My Violet SGH came but she turned out to be a pair of Vans...

[Toriatan]

I am soooooo edgy right now. So I've been waiting for more than 2 weeks on this bag. It's come from the States to Singapore so I didn't think too much about the waiting at first. The eBay seller was late in sending the bag out because of snowstorms so I said that it was alright. Then she haphazardly gave me an invalid tracking number then went on holiday for a week. The "bag" finally arrived in Singapore on the 9th. There was an attempted delivery on the 11th but I checked and checked and there was no delivery note to say, "We were here but you weren't. Please reschedule a delivery." Or something like that. So I finally called up SingPost and found out that the address was incomplete. I'm 100% sure that I gave the sender the right address. So I ran down to the main post office in Singapore to pick it up. And I waited and waited and it finally came! I was so excited but when I looked at the box, I was thinking, "Gee, that's a little small for a work, isn't it?" But maybe she folded it into half or rolled it into a ball or something. I tear off the tab only to find that it is a pair of vans. I just look at it in disbelief. I couldn't move for like 5 minutes. I was like WTF? And then I looked at the label. It's a wonder it got to me at all. Wrong name, incomplete address... The seller combined my name and my mom's name (whose CC was used to complete the transaction). I'm really really upset now. And to make things even more suspect, the shoes should have been sent somewhere within the states, yes? So then the bag would have been sent to someone else in the states and so it should have gotten there much much faster than the shoes, since I checked her feedback and stuff that she sold later than the SGH work had already gone to their buyers. Or even if the bag was sent to another country, my wrong address fiasco delayed delivery by four days so the bag should still have arrived earlier. So why was there no email from the seller telling me that there was a mix-up?

I am soooo upset right now. I hope that this is just a simple mix-up but the more I thinka about it, the more irritated I am. Plus I'm returning to the States in two days and packing is already enough of a b*tch. My mom is also on my case about it since she paid for the bag as a 21st birthday present and she's very nervous about paying nearly S$2000 for nothing. Plus she is computer-illiterate and has never heard of opening a dispute.

For those who have had the (unfortunate) experience of opening an eBay dispute before, how do you go about doing this? If I contact the CC company, will they return the funds to me? I'm still waiting on the seller to contact me but I'm so worried. Was it a deliberate switch? Or if it was a mistake, how could such a mistake have been made with a bag costing more than a thousand dollars? And if it's with someone else now, could the someone else have tried to use the bag and somehow damaged it? I am sick with worry now. AHHHH... I just need a place to rant right now and get some advice on what to do next. What should I do? So not rational right now...

[Jira]

That is NUTS! I'm sorry you had to go through that.

DO NOT WAIT for the seller to contact you. This is completely her fault. Open up a dispute in paypal right away. Don't even wait for her to respond (a 2000-dollar mistake is absolutely unacceptable!!), immediately escalate it to a claim and get your money back!!

[Toriatan]

The only problem is that I paid via google checkout and not paypal. I don't know if google checkout offers the same payment security as paypal does.

[maria28]

oh, no...i've no input that i can give since i'm not really an eBay-er, but i pray and cross my fingers that you'll either get your money back or your bag soon (that it was just purely a mistake).

i'm sure other members would be able to provide more info...

[balihai88]

Toriatan I'm so sorry. You may want to post this in the eBay subforum.

I don't want to sound alarmist but I am in shock that she sent you some random shoes rather than your bag. I do hope it's a simple mixup but I recommend you open a dispute ASAP.

[HandbagAngel]

Since you paid via Google checkout, the only way now is to call your CC and request a chargeback. Keep all the original packing material, including the shipper's/seller's address. Since you are coming back to the States, bring those shoes back to U.S. and mail them from here. Before you send them back to the seller, make sure to follow your CC's instruction. Usually they will give you a conditional reimbursement but ask you to return it to the sender, acquire a copy of signature of receiving to proof the sender has the goods back. Then your CC should issue you a permanent refund.

Oh, BTW, when your cc ask you to send them back, take some photos of the shoes with the original shipping material before you ship them in case your CC asks for them.

This is really awful. But don't be panic. Call your CC, explain to them what happened. They should tell you what to do.

Good luck! Please keep us posted.

[DonnaK483]

What e*bay seller was this? It'll be a heads up for the rest of us to be aware of this seller. My heart goes out to you and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that it'll settle in your favor b/c 2G is no small pocket change.

I found the below when I googled "google checkout disputes" I took a glanced at it. I hope it'll help to some extent.

http://consumerist.com/consumer/goog...ers-221411.php

[fashionispoison]

ohmygod....from the sounds of it, it might be a scam.

you need to call your cc and google asap

[chpwhy]

This is unacceptable!! Take lots of pics.. Keep your emails. I hope it turn out alright in the end.

[Toriatan]

Thanks for all your support guys. I'll never pay through google checkout again. They don't really support buyers and I can file a chargeback but Singapore banks are really lacking in CC protection, unlike in the US. I prodded my mom's bank manager until he finally said, oh there's a form I can fax you and he kept going on and on about how I should contact google checkout and eBay first before going the chargeback route. Gosh... I'll take pictures of the shoes and box when I get back tonight. Hopefully it's just a big mixup. The seller is dancing in my manolos and apparently she's a PF member. She's sold many bbags without problems and ironically, that's reassuring and more alarming at the same time. I'm NEVER buying anything costing more than 20 dollars on ebay ever again. The cheaper prices are just not worth all the incessant worrying and trouble. Buying from reliable merchants, be they online or brick-and-mortar, gives me a peace-of-mind that's priceless. DonnaK, that website that you posted was really helpful but it just reinforces how google checkout is reluctant to help buyers out. There's practically NOTHING for buyers in its FAQ. I wouldn't be so worried if it were an American bank I was dealing with. Hopefully everything irons out in the end and I get my money back. Then I'll get a work from BalNY/AR. No more ebay.

[LT bag lady]

So sorry this happened to you!
Maybe the seller got all confused with the holidays and all and go the 2 parcels mixed up, or worse yet, she sent her DH to the PO and he go the parcels mixed up! Hope it all gets worked out!
Cheers,

[hmwe46]

Mmm, this might also limit your recourse with eBay: I do bot believe they allow Google Checkout on their auctions. How did it happen that you paid via Google and not PayPal??

Have you contacted the Seller????

I am sorry this is happening: hopefully it can be resolved quickly

Originally Posted by Toriatan

The only problem is that I paid via google checkout and not paypal. I don't know if google checkout offers the same payment security as paypal does.

[redney]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. Have you had any contact with the seller? Perhaps it was an honest mix-up (???)

I don't know that seller and have never interacted with her but have heard about good transactions from a few other buyers.

Can you get her phone number from eBay and call her??

Good luck and keep us updated.

[Kathleen37]

Have you looked at your sellers previous auctions to see if she had sold a pair of Vans? If she has, then that would point more to a mix up. If she hasn't then that's an odd mistake to make...

What's her feedback like? Has she been a member for a while?

Request her contact information immediately from "My eBay". That should give you her phone and address details. You may be better giving her a ring.

Good luck

K

[gro3602]

Yes good luck, and hopefully this is just an error on sellers part that can be resolved.
I'm curious as well regarding this seller. How long has seller been selling? How many feedbacks? Did you check her completed items?
Please let us know.