Dealing with less than honest ebay vendor

[bluelotus]

Hello all,
I recently purchased a diamond ring from an ebay vendor who does not offer refunds. The transaction is covered however under ebay's buyer protection as long as the item is not what it was described to be. The purchase was a man's ring with an oec diamond with a stated color of F and VS clarity. I know that color is difficult to judge when a diamond is in a setting but I was able to easily find two carbon spots with a 10x loupe. . . I suspect this would grade as an SI1. I contacted the seller who said that even VS diamonds have inclusions and did not seem to be bothered by my disappointment with the purchase. If she does not come around I will be compelled to have the ring assessed and go through the resolution center.

Has anyone had any experience with the buyer protection program that guarantees money back? Any recommendations?

 

[MarionC]

My VS with an AGS certificate -from a reputable PS vendor- had black inclusions easily seen with a 10x loupe.
From my research after that; some VS's are like that, and some have inclusions that are tough to find.

 

[bluelotus]

Hmm. . . well, I will have the ring evaluated and go from there. There's a lesson here in only purchasing from vendors who have good return policies. . . my bad!

 

[ruby59]

Based on the experience of another Pricescoper, when you have the diamond independently graded, do not remove it from the setting. That can negate the return policy.

As far as the item not as described, if you can get something in writing, send a copy of that to ebay. They might aceept that as a SNAD. But I think you might have to be 2 grades or more off for it to qualify as significantly not as described.

 

[MarionC]

Hmm. . . well, I will have the ring evaluated and go from there. There's a lesson here in only purchasing from vendors who have good return policies. . . my bad!

I hear you! I am tempted by things on Ebay with no return policies as well and may even have bought some!
It's great "till one hits a snag as yours did.
I hope it resolves quickly for you.

 

[bluelotus]

I am happy to report that I was able to force a return on a ring with a diamond represented as a VS when in fact it was an SI. The seller was quite evasive after I requested a return and ultimately refused to take responsibility for making things right. I escalated the case and ebay followed through! I returned the ring by mail yesterday and await refund!

 

[SandyinAnaheim]

eBay is really good at protecting buyers. You must always be careful on eBay - no matter what product you're buying. Moreso if you're spending a lot of money.

 

[bluelotus]

In the grand scheme of things, it was not a huge amount but I've learned my lesson only to purchase from sellers who have a return policy.

 

[Just_Starting]

eBay is really good at protecting buyers. You must always be careful on eBay - no matter what product you're buying. Moreso if you're spending a lot of money.

I agree with this however eBay does have its limitations, time being the greatest limitation. I purchased a DS game approx a year ago and didn't realise it was counterfeit until about 2 months after (when it started crashing), since it was outside of the 45 days eBay protection period they could do nothing (despite being able to prove it was 100% fake). The seller even had 99.9% positive feedback as this happened to most others too - once you leave positive feedback on eBay you cannot downgrade it, so a really high feedback rating doesn't always mean a good seller (I managed to with the help of contacting other eBay users get them banned ^_^). Just a few points you may not already know about eBay that may be of some help, I hope you get your money back.

 

[WillyDiamond]

Hello all,
I recently purchased a diamond ring from an ebay vendor who does not offer refunds. The transaction is covered however under ebay's buyer protection as long as the item is not what it was described to be. The purchase was a man's ring with an oec diamond with a stated color of F and VS clarity. I know that color is difficult to judge when a diamond is in a setting but I was able to easily find two carbon spots with a 10x loupe. . . I suspect this would grade as an SI1. I contacted the seller who said that even VS diamonds have inclusions and did not seem to be bothered by my disappointment with the purchase. If she does not come around I will be compelled to have the ring assessed and go through the resolution center.

Has anyone had any experience with the buyer protection program that guarantees money back? Any recommendations?

I am always saddened when people buy from ebay and don't get what they think they will get. When it comes to diamonds, there are no deals! You get what you pay for. The seller says its a VS in clarity, you say its an SI1, I think that will be hard to prove in ebays eyes. Ebay just does not care. Myself and a half a dozen emailed ebay recently about a fake Rolex, to take it down, ebay ignored all of us and the fake Rolex was sold after 35 bids! As another poster said, even VS has inclusions, perhaps you were looking for "eye clean". If you want eye clean, then buy from one of the trusted vendors on this forum who say it is eye clean and you won't have a problem. Bottom line, I hope you did not pay too much for the ring.

 

[bluelotus]

Ebay decided in my favor and has promised to refund me the money I paid if the seller does not return my original purchase price plus shipping withing 3 days of receiving the return. I went to a respected local appraiser who made up documentation of the grading that I submitted to ebay. I was required to send the ring back with signature confirmation and full insurance of course. My point here was to state that, despite the negative experience with the seller, ebay buyer protection did in fact protect me. I will wait until I receive my money back to leave negative feedback for the seller!

 

[WillyDiamond]

Thats great, you should consider yourself one of the lucky ones in the ebay world.
Next time, think twice about dealing on ebay and especially with a no return seller with an expensive item
Best of luck