This news just in...the seller contacted me to say she has now authorised the refund (although now this is in the hands of PayPal it may not come through until she confirms that she has received the Prada bag back). She also wired some money into my account to cover the cost of shipping the Prada bag back to her plus a little extra compensation to cover my customs charges.
The email she sent was very 'friendly' and apologetic ( in my book this is too little, way too late). She said she will leave me some 'glorious' feedback when she gets the Prada bag back and will understand if I leave her negative feedback. I suspect this seismic shift in attitude is all due to the fact that she knows her Prada bag is on the way back and she can go ahead and attempt to sell the Elvire at a higher price. She said that she re-listed the Elvire because she is selling it for someone else who she has already paid for the bag and needs to recoup her money. Who knows what the real story is here ?
I replied to her, saying that if she'd only admitted to an accidental package mix-up in the first place I would just have asked her to send on the Elvire to me when she got it back. I only made a claim to PayPal for a refund because she claimed to know nothing about the Prada bag and started posseting weird theories about a bag switch at customs etc. I also told her that this bag was supposed to be a Valentines gift from my DH. If I were her, I have a very guilty conscience right now ....
Anyway, it looks like this saga is drawing to a close now thank goodness, but I'll only rest easy when I get all my money back. In the meantime if anyone comes across another Elvire bag like the one I tried to purchase and is now re-listed (or the same style in another colour), please let me know. I am officially on a bag ban but I think I'd be given a dispensation to break it for this particular bag, given it should have been in my closet by now...
The email she sent was very 'friendly' and apologetic ( in my book this is too little, way too late). She said she will leave me some 'glorious' feedback when she gets the Prada bag back and will understand if I leave her negative feedback. I suspect this seismic shift in attitude is all due to the fact that she knows her Prada bag is on the way back and she can go ahead and attempt to sell the Elvire at a higher price. She said that she re-listed the Elvire because she is selling it for someone else who she has already paid for the bag and needs to recoup her money. Who knows what the real story is here ?
I replied to her, saying that if she'd only admitted to an accidental package mix-up in the first place I would just have asked her to send on the Elvire to me when she got it back. I only made a claim to PayPal for a refund because she claimed to know nothing about the Prada bag and started posseting weird theories about a bag switch at customs etc. I also told her that this bag was supposed to be a Valentines gift from my DH. If I were her, I have a very guilty conscience right now ....
Anyway, it looks like this saga is drawing to a close now thank goodness, but I'll only rest easy when I get all my money back. In the meantime if anyone comes across another Elvire bag like the one I tried to purchase and is now re-listed (or the same style in another colour), please let me know. I am officially on a bag ban but I think I'd be given a dispensation to break it for this particular bag, given it should have been in my closet by now...
Delighted for you!
Thanks Roz. I'm so glad you got your nightmare sorted out too. For some reason these things can really get under your skin, can't they ? It's not just about the money but also about the injustice of people behaving in this fashion. It's horrible and extremely disempowering to be on the receiving end of this behaviour. Anyway (hopefully) all's well, that ends well and if you do ever see another one of these Elvires on your travels, do let me know 
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Wouldn't it be illegal for a seller to re-list an item that is currently in dispute?
