I need some help and advice with a dispute/case that I currently have with Paypal. I will try and keep it brief and to the point!
- I sold an water injection kit for a car (consisting of several components) on Ebay
- The buyer contacts me as a key part of the kit (the water pump) was not working. Item was bench tested before we sold it and was working, however, I advise seller that we are happy to refund if he can return the whole kit back to us.
- Buyer advises that for some reason they cannot set up a ‘item not as described case’ on Ebay so they set one up on Paypal
- Case now set up on Paypal and buyer provides a return tracking number
- I check the tracking number and notice the parcel is coming back from the Netherlands?? I contact the buyer within the Paypal case and the postage address that was given on Ebay was a UK address (my original listing stated that I would not ship outside of the UK), the person at the UK address then sends the parcel on to the buyer in the Netherlands. This is why I think they couldn’t set up a case on Ebay as they are not a UK resident.
- The return comes in to the UK and into the hands of the nightmare delivery company YODEL.
- Yodel try and deliver the return to me twice but as I was at work they then take it back to their sorting office.
- I try and contact YODEL to get the return redelivered but cannot call them as their phone service is automated
- I contact them via their online chat and are told that the parcel cannot be redelivered, my only option is to come and collect it. HOWEVER, I live in Poole in Dorset and the delivery centre is in Yeovil over 120 mile round trip away from where I live. I advise them that due to transport I cannot come and collect the parcel and because of the timeframe they’ve given to collect the parcel it will be automatically returned to sender plus I cannot arrange for anyone else to pick up the parcel on my behalf!!
- Parcel is returned back to the buyer, Paypal then automatically refund the buyer as they can see item has been delivered (albeit back to the buyer – the YODEL tracking shows that I have not received it and the parcel has gone back to the sender) so they now have their money back but are also still in possession of the goods.
- I am out of pocket for the item – even through the pump isn’t working the rest of the kit still has considerable value so I contact paypal to see if there is anyway they can ask the buyer to please return the item but to my work address as there is always someone there to receive it.
- Paypal reassesses the case and emails the buyer to resend item. Buyer ignores their requests as well as my messages via Ebay asking for him to please resend.
- Paypal then re-reviews case on my behalf and closes it as they say that as the buyer returned the item and I refused the delivery there isn’t any more that they can do.
- I am out of pocket by £205 which I wouldn’t mind if I had the item returned back to me!
My question is – is there anything that I can do to dispute this or try and get my item back? I understand that the item was returned back but there was absolutely no option for me to collect the item from their delivery office which was so far away.
I contacted the Financial Ombudsman but they said they are likely to side with Paypal and that the buyer fullfiled his requirement of returning it, it is now up to me to get the buyer to return it which I know is not going to happen as they have their money and an item which they can now sell off the other parts which are worth money.
