Dep,

I just don't understand why some simple facts aren't getting across to you...

The above quote from vettebay is COMPLETELY INACCURATE... I NEVER called him directly (do I need to get a "call history" from my phone company to prove this?) Again, would I put the time and effort into rebuilding a '95 LT1/4L60e into a '76 if I just wanted a "cheap driver"? (believe me, it wasn't a weekend project by any means!) I asked for items of same color (red or black were my choices) so when "I" dyed them, they would match. SELLER said that dying them himself was included in the price. I never said that HE NEEDED to dye them for me.

Then there's the $$$ issue that you keep bringing up... I asked for items that were not rotted or had unraveling vinyl. This was SPECIFICALLY stated in my E-MAIL (not phone call!) when I requested the items. I received items that ARE rotted AND have unraveling vinyl! SELLER determined the price knowing WELL AWARE of my requirements. $300 (actually $325), $1,200, whatever...the price means nothing to this issue. I received parts that the SELLER knew UP-FRONT that I did NOT want. I'm not willing to pay $1 for something I don't want. It doesn't matter if it has a value of $50 or $500...if I don't want it, I'm not going to buy it. Why should SELLER get away with selling me parts he knows I didn't want?

I don't think that this is a RISK that we are putting ourselves up against when purchasing items online, in an auction or at Best Buy. You wouldn't accept a 2-head Toshiba VCR when you asked for a SONY DVD player...it doesn't matter how much the VCR is, you didn't ask for it, it doesn't matter.

 

Looks like you goofed on your research. Look at post #11 on this thread:"Well, I guess I should have stated that I haven't contacted him yet"

11 posts and he still hadn't contacted the seller. He came here FIRST to pitch his gripe and get the members aligned on his side. Lets leave off the sugar coating. I'm on a diet

"Another thing DR'76 made his complaint known here on the forum to see what the rest of the forum members thought after he nicely tried to have VetteBay take the merchandise back but failed."

Again...he posted HERE first and THEN went to the seller with his gripe.
Nicely tried????? Please remove the rose-tinted glasses. Here's a quote from the same post #11 BEFORE he contacted the seller:

"I want to keep it professional (even though he obviousely isn't a "professional" or even "moral" person), but want to let him know that I will fight this to the end."

Accusations of being unprofessional and immoral. Guess DR'76 never heard the motto "you catch more bees with honey than vinegar".

Note that bobs77vet all the way down on post #20 comments:
"just as a comment..... you bashed the guy pretty good and told us who he was before giving him the opportunity to fix it....i would have given him the opportunity to fix it before i aired my grievance publically...."

So it's not just me that sees this. And I agree 100% with what Bob said.

Note also on post #24. AGVI also agrees with what Bob said.

Finally at post #31, THE NEXT DAY, we hear of actual contact being made with the seller.

I read the posts. Am I suppposed to be surprised that he convinced some of the forum members after all those negative posts to his way of thinking? I'm NOT. And you will note that the ones that disagreed posted early in the thread. They suggested he contact the seller immediately, but warned him that he had already poisoned the waters with his comments.

I like your twist on what I had stated earlier about why would Dr'76 ONLY spend $300 on the interior after the engine compartment looks like he spent some good change on it. Are you in politics by any chance? You need to get into O'Reilly's NO SPIN ZONE
VetteBay did set the price, which looking at the parts, looks entirely reasonable. But that is subjective on what each person would pay for USED parts. That's the key. What DR'76 is suffering from is nothing but "buyers remorse". He agree to pay the price. If he DIDN'T get a good look at the parts BEFORE buying, that's HIS fault for not asking for better pictures of the parts. Buyer beware...remember????
Would I settle for those parts? Depends on the car I'm installing them in. Would you? Probably not. Would someone else...YES.
Just because DR'76 TOLD the seller what he wanted, doesn't absolve him of MAKING SURE that's what he GOT. If he had any worries, he should have ASKED for more detailed pictures and descriptions. Again...you are only accepting HIS side of the story. YOU have no idea if it's true or not. Only the buyer and seller REALLY know what happened.
You also make it sound like those parts are beyond repair. The rust can be sandblasted off if it's on metal. If it's on vinyl, just wipe it off.
I am doing that EXACT same thing under my dash to the steering column support brackets as well as the pedal brackets. Maybe the repairing of those parts is BEYOND DR'76's abilities. If that is the case, he should have ordered new and bit the bullet for $1200.
A man has to know his limitations

