Monday, May 3, 2010

Maximum Irritation

Ugh. I spent a good portion of my weekend fuming and arguing with this woman on Ebay who I bought some clothes from. I was very pleased to have won the auction for Lucy because there were several dresses and several Hello Kitty items, size 5/6. Her description indicated size 5/6, some size 5, and that one pair of capris were a 5 slim. I knew these wouldn’t fit Lucy, but was fine with putting them away. I stalked and won it at the last minute. Including shipping, I paid $50 for these items.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the box to find that the items were not a 5/6 as indicated. In fact, of all the items, 1 was a size 5/6. Aside from the size 5 items she indicated, all the rest were size XS. As in 4 or 4/5. I noticed this as Lucy was going through the box, so in addition to my own disappointment, I had to deal with hers. She wanted that Hello Kitty dress so badly. Sadly though, it was way too small.

So I did what any rational person would do—I sent the seller an email to see if we could work it out. I gave her 24 hours to respond, and when she didn’t I escalated to Ebay Customer Support. She responded back to them right away, saying that I was the one who was wrong, and offered me a credit of $12 or to send me a few more items.

I know that some of you were privy to all my rantings on Twitter this weekend, and that I am beating a dead horse here, but please indulge me and read this conversation. Please tell me I am right to fight the fight, (If you think I am wrong, you can tell me that too) because DAMN I am pissed off here.

Here was her header:

Girls’ Sz 5/6 - 21 pcs Green Dog, Hello Kitty, Esprit


And here is her description:

This auction contains 21 pieces of girls’ spring or summer clothing in the size 5, 5/6, and one 5 slim in excellent condition. All items are free of rips, stains, or tears. Everything is very gently used with much more use out of them then they got. These are clothes that were pulled out for the spring to winter changeover and my daughter can no longer fit them. This auction includes
4 dresses – Hello Kitty, Youngland (never worn), Disney Cuties, & Girl Tribe
2 sets (4 pieces) – pink Hello Kitty top with matching plaid skirt, multicolored Greendog patchwork short set with matching top (purchased at Macy’s)
4 pairs of shorts – Light wash denim colored Esprit shorts, white Greendog shorts, floral Wonderkids shorts with belt, brown plaid Ocean Pacific shorts
5 tops – Disney cuties top with Thumper on front, green Cherokee top with beads and sequins design on front, hot pink Circo top, long pink multicolored top with asymmetric cut, white short crop hoodie with rhinestone crown decorated on front left made by Target (never worn with tags still attached)
1 skirt – Disney Camp Rock dark wash denim skirt
1 pair of capris – Crazy 8 capris (Gymboree company). These are a size 5 slim
1 crop jacket with matching tank top purchased at Kohl’s

And here is our chain of emails:
Additional information:
"Hello- I sent the email I've copied below to the seller on Wednesday. I have not had a response. The item I received was not what her description indicated.

