OT I'm LIVID - my first negative feedback

Venting follows - feel free to skip if you don't want to hear my whining.

I'm breaking my own rule about not posting anything negative about a
customer. I know that. But, I'm so mad, I could spit nails. I just got my
first negative feedback on my ebay account. It's completely retaliatory no
less.

It's from the person who didn't respond or pay for the Mint Blossoms set
that I relisted recently. She finally contacted me letting me know she was
back in town, that she'd had a family emergency. This was after I had filed
the NPB and relisted the beads. She wanted to know if she could still buy
the beads, and if I could wait a week while she got her finances together.
I was very nice to her - saying I understood that emergencies happen, that I
hoped things got better for her, but that I was sorry - I had already
relisted the beads on ebay and could not sell them to her.

Well, she finally responded back after 5 days saying that I didn't care
about customers, that I only cared about money. And that I was hard to
contact (?????). Then she left the negative feedback.

Hard to contact? I have emailed her several times, and answered every thing
she's contacted me about on the day she contacted me. What on earth did I
do wrong here? I had no idea if I was ever going to hear from her until
after I had relisted the beads. I relisted well after the 7 day waiting
period I give everyone, which is written clearly in my auction description.
All the buyer has to do is contact me within 7 days. I am very leniant as
to payment - if they need longer, I can almost always work something out.
But 7 days without any kind of contact is my limit. I have too many other
customers wanting my beads to continue to hold something indefinitely.

I waited 8 days before relisting and even longer before leaving her negative
feedback. I didn't hear from her for 10 days. ****sigh**** I can no
longer be proud of a 100% feedback rating. This really makes me angry.

I am sure there are people who are going to say that I didn't wait long
enough. But you know what? Why should I hold beads indefinitely when I
have so many wonderful customers who are willing to contact me right after
the sale and pay within a reasonable amount of time? Maybe I have been
spoiled - but honestly, if I would have heard from this person on time I
would have worked out a payment arrangement with her based on the family
emergecy. I'm not heartless. Damn it.

--
Kandice Seeber
www.lampwork.net

Kandice wrote:

I waited 8 days before relisting and even longer before leaving her
negative feedback. I didn't hear from her for 10 days. ****sigh**** I
can no longer be proud of a 100% feedback rating. This really makes me
angry.

I am sure there are people who are going to say that I didn't wait long
enough. But you know what? Why should I hold beads indefinitely when I
have so many wonderful customers who are willing to contact me right after
the sale and pay within a reasonable amount of time? Maybe I have been
spoiled - but honestly, if I would have heard from this person on time I
would have worked out a payment arrangement with her based on the family
emergecy. I'm not heartless. Damn it.

You're not heartless, and you gave her every chance to answer.

If you put it to eBay they will remove the negative, and replace it with a
neutral. And remember, when people check your feedback and see what the
story is they won't pay attention to the negative, although I can understand
your anger about having one at all. You also have the right to respond to
her negative and set out a bare-bones reason.

-Su

--
..sig lite: http://www.tillermanbeads.co.uk All roads lead to beads.
British Lampwork 'Modern Glass - Ancient Roots'
http://www.britishlampwork.co.uk

I did respond to her negative, and I also followed up on the feedback I left
her. I was very business-like. However, I was under the impression that
ebay didn't get involved with negative feedback disputes. I'll check that
out - thanks, Su.

--
Kandice Seeber
www.lampwork.net
"Su/Cutworks" wrote in message
...
Kandice wrote:

I waited 8 days before relisting and even longer before leaving her
negative feedback. I didn't hear from her for 10 days. ****sigh**** I
can no longer be proud of a 100% feedback rating. This really makes me
angry.

I am sure there are people who are going to say that I didn't wait long
enough. But you know what? Why should I hold beads indefinitely when I
have so many wonderful customers who are willing to contact me right
after the sale and pay within a reasonable amount of time? Maybe I have
been spoiled - but honestly, if I would have heard from this person on
time I would have worked out a payment arrangement with her based on the
family emergecy. I'm not heartless. Damn it.

