CLEVEsports420
04-30-2008, 07:58 AM
In the words of George Carlin, "who ever coined the phrase let the buyer beware was probably bleeding from the @$$ hole".
I recently purchased a used UV sterlizer from a seller who's user name is "coke_is_it!" (I'm really hoping he means coca cola) Here is a link to the auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=017.
In the description of the auction he wrote:
This auction is for a used Turbo-Twist 3x: 9 watt UV sterilizer, treats up to 125 gallons and can be used for saltwater or freshwater aquariums. This UV sterilizer has a used bulb in it and a brand new bulb in the box. I will also throw in the Fluval filter I used to run this UV sterilizer if the winner requests.
I recieved the sterilizer thursday afternoon before I left for work (I work afternoon shift at Kraftmaid Cabinetry, buy a cabinet, our order numbers are low lol). Upon arriveing home from work that night I decided to leave feedback for that auction, and a previous auction I had won for a Fluval 405, the 405 was new in box, and since tank isn't ready to go yet, I gave that seller the benefit of the doubt and gave good feedback since everything appeared to be in order on the 405. Almost left feedback for the sterilizer, but it occured to me, "hey this things used, might wanna pull it apart and make sure everything's kosher inside before leaveing feedback". Which turned out to be a good insight on my part...
Here is the result of what awaited me inside the device:
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb98/eetfukk420/Damage1.jpg
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb98/eetfukk420/Damage2.jpg
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb98/eetfukk420/Damage3.jpg
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb98/eetfukk420/Carbonscoringonbulb.jpg
So with that being said got into a bit of a rigamaroll with the seller through ebay messenges, here they are in order:
Message 1:
The UV Sterilizer arrived today, upon inspecting the item, I noticed a small problem. The quartz sleeve inside this device is broken. I was going to give it the benefit of the doubt and try to buy a replacement part, but it appears that this is a non replaceable part on this device. I can send you pictures of this damage if you request, I highly doubt this was broken during shipping since it appears to be a hard impact spiderweb affect. The bulb inside also is pretty much dead. When you plug the device in, the light only flickers, and it appeares to have carbon scoring inside it. I would like a refund, and I will ship this device and the filter and bulb you threw in back upon recieveing refund. Please contact me back about this, since I really do not wish to escalate this to paypals attention. But I will not hesitate if you do not contact me back. The auction for this item said "used" not damaged.
Message 2: (sent about 20 mins after first message)
I just purchased a new sterilizer off another ebay seller. Sorry if I came off rude in last message. I reviewd your feedkback record, and you have a very good feedback record. I respect that. I take ebay VERY seriously, as my feedback shows this. Please contact me via phone if you can. My number is ***-***-****. I will not be home till monday evening, so if you respond to this message after 1:30 p.m. friday I will not get the response till then. Please make this a smooth transaction, I hate drama, and I just want a working sterilizer. The price seemed right with the new bulb and filter.
His reply: (which oddly enough he switched from sending the messages through ebay, and sent them straight to my email addy)
I took it apart before shipping and inspected it and everything was fine, absolutely no damage whatsoever. I would never try to sell a defective item. I understand your disappointment, I am disappointed as well. I'm not sure how this works as I've never had this type of problem before. Since no insurance was purchased (he didnt even offer it btw) I know there would be no refund from USPS. I'll look into some options. Send me some pictures if you don't mind. I feel really bad that this happened, but I guarantee it was completely undamaged when I sent it out.
I sent those 5 pics, with this message late monday night:
Here are the pictures I took, 2 different types of picture 3 pictures I took are of the crack on the quartz sleeve, hopefully you can see it well enough. The other 2 are of the bulb itself, the lower tube of the bulb has heavy carbon scoring. Now I am not calling you a liar, if this item was indeed damaged in shipping on the quartz sleeve, that could be possible. However the carbon scoring on the bulb could not of been damage from shipping. The item did arrive that way. My first part of the inspection process was when I took the housing off and noticed the crack. I noticed the quartz sleeve was still damp, and by hunch unscrewed the fixture housing and slid the bulb out and looked at it and noticed the carbon scoring. I then screwed the bulb fixture back into the quartz sleeve, and slid the housing back on halfway so the bulb would not be visible to the naked eye since the brightness from the UV rays can damage your eyes, and plugged the device in, the bulb did not light up, and only flickered. I've taken several electronics classes myself, and even consulted my brother's father in law, who holds a doctorate in electrical engineering, and teaches at ITT tech here in town, and he also confirmed that type of damage to a bulb could not result in improper handling during shipping. That type of damage is the result of electrical current running through the fixture, and that damage was already there BEFORE I plugged the device in.
