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

Sorry My friend

I still hold my breath whenever engaging in any transaction.

Buying or selling.

I've been lucky so far but given the state of humanity these days I'm sure that will end at some point

Good luck

Hey, The main thing is make sure you follow PayPal or EBay rules during the dispute process. Also, when product is shipped using one of these services you have to take pictures and videos even before you touch the box. Shake it, Do you hear rattling, and video the unboxing. It is amazing how many time people will not take responsibility. I don’t think it was a scam. I think the seller packaged the speakers incorrectly. Typically they are packaged individually or have heavy form fitting foam. I feel this is going to be a thing in the future. Buyer beware. I would have packed those like Mahgister. Plus, You get the kudos from the buyer. I am sorry you went through this. 

One way to minimize problems like this is buying from an authorized dealer.

Sometimes it's just inexperience, sometimes malicious intent.  Hard to say.

I recently started a transaction to buy a $5-6000 amplifier.  The seller was a nice guy, but quoted a shipping cost that I verified was way too high.  I told him I'd prefer to generate a USPS shipping label here & email it to him with a scheduled pickup date.  It would have been easier for him, since he wouldn't have to worry about shipping costs, driving the thing to the Post Office, etc.

The guy backed out of the deal, saying he was "uncomfortable" with the way things were going.  I was gobsmacked & still don't know what the problem was.  But I subsequently found a much better fit, so aborting that transaction turned out to be a good thing in the end.

 

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.