Reversing the Numbness

Friday, April 27, 2007

Friday eBay rant

Let me preface by saying that I hate eBay. Not only is it addictive (you can spend hours a night looking up meaningless shit) but it is also a breeding ground for the truly dishonest.
I used to race road bikes in junior and high schools. I have been wanting to get back into it for some time now, so I have been looking for an old Italian frame like I used to ride. Well, after months of searching all over the country, I find one on eBay. I am psyched all week waitng for my new, old school ride, and it finally comes yesterday while I am at work. Man, I can't wait to get home to ride it. I open up the box and start unpacking it. Lo and behold there is an 1 1/2" long crack in the top tube where it meets the seat tube. It was never mentioned in the "cherry of a bike" description.
Now begins the wonderful, stress inducing process of trying to recoup my money. Sometimes a little honesty would be nice.
I hate eBay.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I empathize with you getto, but don't hate the game hate the player.

i know of no other place you can find such a variety of rare items.

but yeah, it does suck there are people with no honor or decency out there. they will get theirs. Karma's a Bitch.

i think if you paid through paypal, it is guaranteed by ebay?

hope things work out in a speedy fashion.

getto said...

Well put RD. 90% of the time eBay has been great for us, but it's the other 10% that sucks.
I did just get an email from the seller. Of course it's one of those "I sold it for a friend whose hasn't worked in 2 months, and your money helped him out of a little hole." So my money is gone. onward and upward I guess.

Susan Chipley said...

"I sold it for a friend whose hasn't worked in 2 months, and your money helped him out of a little hole."

Oh, for fuck's sake! Sounds like a load of crap to me. I'm all for helping people who need it, but when someone is deceitful they can screw off.

As for eBay, I've somehow been lucky so far. Haven't been screwed yet.

Clash said...

That sucks!

I've been fortunate thus far, but only deal with folks that have a lot of positive feedback. There is a certain subjective nature to descriptions, but come on.....a visible crack in the frame.

Fight the good fight, and I hope it works out.

SleekPelt said...

That really blows, geto boy. How did you respond to his latest e-mail? Will you give him a negative feedback?

getto said...

He offered to pay to get it welded but when I spoke with Chip at Wamsleys (a local frame builder) he suggested that it would be hard to guarantee how long a weld would last. I'm just not comfortable with a repaired frame. So, I sent a picture to the seller of the crack and am now waiting to see how he responds. Too stressful for a beautiful Friday.
SP- maybe you could repost that Guinness pic to ease the pain and give me something to look forward to.

SleekPelt said...

geto boy: As you wish.

getto said...

Ahhhhh... sweet nectar of the Gods. Thanks B.!

SleekPelt said...

geto boy: You and Mol should stop over tonight to have a cold one. The shorties will be asleep by 9:30 or so, I'd say, if you guys can work it in.

Rob Zero said...

Ebay does have some sort of refund system. I think you can get money back if the auction was between 25-200.00. At least that was the case a few years ago when I bought my parents a fancy doorknocker. I got cash back, and the knocker showed up out of the blue 6 months later.

If you paid via Paypal, they also have protection.

Worse case: Have Zee prank call them.

Zee said...

I hate the guy that did this to you, getto. Hate him. I know that its unhealthy and will probably bring negative energy and bad karma, but I hope this guy gets hit in the head with a small onject of about, oh, say 1/2 pound or so. I don't want him to really get hurt too badly, but I still want some measure of appropriate vengence.

getto said...

Thanks for the love, all!

Zee, you crack me up. If I ever need to put a hit on someone, I'll call you.

josh williams said...

Doh!

josh williams said...

44 minutes to Guinness time.

getto said...

It Harpoon UFO time right now.
Slainte!

SleekPelt said...

DM's going out tonight and the kids are tired and will be in bed soon. I'm going to open a bottle of wine and tune my guitar. Nice to know I'm not drinking alone.

getto said...

This fucking asshat is trying to pin this on UPS now!! He says no one ever saw a crack. Am I a fucking idiot? Do I have "Screw me over" written on my forehead? The box has absolutley no damage anywhere on it. He wants me to send the bike back to him so he can get it to UPS and fight it out with them. Do I look like Homer fucking Simpson? Do I look like a fucking pink starfish? Fuck, I need a beer!

SleekPelt said...

geto boy: I'm starting to sense some frustration on your part.