Dep

 

To be honest...none of us really know WHAT you are doing . It all boils down to his word against yours. If it were me and I took all that care in the engine compartment (which really DOES look fantastic), I would make dang sure I took EQUAL care of whatever needed to be done INSIDE the car. Used parts wouldn't even occur to me. I'd be searching through all the Vette catalogs for the nicest interior parts I could find.
I would NOT be looking on E-Bay or any other schlock location for used parts.
Buying from Best Buy is VERY different from buying on E-Bay or directly from a seller online.
You can walk in the door and SEE exactly what you are buying.
You can open the box in your car out in front of the place to make sure all the parts are there and nothings damaged. If you go home and it doesn't work, you can take it back for an exchange or refund because THAT IS THEIR POLICY.
Buying from someone who sells on E-Bay, but you buy direct, is even more risky that buying ON E-Bay.

E-Bay is, as others have said, like dealing with the WILD WEST.
I would say even buying directly from a Forum member involves a good deal of risk.
I have been burned on E-Bay. I would bet pretty much everyone has if they've bought more than a few times, although some are so in love with the place it they won't admit it.

I suggest you do as others have suggested and sell the parts on E-bay.Then go to a reputable place like Corvette America or Corvette Central and buy NEW/REPRODUCTION parts for what you need.

Dep

 

There are a few points I have taken away from this thread.
o Negotiate with the seller before airing your grievance on a public forum.
o More often than not (probably 60:40), I have been dissapointed when purchasing used parts on ebay. I avoid power sellers like the plague. They usually turn out like the seller in this instance.
o When buying used parts, always ask for lots of pictures. Same is true when buying from a forum member (although, 99% of my forum transactions have been great).

While the buyer made a few mistakes here, I do tend to agree that he should get his money back in this case. The seller doesn't care, as there are plenty of suckers out there. The buyer can't leave feedback and with all he sells, a few negative feedbacks don't effect his business that much anyway. He just made a quick $325 on parts he might have had to throw away, or sold for pennies on ebay.

 

Dep sorry I missed that little bit of info about DR'76 not contacting VetteBay before posting his thread here on the forum. You are right this situation is between the buyer and seller. Did you ever hear the quote? (The customer is always right) well although I don't really believe this myself I have had to adhere to it plenty of times when it came to taking back a part being that I am in the parts business. I have taken back my share. I still think based on what I read and based on the feedback I saw on Ebay that DR'76 deserves to get his money back. I do feel that DR'76 should pay the shipping back to VetteBay out of his own pocket though. $300 isn't alot of money and VetteBay would be wise to just pay the money back based on a misunderstanding here and just chalk it up to experience if he is a good business man. If VetteBay wants a good reputation he will take this merchandise back. This thread has almost 2300 hits already. I am sure some of those members reading about this situation are waiting to see the outcome. I know I am. If VetteBay makes good he stands to get some business here from the forum. If I was VetteBay for a lousy $300 I would just return the money after getting the parts back and move on otherwise his name is going to come up again and again on this forum as a place not to buy Vette parts from. I truely believe this. VetteBay again it is your call.

Fred

 

I think perhaps having some great vendors that participate in the forum have spoiled us.

 

Fred: I apologize for all the misspellings in my post. I am a two-finger-flash, so sometimes I goof up.

