Best Choice Products - Sky Billiards - Ebigonline - PayPal - Ebay Accepted my bid, took my money, never delivered the item. Refuses to resolve issue ripoff Rancho Cucamonga California

On July 4th, 2007 I paid for three items from one seller on Ebay. I paid through PayPal, and the payment cleared on July 10th, 2007. I bought a lavatory faucet, a roman tub faucet, and some landscape solar lights. The faucets matched, and were intended to use as a matching pair in a bathroom we were currently remodeling.

I received the lavatory faucet fairly promptly. One month later, after several emails to Best Choice Products begging for shipping info, I still hadn't received my other items. I filed a dispute with PayPal, and immediately heard from Best Choice wondering what I was unhappy about. I told them I hadn't received all my items, and they sent me a tracking number. I asked them which item was sent, and that's when they told me that the roman tub faucet was on back order, and they don't actually have one.

I was livid. The bathroom remodel was held up already for a month. they had my order for a month, and now they tell me that they accepted my money and couldn't send the roman tub faucet that matched the lavatory faucet I've already received. And they couldn't tell me when they would be able to send it. "any day now" is all I could get from them. Well, since they've already had a month to get it to me, I didn't trust that they would ever get it to me.

They admitted all this was their fault, and they asked me what it would take to make me happy. I told them in all fairness they should refund my money for the roman tub faucet, refund me for the lavatory faucet and send UPS to pick up it up (since it was no good to me without the matching tub faucet), and refund at least part of my money for the shipping of the lights that took so long (one month) to get to me.

They agreed to do all these things, but only after I closed the dispute with PayPal. On PayPal's advise I told them I would close the dispute only after the refund was transfered to my account. All of a sudden, after 2 days of negotiations, 38 emails back and forth, they ended our communication with the statement that I was being difficult, and would let PayPal decide the outcome of this dispute.

I escalated the dispute with PayPal to a claim. Same day I received a "tracking form" from Best Choice with the tracking company and tracking number left blank. I also received an amount transfered to my PayPal account equal to the amount for the lavatory faucet I had received. I was afraid that this would be conceived by PayPal that Best Choice had had resolved the problem, and cancel the claim. so I called PayPal to inform them.

I felt assured that PayPal would see that I was wronged by this seller, and eventually get my money back. I also couldn't hold up our bathroom remodel any longer, so I went ahead and bought another faucet from another dealer, was shipped the same day I paid for it. it's on it's way already. BTW, faucet is from the same manufacturer.no back order.

I decided to become the "squeaky wheel" and keep this claim in front of "someone's" eye at PayPal. I emailed them every day or two, and called them several times. On August 16th, 2007 I received a notice from PayPal that they have concluded their investigation, and decided in the seller's favor.

Again, I was livid. I had no faucet to show for my money ($212.95 including shipping), a faucet I can't use, and an anger I didn't know who to direct toward. I called PayPal, became irate at a young man in the dispute resolution department, and he reopened the claim under a different heading. Supposedly I filed under "Item not received". but since I paid for all the items with one payment, it was considered one transaction. And I did receive some of the transaction. So he reopened the claim under "item significantly not as described". We'll see how this plays out.

I don't have a lot of confidence in PayPal/Ebay, anymore. Here's why:

1. Since PayPal or Ebay really makes no money from me on the purchases I make through them, and they do from the sellers. I'm sure they'll resolve in favor of the seller to keep them happy.

2. Best Choice Products has a "Power Seller" status with Ebay. To keep that status they have to retain above a 98% positive feedback. Best Choice lists a large volume of products, and retains about a 98.3% feedback rating. Their Negative feedbacks for the last month equals 44 (596 in the last year). Forty four unhappy customers in the last month state that they either never received their item, or received it only after claims were filed, month(s) later, or were seriously wronged somehow. Some of their neutral feedback actually started out as negative feedback and was mutually withdrawn.

What this tells me is that they only resolve enough issues to retain that 98% or above rating. The 2% that get the shaft are disposable and Ebay/PayPal lets them get by with that. After all, Ebay and PayPal get's their commission, no matter what, and Best Choice is making a killing off the 2% they cheat.

3. Although I sent PayPal the entire email conversation I had with Best Choice Products (38 in all), complete with all the headers. they still found in the seller's favor. Regardless of the heading I filed the claim, I don't feel they actually read the conversation. If they had, they would have seen the agreement they backed out on when I followed PayPal's advise. I have no confidence that they will actually read it even now, filed under a different heading.

4. Best Choice Products includes the following statements on all their auctions:
" None of our products are dropshipped. We warehouse and ship all of our products. Which lead buyers to believe they actually have the item sitting on a shelf somewhere, ready to be shipped. and "Typically orders are shipped out within 3 business days after receipt of payment. Tracking numbers are available upon e-mail request" again, misleading people that they actually have the item sitting on a shelf, and email requests are ignored. and ATTN: Please note that if you do leave negative feedback without contacting us of a problem, we will be forced to also leave negative feedback, and contact e-bay.

They ignore emails, and I sent nine emails requesting tracking information, and another 38 emails trying to resolve the issue. They still posted this negative feedback for me "Rush of Judgement! No Communication! Just leaves Negative!". I alerted Ebay of these deceptions and Best Choice is still going strong.

I still have no resolution, no refund and no confidence that Best Choice Products (aka Sky Billiards, Inc., ebigonline), Ebay or PayPal will do the right thing.

Bjw
Kemp, Texas
U.S.A.