PayPal Buyer Protection... Sided with GearBest!

AngryAlfred on 03/12/2015 - 21:53

This is the first time I've ever made a dispute and for some reason that I don't understand it has gone against me with no response from PayPal. Here is a timeline of events, hopefully somebody can tell me what to do next or I don't know, I need to vent.

04/07 - Purchased Piston 3

08/07 - Received an email to say it has been sent

10/08 - Contacted Gearbest to seek more information as it hadn't arrived and the tracking number showed nothing on aftership.com
The response is that it was unregistered and should take up to 25 business days. I'm also told the policy to refund or resend is 60 days

21/08 - Still hasn't arrived, I ask if they can please resend as I'm going overseas in one month and that was the reason I bought them. Kindly enough they agree

16/09 - Overseas, no headphones

27/09 - I return and was told they only arrived in the past 2-3 days

22/10 - Left earpiece has been going downhill, finally it stopped working altogether. Contacted Gearbest to say it's broken and asked to refund. (Purchased new ones from Banggood, delivered fast and still working great)

23/10 - They ask for the code on the box and I give it

27/10 - I'm offered a new pair or store credit, I say it's been going on long enough and I just want a refund

28/10 - The greet me by the wrong name and agree to the refund, I'm told to wait 5-7 days

04/11 - Still no refund, I ask them to check their records, no reply.

05/11 - I'm finished with it and tell them I am going to open a dispute with PayPal. I receive an exact copy and paste telling me to wait 5-7 days. Opened a case in the resolution centre with the details of our conversations about the refund.

16/11 - No response from Gearbest so I escalate it to a claim

23/11 - Gearbest offer me an amazing $2 USD refund, obviously I reject it

29/11 - PayPal finds in Gearbest's favour. I am pissed so I contact PayPal asking them where I should send the screenshots where they agreed to the refund TWICE? I'm told to expect a response in one day

03/12 - Still no response…

I've had a lot of problems in the past with Chinese sellers and always resolved them between us. I've been a PayPal member since 2008 and this is the first dispute I have ever made. I know that this is not for a lot of money but I have been using them for 7 years and I continue to use them at every chance because they offer 'buyer protection', the first time I ever needed it and I'm gone against for no apparent reason.

Does anybody with more experience with this know where to take this next?

Thank you.

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Comments

  • eatwell365 on 03/12/2015 - 22:20
    +2

    vote with your wallet. "

    now there is visa checkout, masterPass.
    re GB - their rep is here in OzB, not sure the reason I found goods from GB are uncommonly faulty. B stock?

    • AngryAlfred on 03/12/2015 - 22:56

      I fully intend to do that, but I still want my money.

      • gearbest on 07/12/2015 - 16:32
        +1

        Dear Angryalfred,

        Greetings to you.

        This is sunny,on behalf of Gearbest.com,I am here as Gearbest representative to answer all your questions .

        Firstly,we are very sorry for such unhappy experience on you,we promise will find a way to solve this out.

        Dear Angryalfred,could you pls send me your order number by PM for processing？
        I will contact the customer support central for you immediately and answer you very soon.

        Thanks.

        Sunny
        Gearbest.com

  • bobbified on 03/12/2015 - 22:35
    -6

    I don't mean to sound like an ass, but you've spent months going backwards and forwards chasing this $20 or so. All the frustration, time wasted and everything - is it really worth it?

    I've had a lot of problems in the past with Chinese sellers and always resolved them between us.

    From what you've written here, this isn't the first time you've had issues with chinese sellers and I think most of us are pretty well aware of the poor (or total lack of) customer service that these types of places provide, yet some of us are still willing to take the risk with the smaller valued items simply because of their cheap prices.

    You're probably already one of the lucky ones who've been able to resolve all your previous issues with them.

    The only thing you can do now seems to be to wait for a second response from paypal.. And if they still don't find in your favour, there probably isn't much else you can do other than learn from the experience.

    • AngryAlfred on 03/12/2015 - 22:55
      +5

      It's now down to a matter of principle. I don't like being told to wait for a refund that never arrives, and the fact that I've been using PayPal for so many years because they claimed to offer protection and seem to not have paid any attention at all when I finally do make a claim. $20 or $200 I don't care, I don't like to be treated this way.

      I get what you mean though, it looks like it's been months but it's really just a couple minutes here and there writing a message.

  • eatwell365 on 03/12/2015 - 23:28

    call PayPal directly and discuss over the phone in a calm professional manner. get a reference number after the call.

