The CC company immediately credited my account for the transaction sum and told me I wouldn’t be charged any interest while they were conducting their investigation. Ultimately they decided in my favor but it took a few months. 
 

Last resort would be taking the seller to small claims court but I highly doubt it will get to that point. 
 

Sorry that happened to you, I’ve been there, once it was a seller who actually had 100% positive feedback on the “other” Audio site. The guy sent me the completely wrong preamp and despite that, i still lost about $40 in return shipping cost. Unfortunately, this is the risk we take these days in order to avoid paying retail prices and taking a bath if we subsequently decide to sell the item. And it has gotten much worse post-Covid, with all the noobs to the hobby. 

capricho74
1 posts
 

I went through an identical transaction as OP. I filed a PayPal claim and it took 3 months for PayPal to rule in my favor. I was required by PayPal to obtain a repair estimate from a third party service center. 
 

filing a claim with UPS was fruitless as the seller failed to pack the item in accordance with UPS’s guidelines. UPS only honors such damage claims if the item was insured and met its packing guidelines. 
 

Paypal customer service was frustrating to deal with as each time I talked to an agent about the status of my case I would get a different answer. 
 

OP should send copious pictures of the damaged speakers, get a repair estimate, and send the shipping services packing guidelines. Then wait and be patient. 

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