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
roxy54's avatar
roxy54
7,977 posts
 

Thanks, but it would have been useful to know who the offender was, but maybe now isn't the right time.

heretobuy
128 posts
 

I would think the party to determine whether the unit was defective would be a repair technician. 

p05129
497 posts
 

This is the 1st time that I heard PayPal was for the seller, 99.9999% of the time PP will side with the buyer.

The 1st issue is on your shoulders because you waited 1 week to do anything and this put you in a bind.

Say I am the seller, how do I know that you didn't drop the unit to cause the damage? How do I know it it got dropped in shipping? There are a lot of variables when buying online from 3rd parties. Dealing with PP as the seller, I demand using PPF&F, and as a buyer, I demand using the normal PP with buyer protection. For years, I only buy and sell with a local buyer and/or seller, much easier

elliottbnewcombjr
5,350 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.

carlsbad's avatar
carlsbad
1,551 posts
 

Agree with SNS.  Move quickly.  a claim a week or more later is always suspeicious.  I sold an amp.  2 weeks later they guy messages me that it won't power up.  He had messaged me when he got it and said he would put it in service the next day so I was immediately suspicious.   Not a paypal deal but they would be suspicious too.

Turned out to be operator error and I was able to help him figure it out.  I'm only posting this because the 2 week delay make me immediately suspicious.  Turns out he's 80 and needed help to move it.  

So if you need help, have it lined up when the amp gets there.

Paypal would have stood by you if it was a black and white issue such as "doesn't work".  Your claim is a probably interpreted by paypal as an opinion that it works but doesn't sound right.  Frame your claim in the correct words.

Jerry

 

 

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