You're not heartless, and you gave her every chance to answer.

If you put it to eBay they will remove the negative, and replace it with a
neutral. And remember, when people check your feedback and see what the
story is they won't pay attention to the negative, although I can
understand your anger about having one at all. You also have the right to
respond to her negative and set out a bare-bones reason.

-Su

--
.sig lite: http://www.tillermanbeads.co.uk All roads lead to beads.
British Lampwork 'Modern Glass - Ancient Roots'
http://www.britishlampwork.co.uk

Kandice wrote:

I did respond to her negative, and I also followed up on the feedback I
left her. I was very business-like. However, I was under the impression
that ebay didn't get involved with negative feedback disputes. I'll check
that out - thanks, Su.

Not only will they get involved they're rolling out a new feedback dispute
procedure soon, because too many people use the threat of negative feedback
to get an advantage over a seller. At the moment there is a mediation
process that you might be able to use.

I'd rather have a negative and explain it than be held hostage by a buyer.
Or a seller, if I found one to be unscrupulous. Fortunately I've not had
that displeasure.

Here's a link about the new procedures they will be instituting. There was
a thread on it in the eBay Bead Hive group.

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200506....05-06-23213051

-Su

--
..sig lite: http://www.tillermanbeads.co.uk All roads lead to beads.
British Lampwork 'Modern Glass - Ancient Roots'
http://www.britishlampwork.co.uk

Kandice - Here is a quote from ebay's feedback dispute area -

"Members could be held legally responsible for damages to a member's
reputation if a court were to find that the remarks constitute libel or
defamation.. Under federal law (the Communications Decency Act),
because eBay does not censor feedback or investigate it for accuracy,
eBay is not legally responsible for the remarks that members post, even
if those remarks are defamatory. However, this law does not protect the
person who leaves the feedback from responsibility for it."

Let me tell you - if someone did that to me I would file a legal claim
- it took you years to establish your name and feedback and she tried
to ruin you with an outritght lie. Our neighbor is an attorney and she
told me that the fee would be about $25.00 to serve her with a letter
from an attorney's office requesting that she agree to a mutal
withdrawl (which ebay honors if both of you agree) of her negative
feedback. If she doesn't want to do it, then she needs to be aware
that there are quite a few attorneys that are willing to sue for fees
won.

You are allowed to request that Ebay provide you with the bidders
address and phone number etc..., I think you did everything by the book
- be sure to keep the emails you sent her - they are legal documents
and can be submitted as proof of attempted contact. Her emails
requesting unreasonable terms are also important and can bite her in
the butt if she doesn't settle and remove her slander.

I am so sorry this happened to you!

Denise

GO on ebay - leave a feedback rebuttal.

Non-Paying bidder - did not pay, mad because I relisted auction when
she didn't pay within time limit.

What a dipwad....
believe me they are out there - I had one like her on Justbeads who
complained and complained that I wouldn't sell her the bead.... after
I'd relisted and sold it. Wanted me to remove my feedback (can't
anyway), if she would pay me for the bead she never got...
no way.....

Leave the rebuttal and forget it -
Cheryl

BS

ebay doesn't give a flying you know what about feedback

I had a SELLER RIP ME OFF for $14....
and then left FALSE FEEDBACK that he wasn't paid
uh - I have the PAYPAL to prove that I did...

emailed Ebay for a month - bitching - they
told me "too bad" we can't do anything....

that is one reason I do not SELL ON EBAY!
Cheryl

Sweetie, leave a rebuttal and let it go. I know it's so hard. On Friday I
managed to completely **** off a customer, in spite of spending 20 minutes
trying to help her. I mean really, really trying. She was still ****ed off.
I would like to say I make all my customers happy, but nothing in life is
perfect. You're unlikely to loose business because of it. I do know how
you feel though, hon, it's yucky.
Marisa AU/NZ

Oh Kandice, I'm sorry. That's the pitts. My one and only negative was a
similar situation. They guy was having e-mail problems and said I didn't
contact him about payment. When I sent him a copy of one of the e-mails I'd
sent, just to show him that I had contacted him, he said I was being rude.

