Rolex and Ebay a cautionary tale

[1958trebor]

I was helped by members of this forum when, in November, I bought a bubbleback which turned out to be a fake. Since then I contacted ebay, provided them with an independent jewellers assessment and reported the seller as required. First they didn't reply after 72 hours which they said they would, then they said that the Jewellers letter had not opened as an attachment. Then they said they needed extra time, (another 72 hours) then, five days later they said they had attached a postal label to the email they sent me and I was to return the Fake to the seller for a full refund when he had signed for it. I was given 5 days to do this, there was no label attached to the email and Unfortunately I was abroad until 7 days later. Despite 2 emails to their customer services, they appear to have closed the case and I have lost my money. Has anyone else had such wretched service from them given that, as Rolex enthusiasts, we appear to be targetted by thieving scum who profit from ebay and have no fear of any sort of punishment?

[Kanger]

Ebay customer service is nonexistent. I once had an issue selling my iPad and was on hold on the phone for 40 minutes, and it was during business hours as well...

[t e x]

what a horror story! I had no idea that ebays customer service could be so bad... one would think that if a seller could be located, than ebay would have ones back as a buyer

sorry to hear of your loss.

[spuds]

Originally Posted by kanger

Ebay customer service is nonexistent.

Abso-bloody-lutely.


Sorry to hear of your loss by the way Rob.....

[robertneville]

Only paypal is worse. of course they are owned by eBay too.

[G.D.BeanCounter]

Any legal ramifications to pursue?

[thesmallwave]

Once lost and ipod nano and money, as the other guys opened a case and said he never got it, and i coulden't prove as i didn't have a tracking number, just the receipt from Post Office.
Since then everything i sell is recorded.
How much did you paid for the watch?
Sorry to hear this IHMO, hope you will get your funds back.

[TimeToGo]

I am sorry this happened to you.

My experience with Ebay/Paypal has been to my advantage each time.

[Rotorhead]

When dealing with Ebay/Paypal I always switch my payment to my credit card so in the event that something goes bad I can protest the charge with them. I haven't had to do it yet but it does give me a little more comfort.

[chouston06]

Forgive the newbie question but I just joined the forum and am in the market for a used Sub so this topic (buying a fake on eBay) is of great interest to me. For the reasons stated above I have grave concerns about buying a Rolex anywhere online, especially eBay. Does buying from a member of this forum give me better odds of getting genuine product than a regular ol' online seller? I'm not actively soliciting a sale here - I'm really not. I just want to know whether I stand a better chance of avoiding a rip-off if I buy from a TRF member. Thanks in advance.
___________
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter." -T. Geisel

[blackmsport]

paypal is a waste of time.... I got robbed on ebay ... pay $1100 then mont blanc pens never arrived.... I claimed paypal..... after weeks and weeks I got $7.50 back.... yes $7.50 refund

[SkyKing31]

Perhaps you can conslut a lawyer .. Just a thought .. A lawyer may be able to help you .. Keep us posted .. So sorry for you're situation

[blackmsport]

I did.... legal fees would be $800 no warranty I got my money...... contacted local police... they seller turned out to be real criminal.... police issued notice to pay.... he disappeared

I call it BAD DEBT.... Freaken BAD DEBT

[1958trebor]

OK today I can update this thread. Having emailed ebay 4 times and phoned them three times UK freephone 0800 358 6551 I have finally been sent an email with the shipping label on it to return it to the seller. Remember that number! If you work through the menu, eventually you will be connected to an operator who claims to be called Macy or Jenny but seems like english is not their first language. Remember to spell everything using NATO phonetics and don't give up. They eventually told me not to ring again as it cloggs up their system! So, the watch goes back to the seller and I get my money back. He has a fake Rolex bubbleback again, Ebay accept his listing. And the world goes round and round.

[Tommer]

be careful Ebay = Ebait

[1958trebor]

I have to say, I am not comfortable about sending the watch back. Sure, I'll get my money (Hopefully) but there will still be a skank Rolex out there and a seller who is prepared to move it. If I hadn't had the TRF advising me I think he would have got away with it.

[johnscates]

I had a deal with a shady buyer trying to double dip on paypal. I had refunded his money and then he filed a case for is money back saying he never got his item. So paypal froze my account for a week to "work out the details" its not rocket science I refunded him I got my watch back end of story on my part. Yet I have to suffer because of some crook.

[bayerische]

Too bad you can't hammer a nail trough that Bubble before sending it back...

[baroudeur]

it has happened to me 3 times already and the last time it happened in may this year, i am happy i found this forum,after getting appraisals..... paypal kept closing the case even tought they see i buy often watches.......
i then was so stressed decided to dispute it with the card issuer(amex is very good in this case),amex asked for a copy of appraisal and a proof i sent it back
and i just put the auction's link here and when it got removed they didnt send any email like they usually do
maybe they were embarassed after rejecting mly appeals for stupid reasons,also being a ebay VIP you are supposed to get bbetter treatment

what i woulkd recommand for you is to contact ebay,if the person is helpful,ask them to put you in touch with someone at paypal,or/ and call paypal and ask for a supervisor (insist ) because they will refuse to let you talk to one
get paypal's email adress complaint-response at paypal or something like this and threaten them with a lawsuit

do not give up as a little step can fix eve'rything,while if you do everything they say they will just ignore or close the case


is the auction still active? can you put the link here?

it happened to me for a 150$ watch,and i had to ship it back from europe,seller refused it to it came bacl and i had to pay shipping again,at the end ebay gave me the refund
ebay is better at handling disputes

always send with signature upond delivery,i know someone who bought a fake gmt master,sent it back per ebay request and somehow the seller was able to take the watch from package and refuse it

[1958trebor]

Good news! Ebay have finally paid back my money and closed the case. I think the lesson is to keep going and make a nuisance of yourself. Would I buy another Rolex from Ebay? Probably not. After all we now know that there is at least one fake bubbleback out there just waiting to go back on sale.

[rocco_uk]

did you take any pics of the fake?

[1958trebor]

Hi Rocco, I posted them on my first thread, with a lot of help! It Is 'Semi bubbleback authenticity.' Have a look. I have to say that the initial appearance was ok. I took the back off and thought " Crap, I've bought my second fake!". To be fair to the seller, he said he bought it from someone with 100% feedback and was going to contact ebay to try and get his money back. I have sent the independent Rolex dealers assessment to him to help in his cause. I dont know if there is a start of another thread here but I have been told that if you take a fake Rolex into an authorised dealer, they will confiscate it. Has this ever happened to anyone?