Understand, IF the seller agrees to return the money, especially after all this pi**ing and moaning from DR'76, it MAY lead to more business.
I doubt that, since DR'76 made such a big deal about this, NOBODY is gonna be willing to take the risk.
It may also set a very BAD precedent of causing people to think that if the least little thing on a part they buy isn't absolutely the way they want it, they can send it back. I suspect VetteBay is thinking this and that's why there will be NO refund.

There is another problem though. If we keep peeing on guys selling parts, we could easily see guys STOP selling parts because they don't want to put up with the stupidity involved with the transaction. So scarce parts that aren't available from vendors could dry up. And there are PLENTY of essential parts that vendors don't carry.
I also DON'T buy that "customer is always right" crap either. Not in this day and age with all the scams going on. I think each individual transaction has to be considered before any refund is given. If it's store policy that refunds are accepted, as in Best Buy or Target, etc, that's one thing. But we aren't dealing with gigantic conglomerates that have unlimited capital backing them.

flood: For once I agree with you 100%!!!

Dep

 

Not to but into this arguement but I agree with you DEP. It is the buyers responsibility to make sure the item that they are buying is what the want and intend to buy. If the item is not what was represented in the pictures (digital cameras are pretty cheap now - no real reason for not having pics to e-mail back and forth) than that is when the refund would be due. If it is left to interpretation from poor photos then more should have been taken before the purchase. If it is based off of a conversation - individual opinions on condition may vary (good to me = bad to you). The deal is done and the parts have been purchased. If DR'76 is not happy with the parts, he need to sell them to someone who would be.

 

I was going to try and sell my interior parts either here or on E-bay, danget DEP you've muddied the water so bad I'll never get rid of 'em.

Aw heck they ain't eat'n nothin' no way.

If you want new go buy it, I did. But I have a real nice interior for a driver that someone would like to have I'm sure.

Another thing I agree with is if I have a problem I take it up with the other party before I get on the soap box. If I have an issue from a sale I try to take care of it. I sold two articles the other day to a forum member and he wasn't as happy as he thought he should be. We had a misunderstanding about the brand of the parts I sold him. Good parts and one was stamped the brand I told him it was, but they were in Summitt house brand boxes. Still the same parts but he had an issue and I understood. He contacted me first and I agreed that the statement was probably not clear and that the parts were Summitt brand and not that the name brand boxed that was only sold by Summitt. I appreciated him contacting me and allowing me to make things right by sending him another new part he need to balance things out. It cost me some money, but that's how you have to do things especially when you are at fault and I was at fault. jim

 

 

DEP again I think you are wrong here. I think that if VetteBay does the right thing in returning DR'76's money after receiving the parts back it will make him look much better here to the forum members. If he sits back and does nothing I know I will never consider him for anything and I am sure alot of other members are thinking like I am. If he makes good this would be like positive feedback in that the forum members here will feel that forum member VetteBay is a fair seller that cares about his reputation and if they need something why not give him a try. I know this after 27 years in business. That is why I am still in business. I have seen others who thought differently go out of business over the years. By VetteBay returning DR'76's money it isn't going to cause others to try and take advantage of VetteBay. If this was the case I would of closed my parts business years ago. Not every sale is going to be a return but if you are going to be in business you need to expect some returns. Like I mentioned in previous posts I have had my share of returns over the years.

Let me tell you a little story that happened years ago when I owned a Carquest Parts store. We had a backyard mechanic that would come in now and then who lived in the small town where my parts store was located. He came in one day and purchased a complete clutch set up. Pressure plate, Disc, throwbearing the works. Six months went by and he comes in to my parts store with these boxes in his hands. At first I thought he was returning cores. He put the boxes down on the front counter. It was the complete clutch set up he purchased 6 months prior. The boxes were in terrible shape and had gotten wet at one time or another. The pressure plate and center of the clutch disc had signs of rust on them. Our policy at the time was to take back any item other then electrical or special order and not used that was in resaleable condition within 30 days. This merchandise was not resaleable and it was 6 months. I did not take it back. Number one I lost a customer. Number two he bad mouthed me all over the small town where we were located and I am sure we lost some business because of it. What would you do if you were in my shoes? To this day I still feel I did the right thing but it is things like this (word of mouth) that will hurt your business.