    I would leave GB alone - get into their mind " Ozzie is too hard to do business with, always ask for a full refund after selling you my "cheap and nasty".
    support your local reputable seller. not worth to save the few dollars. The wait is worse than in the waiting room for my wife to have our baby.

  • eatwell365 on 03/12/2015 - 23:30
    +1

    You are not alone. Read other thread

    and this.

    Actually GB has been banned from OZB.

    • Clear on 04/12/2015 - 09:59

      Could always try the Everbuying rep. They're essentially the same company… well same parent company.

  • tomclancy on 03/12/2015 - 23:41
    +2

    Start a dispute (online form) with the Financial Ombudsman (very similar setup as the TIO but for financial services). Note that this would be a dispute against PayPal for not providing an appropriate service.

    I had a similar experience and within 48 hours of lodging the FOS dispute PayPal had refunded my money "as a token of goodwill". What a load of crap from PayPal, but hey I got my money back ($200).

    Best of luck

    • Cheeper on 04/12/2015 - 10:11
      +2

      Recommend the same. Had problems with fake goods and paypal stood by the supplier.
      The Financial Ombudsman soon sorted them out and I got my refund.

  • bwatt72 on 06/12/2015 - 14:22

    So by the sounds of it best keep away from these guys then?was thinking of getting an item cost approx $180 or from geek buying but I hear both are not great places to buy and deal from if only more places had options to get the item I want from and not spending double the price.
    I'm hearing eglobalcameras are good to deal with and quick anyone else confirm this also Chinese company but they don't have the item I'm after and when they do what it will cost.

  • [Deactivated] on 07/12/2015 - 17:24

    I think the problem is that the headphones worked for a while, i.e. around a month, and you had received the goods in a condition which was semi-alright. Although, I would argue they aren't fit for purpose, but then gearbest could argue the damage was a result of the manner in which you used it… Let's ignore that for a while and analyse why they sided with Paypal.

    Although Australian Consumer laws should apply to businesses operating overseas and supplying to Australians, in practice you will find that because they are in another jurisdiction that they are basically untouchable.

    I do know that eBay has a "Are not fit for purpose" clause which means you can qualify for their moneyback guarantee. http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/buy/contextual/return-policy.h…
    This doesn't apply to normal Paypal purchases outside of eBay.

    So, you might ask why doesn't Paypal have this guarantee? This is most likely the result of the high fees (10%+) eBay, which allows them to absorb costs and to give a more confidence to shoppers using eBay.

    From what I've seen personally, Paypal only sides with the buyer if the items are not described properly or if they don't arrive at all.

    Agreeing to refund with the wrong name might have been construed as misdirected email or an error on their behalf. It seems like in reality they only wanted to refund you $2. I'm not sure what the person in charge of your case at Paypal thought.

    Lots of these small things probably meant that the refund they agreed/didn't agree to, was void. You also didn't take the store credit or another pair which showed Gearbest's goodwill in mind. In which case you might have been able to buy something more durable, albeit another item. All of these things add up to swing the decision against your favour, especially when most people consider earphones are not durable items.

    As far as I know, even at JB Hifi, you probably can't bring back used earphones that are broken… They are supposed to last more than a month, but I haven't seen anyone get a refund for broken earphones in Australia.

  • letthiswork1 on 30/01/2016 - 21:59

    I wouldn't go near gearbest after previous experinces. Just search ozb for them.. So dodgy

  • [Deactivated] on 31/01/2016 - 00:12
    -3

    ?? Accept the loss and be a b*stard to Ebay and all those who sell through them. For a full year.
    I just finished a year of giving everyone bad feedback negs, even Supercheap, BuyinCoins,Grays,Mwave etc who were 100%, making grey area extra paypal claims eg. if I didn't like the shade of stainless steel bolts. They copped it through a more disfunctional system. Sellers may go elsewhere, and/or Ebay may improve.
    They dont expect this, but they are fairly dishonest and allow theft and false advertising openly.
    Hit'em in their glasshouse, if nothing else is available or practical.
    Don't neg this please ;->

  • rubig on 10/02/2016 - 00:27
    -2

    I absolutely agree with Ponyhearts. Even if you bought this in Australia you wouldn't get a refund for used earphone.

    12 months warranty is provided by the manufacturer. The seller really shouldn't be taken responsibily unless the package is damaged upon receiving it.

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