As far as ebay, I couldn't do anything, but this was several years ago. I
remember how devastated I was at that negative though. I sure hope they've
changed their policy and you can get it changed. If your fine print states
your policy like that, she has no excuse!

--
Jerri
www.beadbimbo.com
To subscribe to my mailing list, send an e-mail to: with
"Subscribe" in the subject line.
"Kandice Seeber" wrote in message
news
Venting follows - feel free to skip if you don't want to hear my whining.

I'm breaking my own rule about not posting anything negative about a
customer. I know that. But, I'm so mad, I could spit nails. I just got
my first negative feedback on my ebay account. It's completely
retaliatory no less.

It's from the person who didn't respond or pay for the Mint Blossoms set
that I relisted recently. She finally contacted me letting me know she
was back in town, that she'd had a family emergency. This was after I had
filed the NPB and relisted the beads. She wanted to know if she could
still buy the beads, and if I could wait a week while she got her finances
together. I was very nice to her - saying I understood that emergencies
happen, that I hoped things got better for her, but that I was sorry - I
had already relisted the beads on ebay and could not sell them to her.

Well, she finally responded back after 5 days saying that I didn't care
about customers, that I only cared about money. And that I was hard to
contact (?????). Then she left the negative feedback.

Hard to contact? I have emailed her several times, and answered every
thing she's contacted me about on the day she contacted me. What on earth
did I do wrong here? I had no idea if I was ever going to hear from her
until after I had relisted the beads. I relisted well after the 7 day
waiting period I give everyone, which is written clearly in my auction
description. All the buyer has to do is contact me within 7 days. I am
very leniant as to payment - if they need longer, I can almost always work
something out. But 7 days without any kind of contact is my limit. I have
too many other customers wanting my beads to continue to hold something
indefinitely.

I waited 8 days before relisting and even longer before leaving her
negative feedback. I didn't hear from her for 10 days. ****sigh**** I
can no longer be proud of a 100% feedback rating. This really makes me
angry.

I am sure there are people who are going to say that I didn't wait long
enough. But you know what? Why should I hold beads indefinitely when I
have so many wonderful customers who are willing to contact me right after
the sale and pay within a reasonable amount of time? Maybe I have been
spoiled - but honestly, if I would have heard from this person on time I
would have worked out a payment arrangement with her based on the family
emergecy. I'm not heartless. Damn it.

--
Kandice Seeber
www.lampwork.net

Hmm, this is very interesting and makes me rethink my remarks on the
subject, thanks, Denise.
Marisa AU/NZ

"Glitzy Glass" wrote in message
ups.com...
Kandice - Here is a quote from ebay's feedback dispute area -

"Members could be held legally responsible for damages to a member's
reputation if a court were to find that the remarks constitute libel or
defamation.. Under federal law (the Communications Decency Act),
because eBay does not censor feedback or investigate it for accuracy,
eBay is not legally responsible for the remarks that members post, even
if those remarks are defamatory. However, this law does not protect the
person who leaves the feedback from responsibility for it."

Let me tell you - if someone did that to me I would file a legal claim
- it took you years to establish your name and feedback and she tried
to ruin you with an outritght lie. Our neighbor is an attorney and she
told me that the fee would be about $25.00 to serve her with a letter
from an attorney's office requesting that she agree to a mutal
withdrawl (which ebay honors if both of you agree) of her negative
feedback. If she doesn't want to do it, then she needs to be aware
that there are quite a few attorneys that are willing to sue for fees
won.

You are allowed to request that Ebay provide you with the bidders
address and phone number etc..., I think you did everything by the book
- be sure to keep the emails you sent her - they are legal documents
and can be submitted as proof of attempted contact. Her emails
requesting unreasonable terms are also important and can bite her in
the butt if she doesn't settle and remove her slander.

I am so sorry this happened to you!

Denise