The fact of the matter is the auction clearly stated that the bulb was used, and did not denote any damage to the bulb. That is inconsistent with how the auction is worded. And as far as me not purchaseing any insurance, insurance was not offered on the auction, otherwise I would of spent the extra couple bucks for peace of mind. I always do when it's offered. I am sorry that the item arrived damaged, that is neither of our faults when it comes to the quartz sleeve, but the bulb being DOA cannot be blamed on USPS. Personally I am going to use this as a lesson not to buy anything that is not listed as new in box. Hopefully we can work something out on this issue, and not have to get Ebay or Paypal involved.
His reply that I read before leaveing for work today (tuesday):
As stated in my last reply, this item was inspected fully prior to shipping and was free of any damage whatsoever. This damage, I agree, was very unlikely to have occured during shipping. The only other possiblility as to how the damage could have occured is that it happened after it arrived at your location. This I cannot provide a refund for. No refund could be given even if it occured as a result of shipping as no insurance was purchased. All shipping costs are the buyers responsibility as stated in the auction. I am sorry you are dissatisfied and appoligize for this situation.
My reply that has gone unanswerd so far:
So now you are saying that I made this damage?? Whatever dude, I was trying to be nice to you with this whole issue, and now you want to say that the damage was caused by me? Fine then, you brought this on you, I will be filing an item signifigantly not as described dispute with ebay when I get home from work tonight. I'm not an idiot, and I did not cause that damage, all I did was inspect the item before leaving you feedback. My mother didn't raise no fool, and apparently that's what you think I am.
After I hit submit post on this thread I will be filing that dispute, just wonder if ebay cares enough to rule in my favor, I damn well did not damage that myself. And it really irks me that this flamer is saying I did the damage. So let this be a lesson kiddies: When buying aquarium parts off ebay, if it doesnt say new in box, don't buy it! Sorry this post was so long, but I'm really irritated by this situation, and just needed somewhere to vent.
Dave
I recently purchased a used UV sterlizer from a seller who's user name is "coke_is_it!" (I'm really hoping he means coca cola) Here is a link to the auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=017.
In the description of the auction he wrote:
This auction is for a used Turbo-Twist 3x: 9 watt UV sterilizer, treats up to 125 gallons and can be used for saltwater or freshwater aquariums. This UV sterilizer has a used bulb in it and a brand new bulb in the box. I will also throw in the Fluval filter I used to run this UV sterilizer if the winner requests.
I recieved the sterilizer thursday afternoon before I left for work (I work afternoon shift at Kraftmaid Cabinetry, buy a cabinet, our order numbers are low lol). Upon arriveing home from work that night I decided to leave feedback for that auction, and a previous auction I had won for a Fluval 405, the 405 was new in box, and since tank isn't ready to go yet, I gave that seller the benefit of the doubt and gave good feedback since everything appeared to be in order on the 405. Almost left feedback for the sterilizer, but it occured to me, "hey this things used, might wanna pull it apart and make sure everything's kosher inside before leaveing feedback". Which turned out to be a good insight on my part...
Here is the result of what awaited me inside the device:
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb98/eetfukk420/Damage1.jpg
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb98/eetfukk420/Damage2.jpg
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb98/eetfukk420/Damage3.jpg
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb98/eetfukk420/Carbonscoringonbulb.jpg
So with that being said got into a bit of a rigamaroll with the seller through ebay messenges, here they are in order:
Message 1:
The UV Sterilizer arrived today, upon inspecting the item, I noticed a small problem. The quartz sleeve inside this device is broken. I was going to give it the benefit of the doubt and try to buy a replacement part, but it appears that this is a non replaceable part on this device. I can send you pictures of this damage if you request, I highly doubt this was broken during shipping since it appears to be a hard impact spiderweb affect. The bulb inside also is pretty much dead. When you plug the device in, the light only flickers, and it appeares to have carbon scoring inside it. I would like a refund, and I will ship this device and the filter and bulb you threw in back upon recieveing refund. Please contact me back about this, since I really do not wish to escalate this to paypals attention. But I will not hesitate if you do not contact me back. The auction for this item said "used" not damaged.
