Claim for item not received running but now received an empty package

schwampi
Contributor
Contributor

Hello!

 

On April 3 I opened a case against an Ebay seller because I didn't receive an item (a film camera) and they weren't replying anymore. My case has been under review since, but today I suddenly received a package from this seller. But inside was just an empty box and some newspaper, so I've obviously been scammed. I'm afraid that Paypal will favour them as they can now say that they did sent a package and that I did receive that, even though it's not what I bought. How can I inform Paypal of this new info? Should the claim be changed to 'item not as described' instead of 'item not received'? Or should I just wait and see what happens with my running claim? If any more information is needed, please do ask. Hopefully someone can help me. Thanks in advance!

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8 REPLIES 8

Ragnar_Lothbrok
PayPal Employee
PayPal Employee

Good day @schwampi 

 

Thanks for posting!

 

I am very sorry about receiving an empty box and some newspaper but you are correct, please change the case reason code from "Item not received" to "Significantly not as described". If you have an option to do it yourself, please do. Otherwise, you may need to contact Customer Service by clicking "Contact or "Help & Contact" depends on your country to see available options to get ahold of a representative.

 

 

***If you saw a post that is helpful, kindly give the author Kudos or accept it as a solution. Thank you and keep safe!

 

 

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schwampi
Contributor
Contributor

Hello, @Ragnar_Lothbrok  thanks for your reply!

 

I've just changed the case type and sent a message to the seller but after entering I got this message:

 

"If you're not able to solve this problem by working directly with XXX, we're here to help. We can review the problem and make a decision based on our Purchase Protection Policy coverage. If you need our help, please send us the information about this problem before 17 April 2020 at 12:42:41 CEST."

 

17 April 2020??? That's more than a week ago. What does this mean, that I'm not getting any help anymore? I'm pretty sure the seller won't reply so how can I proceed with this new case and seek help from Paypal?

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Ragnar_Lothbrok
PayPal Employee
PayPal Employee

Hello @schwampi 

 

You are most welcome!

 

"If you're not able to solve this problem by working directly with XXX, we're here to help. We can review the problem and make a decision based on our Purchase Protection Policy coverage. If you need our help, please send us the information about this problem before 17 April 2020 at 12:42:41 CEST." - The date itself doesn't make any sense to me, either. I am sorry about that.

 

May you please check the date when you initially opened a Dispute as I am under the impression that you have to escalate it to a Claim to avoid automatic case closure? Remember, that you only have 20 calendar days to escalate a Dispute to a Claim. For guidance, please see How do I escalate a dispute to a claim? 

 

You may also want to read this link >>> What's the difference between a dispute and a claim? - It will probably explain what is indicated to the message that you got.

 

Note: Links are US country specific, you may have a different steps to take if you are outside the US but most of the time it's just the same. Kindly utilize the "Help" button near bottom of the PayPal pages and search for the appropriate article. Eg "How do I escalate a dispute to a claim?"

 

 

***If you saw a post that is helpful, kindly give the author Kudos or accept it as a solution. Thank you and keep safe!

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jcbaseball
Contributor
Contributor
I would think they will say it was delivered. Especially if tracking was provided. You then would have to escalate the case to item not as described. Being that you filed the previous case before you received the empty package. Then you can try that. I would save the package and take photos. In my case I have fought. The seller provided shipping and delivery. And they still awarded the seller. I had to call PayPal and tell them that the address it was delivered to was not physically mine. It took 4 tries to finally get through. Good luck.
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schwampi
Contributor
Contributor

@jcbaseball @Ragnar_Lothbrok  Thanks for the replies!

 

The seller has agreed to a full refund, thank god! One last question though, now I need to return the package and provide tracking info in the resolution center. It seems kind of silly to me to go through the hassle of sending back some old newspapers.. Is this really needed? If there's no other way, I'll do it ofcourse.

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Ragnar_Lothbrok
PayPal Employee
PayPal Employee

Hello @schwampi 

 

I hope all is well.

 

The seller has agreed to a full refund - That is fantastic!

 

RE: "now I need to return the package and provide tracking info in the resolution center..." / "Is this really needed?" 

 

1. If the instruction came from your seller directly, I suggest that you communicate first with Customer Service to ensure that you are given the correct return shipping address as we do not want you to ship the package back to an address that is nowhere to be found.

 

2. If the instruction came from PayPal directly via email then, yes.. It's necessary and I am very sorry about that. However, you may still want to check with customer service if you have some options other than sending the package back.

 

Just a friendly reminder: Please ensure that your case has been escalated to a claim already.

 

Again, to contact Customer Service, please click "Contact" / "Help & Contact" depending in the country you are located. You should be presented with some options available to get ahold of a representative.

 

I hope it helps.

 

 

 

Good day @jcbaseball 

 

I hope you are well too.

 

It really is my vast regret knowing that it took you 4 tries to finally get through as we have a very limited number of agents who are capable working from home but I sincerely appreciate your patience. Thank you for that.

 

On your case, I believe, you will be instructed to call the shipping company to get a document in writing on a company letterhead or on any form of their official stationary that will validate that the package was not shipped to your address. Some shipping company will not provide the address associated with the tracking number. That's okay, as it is not necessary for the document to include that address rather than a confirmation that the parcel was not actually delivered to your exact address as intended - please wait for further instruction you will be getting from our Customer Service via email.

 

 

 

Thank you both for your kind understanding on this matter.

 

***If you saw a post that is helpful, kindly give the author Kudos or accept it as a solution. Thank you and keep safe!

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jcbaseball
Contributor
Contributor

Thank you for replying to my post as well. I did not intend for anyone to reply. I was just offering help. I understand paypal staff is limited. I did not try to call in 4 xs. I filed 3 claims that had to be escalated and then finally had to try to call in. I think I actually got through on a chat. My case had been resolved. Finally. I did provide the documents from the shipping company, UPS, and other documents. I was still denied on all my disputes. It was just very frustrating. It took almost a month of disputes and appeals to get my refund for something I never received. I am glad it is done. It is terrible that these scam sites do this people.  Thank you though.

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schwampi
Contributor
Contributor

@Ragnar_Lothbrok 

 

Hello, I'm sorry to bother you again but I have another problem. I just went to the post office to send my package back, but they told me that due to the coronavirus, they can only send prior packages outside of Europe. The shipping costs would be 50 euros... which is A LOT. Seems kind of stupid that I was the one being scammed and now I would have to PAY 50 euros to get my money back? What should I do?

 

I did see something about Paypal refunding shipping costs but only 'in some cases'. Can anyone be more specific about which cases would qualify? I don't know if I would be able to get a refund, especially since I would have to take the expensive prior shipping option (as it is the only one available now). I activated the link now but I'm guessing it's too late because I didn't do it BEFORE the transaction?

 

Please help!

Thanks in advance.

 

Edit: I actually think that the return address the seller provided to Paypal is a fake address as well.... I translated it and it just says

 

Post office no2, on demand -> No name, no street name or housenumber. 'On demand'? What?

<removed>-> Province name

<removed>

Russia -> Country

 

I tried looking the address up but I can't find anything, also the postal code and province name don't even seem to match up? It's also a completely different address than where the package came from originally. Even if it would be a correct address, it seems very sketchy that there is no name provided. How would a post office know who to give this random package to?

 

I'm afraid that if I send the package, it'll just return and then I'll have lost an extra 50 euros for shipping to nowhere. I'm guessing this case is kinda hopeless, I don't know what to do anymore. Really doesn't help that I can't reach anyone except bots. I'm very thankful for your replies though, I hope you can help me.

 

 

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