That was an entirely different situation that I was faced with, then what occured here with DR'76. He told VetteBay exactly what he was looking for and also told him in what shape he expected the interior parts to be in. He told VetteBay what was acceptable and what was not acceptable and VetteBay set the price and DR'76 agreed and paid for the items through PayPal and VetteBay sent him the parts. DR'76 opened the boxes and was not satisified as to what VetteBay sent him. VetteBay has an obligation to either take the parts back and return the money or send interior parts acceptable to DR'76. Its as simple as that.

Dep, I know what you are probably thinking right now. You are probably saying to yourself what does he expect for $300 because you mentioned this before. This is not the case. Vette Bay set the price. I think if he wanted more money DR'76 would of still purchased the parts feeling that he was going to get what he asked for to begin with. This is my honest opinion to this situation here and like I said before VetteBay needs to step up to the plate and do the right thing now in making contact with DR'76 and working this thing out.

 

ffas23: Isn't time we stopped this---->

The refund will NOT be made. The whole situation is at an impasse.
Any hope for a refund ceased with DR'76 first post badmouthing the seller before even giving the seller a chance to solve the problem or explain the situation. We don't KNOW what the "right thing" even is. We have two conflicting stories and it all depends on which story you believe. Only the government can afford to "throw money at a problem" to make it go away. Note that DR'76 hasn't posted here in a LONG time. Maybe he already sold the parts? Let's just let this thing die out and chalk it up to a learning experience for all.

Dep

 

It seems the buyer may have been willing to spend more to get the quality of parts he was asking for. He did not set the price. Perhaps he could have questioned the seller about the price with something like "Are you sure all these parts are in good condition for that price?" But that would have given the seller the opportunity to raise the price and may have still sent the same parts. The seller sells a lot of vette parts. He knows what is good, what is bad, and what should be thrown in the dumpster. I think the situation would be much different if a credit card was used as the buyer could file a complaint with his credit card company. It's quite obvious that the buyer would be entitled to a complete refund. I can assure you the credit card companies will side with the buyer in instances like this.
I didn't read all the posts but there is another scenario that could still play out. The seller could replace the inferior parts and the buyer pays the difference. With all the negative emotion of this transaction it is doubtful there is any trust between the parties to have another whack at making things work out.

 

Story after story on buyer beware of used interior parts. Just consider the parts. Soft interior parts are normally used up when taken off and at least 30+ year old interior parts have to be suspect right from the beginning. Look at the ones your removing. Do you think someone else`s old parts are better than yours. If they were so good, why were they removed? Just by age alone most interior parts fall apart from sun and temperature exposure. Hard parts are a different story, as long as not rusted they clean up like new, but old interiors are just that, OLD and worthless. Only quality new soft parts or interiors can provide customer satisfaction

 

Yea we can stop this right now. I have no problem with that but who are you to make the decision here to say a refund will NOT be made? 98% of your posts have been in favor of the seller. I don't understand why. I don't care what DR'76 said about VetteBay on this forum. He was a little irritated after looking at the parts VetteBay sent him. I know I would be and anyone else receiving those parts. Can you blame him? DR'76 has posted plenty of times here trying to get through your thick head of what went on here in this transaction. VetteBay is no where to be heard of. He is hiding his head in the sand. He thinks this little thing is going to go away. I say that this thing is bigger then he thinks here on the forum. He needs to do the right thing and he seems to be hiding. If he doesn't I can't blame the rest of the forum members here from never making a purchase from him ever. He will lose more in the end for a lousy $300. Heck if those parts VetteBay sent are so good VetteBay should have no problem reselling them. DR'76 shouldn't have to try and do this. It isn't like DR'76 installed them or anything. They are still in the box that VetteBay sent them in.

mandm1200
I mentioned the same thing telling DR'76 that he would of been protected if a credit card was used. This was all talked about in earlier posts. You are right if a credit card was used we wouldn't still be talking about this. By now the credit card company would of taken the $300 back out of VetteBays account once DR'76 showed prove of return and VetteBay knows this.