Message 2: (sent about 20 mins after first message)
I just purchased a new sterilizer off another ebay seller. Sorry if I came off rude in last message. I reviewd your feedkback record, and you have a very good feedback record. I respect that. I take ebay VERY seriously, as my feedback shows this. Please contact me via phone if you can. My number is ***-***-****. I will not be home till monday evening, so if you respond to this message after 1:30 p.m. friday I will not get the response till then. Please make this a smooth transaction, I hate drama, and I just want a working sterilizer. The price seemed right with the new bulb and filter.
His reply: (which oddly enough he switched from sending the messages through ebay, and sent them straight to my email addy)
I took it apart before shipping and inspected it and everything was fine, absolutely no damage whatsoever. I would never try to sell a defective item. I understand your disappointment, I am disappointed as well. I'm not sure how this works as I've never had this type of problem before. Since no insurance was purchased (he didnt even offer it btw) I know there would be no refund from USPS. I'll look into some options. Send me some pictures if you don't mind. I feel really bad that this happened, but I guarantee it was completely undamaged when I sent it out.
I sent those 5 pics, with this message late monday night:
Here are the pictures I took, 2 different types of picture 3 pictures I took are of the crack on the quartz sleeve, hopefully you can see it well enough. The other 2 are of the bulb itself, the lower tube of the bulb has heavy carbon scoring. Now I am not calling you a liar, if this item was indeed damaged in shipping on the quartz sleeve, that could be possible. However the carbon scoring on the bulb could not of been damage from shipping. The item did arrive that way. My first part of the inspection process was when I took the housing off and noticed the crack. I noticed the quartz sleeve was still damp, and by hunch unscrewed the fixture housing and slid the bulb out and looked at it and noticed the carbon scoring. I then screwed the bulb fixture back into the quartz sleeve, and slid the housing back on halfway so the bulb would not be visible to the naked eye since the brightness from the UV rays can damage your eyes, and plugged the device in, the bulb did not light up, and only flickered. I've taken several electronics classes myself, and even consulted my brother's father in law, who holds a doctorate in electrical engineering, and teaches at ITT tech here in town, and he also confirmed that type of damage to a bulb could not result in improper handling during shipping. That type of damage is the result of electrical current running through the fixture, and that damage was already there BEFORE I plugged the device in.
The fact of the matter is the auction clearly stated that the bulb was used, and did not denote any damage to the bulb. That is inconsistent with how the auction is worded. And as far as me not purchaseing any insurance, insurance was not offered on the auction, otherwise I would of spent the extra couple bucks for peace of mind. I always do when it's offered. I am sorry that the item arrived damaged, that is neither of our faults when it comes to the quartz sleeve, but the bulb being DOA cannot be blamed on USPS. Personally I am going to use this as a lesson not to buy anything that is not listed as new in box. Hopefully we can work something out on this issue, and not have to get Ebay or Paypal involved.
His reply that I read before leaveing for work today (tuesday):
As stated in my last reply, this item was inspected fully prior to shipping and was free of any damage whatsoever. This damage, I agree, was very unlikely to have occured during shipping. The only other possiblility as to how the damage could have occured is that it happened after it arrived at your location. This I cannot provide a refund for. No refund could be given even if it occured as a result of shipping as no insurance was purchased. All shipping costs are the buyers responsibility as stated in the auction. I am sorry you are dissatisfied and appoligize for this situation.
My reply that has gone unanswerd so far:
So now you are saying that I made this damage?? Whatever dude, I was trying to be nice to you with this whole issue, and now you want to say that the damage was caused by me? Fine then, you brought this on you, I will be filing an item signifigantly not as described dispute with ebay when I get home from work tonight. I'm not an idiot, and I did not cause that damage, all I did was inspect the item before leaving you feedback. My mother didn't raise no fool, and apparently that's what you think I am.
After I hit submit post on this thread I will be filing that dispute, just wonder if ebay cares enough to rule in my favor, I damn well did not damage that myself. And it really irks me that this flamer is saying I did the damage. So let this be a lesson kiddies: When buying aquarium parts off ebay, if it doesnt say new in box, don't buy it! Sorry this post was so long, but I'm really irritated by this situation, and just needed somewhere to vent.
Dave