eBay and PayPal
Prepaid DVD set never shipped, no help after 90 days

I just wanted to let off some steam and warn others about my recent eBay rip-off.

Bottom line: I purchased a new DVD set from a company with 100% positive feedback. Needless to say, they went "bankrupt" and kept the money, while eBay and PayPal (owned by eBay) have yet to do anything or make any attempt to even reply to my emails (they send only automated replies). It has been over 90 days... Alright, enough sad stories. It looks like I may have been scammed.

Happy Turkey Day.

Details: The item I purchased was the "$25 OFF NEW DVD 24 Second Season Two" (eBay item 3343064985, ended Aug-23-03). I paid a seller in Florida who is a Verified Premier Member (262). Quantity: 1. Amount: $44.45, plus US shipping and handling of $9.95, for a total of $54.40. The source of funds was an instant transfer of $54.40 from my bank, with a MasterCard as the backup funding source.

Here was my main problem: eBay and PayPal, in an attempt to maximize their profits, forced me to bypass my consumer credit card protection by directly taking the funds from my bank account. This is how they operate. I have sold items on eBay and purchased others. This will never happen again. eBay and PayPal can kiss my business goodbye, and hopefully yours as well.

The listing was for a new, sealed, 100 percent authentic Region 1 studio September 9 pre-order DVD release, with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $69.98, available with Buy It Now for $44.45. The seller advertised immaculate feedback, a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee, PowerSeller and SquareTrade status, and shipping within 72 hours of the release date.

Here is the best I could get from eBay and PayPal when I submitted my problem to them just over 30 days from the purchase, as I had purchased a pre-release 14 days before the release, then waited too long after the expected release to inquire as to why it was never sent:

"As stated in our Buyer Protection Policy, we can only investigate complaints filed within 30 days of the payment date. However, your complaint has been noted in the record of the PayPal member whom you reported.

We encourage you to continue to work directly with your seller, as we have found that many misunderstandings reach amicable solutions through communication. If this transaction occurred on eBay, please see eBay's standard purchase protection program.

An eBay Company"

From eBay: "Thank you for using the Fraud Reporting Form. We're sorry that you were unable to resolve this complaint to your satisfaction. However, we appreciate your attempt to do so at the Fraud Reporting Form. Your use of the system allows us to track the actions of 'bad players' at eBay, and hopefully, remove these users from the system. Again, thank you for using the system to attempt to resolve your problem."

Better luck to others.

Company: eBay and PayPal
Country: USA

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