Is this seller trying to pull a fast one?

December 29, 2008 12:47 PM

I recently received a counterfeit laptop battery from a marketplace seller on Amazon. Now the seller has requested that I remove my negative feedback, claiming that he was the victim of a dodgy supplier. Should I?

I got an immediate refund from Amazon's phone support so I'm not out anything financially.

The seller got back to me later that day, apologized and has pulled the products from the site. I'd like to amend my feedback to note this but Amazon doesn't allow you to edit or replace seller ratings.

I'm inclined to simply remove my feedback but … does this seem like a scam to more experienced MeFite shoppers?

posted by adamsc to Shopping (17 answers total)

It doesn't seem like a scam if you actually got your money back and the seller did pull the product. If the product remained up, I'd say it was a bait-and-switch.
posted by Pollomacho at 12:56 PM on December 29, 2008

Other buyers should know that this seller made a mistake. That's the point of the system.

Leave it.
posted by radgardener at 12:57 PM on December 29, 2008 [2 favorites]

Leave it, but add the followup that happened with the seller. (That he pulled the others, refunded your money etc.) Then, the next person can judge, "Hmmm, honest mistake? or fraudulent seller?". They will have more information than you did to make a decision.
posted by typewriter at 1:08 PM on December 29, 2008 [4 favorites]

I assume that what you wrote remains factually accurate? If so, then leave it.
posted by grouse at 1:22 PM on December 29, 2008

Response by poster: typewriter, grouse: unfortunately, the main problem I have is that I can't add a followup as Amazon only allows a one-time rating of a seller (in the future, I'll know to wait a bit longer before rating). It's that binary decision which bothers me: I'd like to provide the subsequent info but there's no way to do it so all I can do is leave the original negative report or remove it entirely.
posted by adamsc at 1:41 PM on December 29, 2008

It wouldn't hurt to drop Amazon a note where you tell your story and ask that they add a followup comment feature.

I'd leave it for the reasons mentioned above.
posted by look busy at 1:49 PM on December 29, 2008

Given the options, I'd remove it. It sounds like an honest mistake and he's trying to make good. Yes, a follow up or edit would be best but that's not an option. If it were a scam, it's a really crummy one.
posted by chairface at 2:19 PM on December 29, 2008

It seems likely the seller got scammed instead of trying to pull one over on you. He's done everything he can to make it right, the products are no longer being offered, and you've got a rapid refund. So, do right by him - you cannot add a follow up, so the only thing you *can* do to reward a seller's exemplary behaviour in less than ideal circumstances is to pull the negative feedback.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:33 PM on December 29, 2008 [1 favorite]

You can leave a review for the item that has a warning to beware of bad suppliers, irrespective of feedback on particular sellers.
posted by batmonkey at 2:49 PM on December 29, 2008

Can you remove it and put up a new one?
posted by Vaike at 3:01 PM on December 29, 2008

why not just tell the exact story and let other buyers decide for themselves?
posted by ashaw at 3:33 PM on December 29, 2008

If you've gotten your money back and they've clearly pulled the product from their listings, I'd vote to just pull back any review, and just make it as if the whole transaction never happened. No harm, no foul.
posted by LairBob at 4:11 PM on December 29, 2008

Did the seller agree to refund your money or did Amazon? I'm a seller and know that if you request a seller to refund your money, they can do so easily. If you had to go through Amazon phone support to get a refund, that doesn't say much for the seller (I mention this b/c lots of comments are noting that the seller immediately refunding your money dictates that you remove the feedback.)

I'd say leave it--buyers have a right to know that the seller has had dealings (intentionally or not) with less-than-reputable suppliers.
posted by mingodingo at 4:20 PM on December 29, 2008

I agree with the leave its. Let the seller earn back their rep.
posted by ezekieldas at 4:30 PM on December 29, 2008

It's their job to make sure the stuff they are selling is legit. It's not your problem what their excuse is- they dropped the ball. Leave it.
posted by gjc at 4:56 PM on December 29, 2008

Best answer: I'm not clear on something: did you contact the seller and give them a chance to make it right before contacting Amazon support for a refund? If not, it seems fair to pull the review, as it's not an accurate reflection of the seller's overall handling of the situation. If you did contact the seller first, and they didn't reply to you until after you went to Amazon, then I vote to leave the review up.
posted by [user was fined for this post] at 6:00 PM on December 29, 2008

Response by poster: I decided to remove it since the seller has seemed to be responsive and is no longer listing any laptop batteries on the site (it looks like this was a new sideline for him). I am going to complain to Amazon about the inability to edit feedback.
posted by adamsc at 6:59 AM on December 30, 2008