Hi there- I received the item in question today and am very disappointed that these items are NOT a size 5/6 as you have indicated. The majority of these items are a size 4/5 or XS (which is a 4) and do not fit my little girl. One item is a size 5/6, and one item is a size 5 slim and a few are a size 5 as you indicated. I've bought many second hand items via Ebay and have sold several myself, and I'm sure this was just an oversight. I'd like to send the items back to you for a full refund. Please let me know if we can work this out-- "
You wanted:
A full refund
Refund information:
The seller offered a partial refund of $12.00 that will be issued through PayPal within 3 days if you accept the offer.
Seller's note:
"I am very sorry but all of the items I listed in this auction were 5 or 5/6 as stated. There was not one size 4 or 4/5 in this auction. 3 of 21 items are labeled XS & XS is equal to a size 5 where I bought them. At Old Navy, North Face, and even Target an XS is equal to a 5. At Justice For Girls, an XXXS is a size 6. If you look at my previous listings for clothing I have sold you will see I am detailed. I list what is there even highlighting any flaws there may be. I would have listed this auction as a size 4 auction or stated it contained sz 4 if it had as I have in the past because sz 4 is very popular. Online shopping can be difficult. That is why I provide good pictures & descriptions & ask questions be asked before bidding. I will gladly give you a partial refund because I want you to be happy. As an honest seller, I care about your satisfaction. I will even send you a couple more size 5 pieces should you choose that instead. I hope we can work this out. Have a wonderful day."
Your message to the seller:
"I have just taken a minute to go through the clothing again to be sure that I was not mistaken the first time. I was not. The denim skirt, pink dress, Disney thumper shirt, white half sweatshirt and the green top are all clearly marked XS (4/5). I have taken photos of the tags if you are interested. The clothing that is only labeled as XS I did some digging on as well. Here is Target's sizing chart, showing that XS is = to 4/5 http://www.target.com/Clothing-Sizing-Guide-Sizing-Shopping-Help/-
b/13666801?ie=UTF8&ref=br_bx_Clothing%20Sizing%20Guide I wasn't able to find a size chart for the Sanrio Hello Kitty items, however, they are just as small. Again, I don't mean to imply that there was any malice involved here and that is why I have not left negative feedback. I do believe that there was an oversight on your part though, and for that, I would still like to return these items for a full refund. Please let me know, Sara "
So—
1. This chick is crazy
2. She lied about the size of the clothing as evidenced by the tags—photos of which are still in my possession
3. She implied that I should have asked questions before buying—Like what? Are these items really all size 5 or 5/6? Or is that just a clever ploy to get rid of your size 4 clothing.
4. Where does the $12 refund come from?

It takes a lot to get me fired up…and let me tell you I am FIRED UP. So what is your opinion? Am I in the wrong here? I’m not going to rest until I get all of my money back.

7 comments:

d e v a n said...

Here is my opinion:
1 - she probably really did make an oversight originally. I personally do not about sizes xs 4/5 or 5/6 because my kids are not quite there yet, we're just starting with 4/5.
however, her kid obv is there so she should know and listed these wrong.

2- Once you emailed her and she was clearly WRONG she should have offered a full refund. Because she was wrong.

3 - did I mention she was wrong?

Swistle said...

She's obviously wrong. You're obviously right. I'm angry about this on your behalf.

CAQuincy said...

Yes, she was mistaken. There is a big difference between size 4/5 and size 5/6, and she probably got them mixed up. Even if she's being stubborn and not owning up to her misunderstanding of the differences in sizes, she should grow a brain and realize that if she takes back the clothes from you, she could try selling them to someone else! Duh!

That being said, I do always keep in mind when buying bags o' clothes online, that I never TRULY know what I'm going to get and chances are, I'm going to get some I don't like/won't fit/won't use. (But still....size 4/5 is NOT THE SAME as 5/6!! Hellooooooo!).

If you don't win this fight, try selling them on Ebay yourself. (Too bad they would be too small for my daughter, or I'd offer to take them off your hands! She is also just getting into size 5/6.)

Jess said...

She is wrong. It sounds like she really did think that XS was equivalent to a 5/6 but you clearly demonstrated that this was not the case, and at that point she should give you a full refund. Can eBay help you with this?

Anonymous said...

People are stupid. The end.

Seriously: she is deluded but it does sound like she believed she was right, even whe proven wrong.

Again: people are stupid.

If she wanted you to be happy she should have refunded the money in full, paid for the items to be returned and called it a day.

Stupid stupid stupid people.

I deal with this kind of crap all the time. MEH!

Take some rescue remedy and chill. Mercury is in retrograde which screws up all things logistical. Wait a week and see what happens.

HUGS,
Paprika xx

Mommy Daisy said...

I love Paprika's comment. That's my life motto: People are stupid! :)

I think that you did everything right here. It doesn't make sense to me why she wouldn't just offer a refund and relist. Obviously you have proof on your side, and I would think that it wouldn't be good to have Ebay have to step in (for her, I mean).

I hope that you get your full refund!

misguidedmommy said...

I WANNA PLAY I WANNA PLAY

I HAVEN'T HAD A GOOD FIGHT IN A WHILE AND THIS HOOKER FACE DESERVES A REAL FIGHT.

OOH DOES SHE HAVE ANYMORE LISTINGS SO I CAN GO ON AND TRASH HER OR LEAVE NASTY MESSAGES.

I SURE HOPE YOU LEFT HER A HORRIBLE AWFUL RATING.