eBay dilemma

G

glastoveteran

Active member
 Bristol
Hi guys,

A while back I bought a nav / CID control head unit with a view to retrofitting nav but I decided not to (and also bought another Z4 with nav).

I then sold the head unit on ebay but in fairness as I hadn't tested it I was only going by the original reuptable seller's word that it was working.

2 weeks later the guy gets in touch and says it doesn't work, and since I can't be 100% sure it was definitely working I agreed to refund once he'd returned it.

It's turned up and I've verified that it's the same unit I sent him (I took pics) but the security / warranty seals on both sides of the unit have been broken, so it looks like he's opened it for one reason or another. I know for certain that these were in tact when I sent it to him.

Question is what would you do?

Cheers, Alex
 
gannet said:
do your pics show the seals intact ?
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Unfortunately not - the only decent shot is the bottom of the unit that has all the labels and serials on it, and the seals are on the top side.
 
Were they intact in the pictures you took? If he removed them then who knows what he could have done to the internals? I guess if you stated it was working but you didn't test it then you do need to accept the refund, although the broken seals throw a spanner in the works :?
 
If he hasn't effectively returned it unopened / unused then I'd say you have no responsibiity to give him a refund - I would at least tell him you know and have evidence he's broken the seals & see what he says.

Is there any chance he'll read this thread ? :tumbleweed:
 
Kryton said:
I'm afraid your stuffed :(
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x2...unfortunately :( HOWEVER .......... and given it some thought! Write to the guy and advise him that the unit has been received by you and that during his ownership the seals have been tampered with and as such the goods have not been returned in the original condition. Ask for an explanation as to why the unit has been opened. State that as such a refund at this time cannot be considered as the unit has been tampered with. Send it recorded delivery aqnd await a response. Do not engage in e mail or telephone calls but ask him to respond in writing - in this way you have a record of his response should he wish to push a claim further.
 
Andy said:
Is there any chance he'll read this thread ? :tumbleweed:
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I think he bought it for an X3 so figured I was safe posting on here!

I will probably just have to refund him and try the head unit in my car before I do anything else with it.

I will open it before I refund him though in case there is an obvious component missing!
 
Andy said:
what the chances the head unit in his x3 is now working ? :thumbsdown:
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Yeah - I wonder how easy it is to swap the boards over...

It all could be perfectly innocent though - guess I'll just put this one down to experience.
 
glastoveteran said:
Andy said:
what the chances the head unit in his x3 is now working ? :thumbsdown:
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Yeah - I wonder how easy it is to swap the boards over...

It all could be perfectly innocent though - guess I'll just put this one down to experience.
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Don't be so rash, do not let him get away with it. Even if it was innocently opened do you think any company would give him a refund?

If I were you I would write back to him and explain since he had opened up the unit there is nothing you can do, I would even say if he wanted the unit back he will need to pay p&p otherwise you wil dispose of the unit.
 
Dont give up so easily, if the seal are broken then I would not refund anything, as said above he has probably swapped the internals.
 
I should just add to this since it may sway some people's responses.

He rang me when it was listed on ebay and asked if I'd do it any cheaper and after a bit of negotiating I said I'd give him a discount if he just paid me directly through PayPal without going through ebay, and he took me up on this.

Part of me thinks if he was planning on scamming me from the start he would have gone through ebay since it offers more buyer protection than a private sale? i.e. if he complains to ebay then 99% of the time they side with the buyer and automatically refund him the money from your PayPal account with no come back for the seller.
 
Contact him and ask for an explanation as to why he opened the unit. If he found the unit to be faulty and wished for a refund he should not have attempted a home repair, thus increasing the likelihood of there being an ulterior motive. Any refund should be made only when you are satisfied that he did not open the unit and remove components. I would open the unit myself and look for evidence of recent soldering etc. Can you be certain that the unit was sealed when you took receipt? Did the original vendour post photographs of the unit sealed which can be used to support your side?
 
if it was me, i would just grip my teeth and forget it, put it down to experience, the sooner you forget it the better
 
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