Ebuyer - Bad customer service

[Peter1982]

Avoid Ebuyer unless you like to be charged 20% for returns

I like to come on here from time to time and warn business about dodgy SEO companies and so on. This little pearl of wisdom I am passing onto you so you can make an informed buying decision when buying IT stuff (or anything else Ebuyer sell)

I have an account with Ebuyer which I have bought various things for home and business over the years. No problems until last week I ordered a laptop for my daughter, upon arrival it wasn't quite right so I sent it back and ordered another laptop from Ebuyer.

The first email I received about the return told me it had been rejected, I queried this and without explanation they changed their mind and said they would refund. So my account gets refunded but £56 short!

Because my Ebuyer account has a business name on it they say distance selling rules do not apply and as per T&Cs they can charge the fee.

Numerous complaint emails and they will not budge.

Moral of the story

Treat customers with contempt and they will go onto public forums and slag you off

 

[Deleted member 127702]

I remember reading a feature/interview several years ago with the guy that started eBuyer; his aim was to find out what the absolute bare minimum was that they had to provide in terms of customer service (eg do you actually have to have some answer the phone), operate at that level, and charge accordingly. Seems to have worked out well for them.

 

[Peter1982]

Yes, it's unfortunate that this recipe of bad service and low prices has proved so successful. Gives online retailers a bad name.

Thinking back to my Uni days I remember trying to return something and they claimed it was damaged and refused the refund. This was way back in 2001, not much has changed then.

 

[Peonylady]

Did you pay for the laptop with a personal credit card or even a VISA debit card?

If you did then call the card issuer and ask to speak to their Disputes Department. They will look at the terms and conditions and the transation data and see if you have a claim through them under Mastercard or Visa chargeback regulations (which ever apply to your card). It is worth a try at least.

Having worked in this dept for a credit card company I know that sometimes you get more than you expect.

Give them a call see what they can do.

 

[Peter1982]

Unfortunately I used Paypal

I have opened a dispute for the £56 balance so I'll see how that goes.

It doesn't need to be like this though. I bought another laptop from them in good faith the very day I returned the first one which was the same day it arrived.

It should be simple, return one laptop, get a refund, order another.

Very annoying

 

[kayleigh.herbertson]

Sorry to hear about this, the fine print for buying online is a real trap. I buy everything online via a credit card to give myself at least a little protection.

 

[Peonylady]

Unfortunately I used Paypal

I have opened a dispute for the £56 balance so I'll see how that goes.

It doesn't need to be like this though. I bought another laptop from them in good faith the very day I returned the first one which was the same day it arrived.

It should be simple, return one laptop, get a refund, order another.

Very annoying

Do you fund your paypal account with a credit or VISA debit card? If so call your card issuer's Disputes Department. They will chase the merchant through the chargeback process for you and are much better than paypal, who are pitiful at disputes.

You may not be covered by the Distance Selling Regs (though I suspect you actually are given the laptop is for personal use) but you are definately covered by the Sale of Goods Act and by that a full refund must be given if the goods supplied were damaged, not as described or do not function as it should.

Please give it a try, you loose out on nothing by doing so and you may even get a good will gesture from your card issuer regardless.

 

[MikeJ]

Surely the moral of the story is, "don't buy stuff for personal use on a company account". Also "Get a returns policy in writing before you return stuff".

 

[Ian J]

Moral of the story

Treat customers with contempt and they will go onto public forums and slag you off

18 months ago I bought a small computer from Ebuyer to use as a media server but it didn't really work as it should have done so I asked them if I could return it to be told "Yes, no bother"

I will continue to use Ebuyer as my experiences with them have been so positive

 

[Bill1954]

We have bought many things from Ebuyer and have never had a problem.
Unfortunately if you have a business account with then then you do not come under the distance selling regulations.
You may however be able to claim under the sale of goods act. I would suggest that you have a word with the consumer advice folk.

 

[StevensOnln1]

I've been using ebuyer for years and never had any problem with returning the odd faulty item. As others have said, you should have realised that distance selling regs don't apply on B2B sales and used a personal account.