 

I'm still here! Just wanted to comment on the above...

It isn't an issue of opinion in this case...I didn't ask for "good", "fair", "perfect" condition; I asked for NOT ROTTED, NOT TORN (I actually used the term "unraveling vinyl"). There is nothing here to debate on...it's either ROTTED or it's not rotted; it's either TORN or it's not torn (or in my case BOTH apply to some of the items, which are Rotted AND Torn).

This was all stated CLEARLY UP-FRONT...there is no reason for any misunderstanding by the SELLER.

 

Bottom line...you buy cheap....you GET cheap.

Actually, the seller offered a good compromise....

"In summary - it's just a matter of opinion. I am fair seller - but I don't feel that I should crumble everytime someone demands a refund for a 30 year old part - hence - one percent or so of the people I deal with are not happy. I appreciate the fact that "bad publicity" may hurt my business, but the bottom line is that this is just one unsatisfied customer who wants to drill me into a refund. I currently have more Corvette parts on eBay than anyone else in the world and so long as you buy through eBay, you can expect to be satisfied 99% of the time. If the administrator/ moderator wants to set up a legitimate poll - I'd be happy to give the guy back say 50% of his money if the viewers vote for it - and he can keep the parts.''

And a newsflash....this guy wasn't ever registered on the forum before all the whining started. I doubt his profits will be dented at all if NOBODY on the forum buys from him. I still can't figure out why DR'76
hasn't cranked up a poll. 50% return of his money plus keep the parts (and still sell them on E-Bay). A bird in the hand is better than a TURD in the hand.

Dep

 

Y'all.... don't bother trying to argue with Dep on these types of threads. He apparently always sides with the seller in these disputes, generally thinks all buyers are fools with outlandish expectations... and when he has nothing left to say... spouts out nonsense like caveat emptor.

The seller can do no wrong in his eyes, regardless of all the evidence to the contrary. If the seller screws over a buyer... the buyer should've know better. If the seller sends the buyer junk, the buyer should keep his mouth shut and accept it... The seller is always devoid of responsibility.... or so Dep seems to think.

I'd let it go.

 

Chumpzilla....well at least PART of your name is accurate . I do NOT always side with the seller. Look at post #66 in this thread. I hardly consider that as "siding with the seller". In post #68 the seller made a VERY reasonable offer to help resolve the issue. I see no reason why that offer wasn't accepted.

FYI...Caveat Emptor...buyer beware...is a practice EVERYONE should use to the fullest while buying on E-Bay or anywhere else. That type of "junk", as you describe it, would have prevented this BS in the first place. Is this buyer a fool with outlandish expectations?
I'd say YES. Certainly thinking he is going to get 30-year-old parts for dirt cheap that are flawless is NOT something a reasonable person would expect or even ask for. The only "evidence" we have is the few pictures that DR'76 posted. And those don't look all that bad. Certainly not as bad as they are made out to be. I think DR'76 got parts in the EXACT VALUE and resonable condition that he PAID for.

Dep

 

i'm a less vocal member here, but by the pics i saw (if they are accurate) he recieved items wich should have been put in the dumpster when the seller was stripping the car.no offence to the seller but these should not have been offered for sale wether you like people who ask for special prices or not.
i will always check for your name when shopping on e-bay and will probably not buy from you .I'm sorry but as an innocent observer watching this thread, you should have given him a full refund upon return of the goods at the buyers expense.
I have been in retail business for many years and know you will get back what you put out. i have bitten the bullet and refunded when i didnt think i should, and sometimes they don't return anyway,but being an honest sales person will always pay back better in the end. if you don't believe me , ask my boss when he's writing out my bonus cheques.
i am finished now and i relinquish control of the soap box to the next speaker.thank you.