Buyer/seller rights regarding phones sold on ebay

[Felix400]

I really didn't know where to post about this, so I hope someone can help here.

I sold a phone through ebay that I had originally purchased as brand new, barely used it, and then decided to sell it on.

I had used two different sim cards (on different networks) in the phone and both had worked, and I also found a code to use on the phone which tells you what's locked/unlocked on the phone (e.g. network lock, phone lock, etc). These locks were all shown as OFF.

So I confidently sold the phone as 'unlocked'. The buyer is saying it is LOCKED, because it asks for something like a 'network lock code' when he puts his sim card in.

I sent him the code that shows you all the lock statuses and told him to send me a photo of that screen. Well, it still shows it as 100% unlocked.

I have searched the internet loads on this issue, and all I have found are numerous people saying that iphones sometimes lock themselves to a network (but this isnt an iphone), and numerous people referring to that code, and that's it. So... the phone says it's unlocked, but the buyer says it's asking for a network lock code?

Obviously they now want a refund by claiming it was never unlocked as I stated. Who is technically in the right??

[kernowlass]

@Felix400

To be honest it has nothing to do with who is technically correct, its up to what Ebay or Paypal decide.

Ebay would 'most likely' find in your favour (although i can't defo say that), BUT the buyer may then open a paypal dispute.

With a paypal dispute paypal 'tends' to find in favour of the buyer BUT the buyer has to return the item back to you trackable to prove delivery before you have to issue a refund.

[Felix400]

Thanks for such a quick response.

The reason I asked "who is technically correct" is because I always try to do the right thing, so if I'm at fault, I take responsibility. But I've never had a case like this where it's not really making sense. I also forgot to mention a potentially important fact - they said they got the lock message after they did a hard reset, because apparently i forgot to clear a couple of old messages (oops). So it sounds like they may have messed up the phone themselves... but obviously I don't know for sure.

[kernowlass · Accepted solution]

@Felix400

You will just have to play it as it falls. If the buyer opens an Ebay and / or Paypal dispute then all you can do is put as much info as you need to on to the dispute before one of you escalates it to a claim and then wait for Ebay or Paypal decision.