[HAB]

My road bike was stolen a couple weeks ago. My insurance came through nicely and gave me a very generous payout. I used that to buy a replacement off eBay.

The bike showed up today, and is two sizes larger than described in the ad. I contacted the seller who acknowledged the mistake and apologized, but claimed that he's already spent a lot of the money I paid him, and therefore can't give me a full refund. He offered to give me a partial refund, but did not suggest an actual amount.

Do I:

a) Wait to see what he offers, and if it's reasonable take it and deal with selling and replacing the bike
b) Dispute the transaction with PayPal
c) Dispute the transaction with my credit card company
d) Both b) and c)

 

[johnbryanpeters]

b)

 

[HAB]

Thanks.

If PayPal accepts my dispute (and I have an email from the seller acknowledging the mistake, so it seems like they'd have to) what happens next? If I get my money back from them, what do I have to do with the bike at that point?

 

[jstuhlman]

yeah, b) then c), if necassary.

i'd guess they'd bring action against the seller and hold the bike until he repays them in full? or they'll pressure him to refund you in full and then send the bike back to him?

 

[cecil]

If he gives you a decent amount of money back and you can sell it for what you paid you might end up with more cash than you started with

 

[HAB]

He's offering $300 on a full carbon, Sram Red equipped bike. Fuck him. I'm stuck with an XL bike that I can't really ride and is probably pretty hard to sell, what with it being sized for wookies.

Ifi dispute the transaction, I take it the best case scenario is that I get a refund, ship him the bike back, and just have to eat the shipping charge/hassle of dealing with all this bullshit?

 

[jstuhlman]

he should have to pay return shipping-you paid him to ship it to you, right?

 

[HAB]

It was listed as a but it now with free shipping, so not explicitly.

 

[StiHacka]

Let PayPal deal with this. It sounds like a scam to me (honest mistake my arse...)

 

[stevew]

dispute or offer to shove it up his ass piece by piece.

 

[HAB]

shove it up his ass piece by piece.

I'd love to, but then I'd have to go to Michigan, and I think I've suffered enough already.

 

[stevew]

I'd love to, but then I'd have to go to Michigan, and I think I've suffered enough already.

SS can do it...he has relatives there.

 

[canadmos]

Even if there is a small opportunity that you could get a portion of the refund and keep/sell the bike, I'd still just report and get rid of is ASAP.

You know it'll end up being a headache trying to get rid of it, plus the guy hosed you. He shouldn't get off free.

 

[Toshi]

B and C.

 

[Wumpus]

B and C.

 

[eric strt6]

Sell it to Stoney, its his size

 

[HAB]

Yeah, @stoney wanna buy a really nice cross bike?

 

[I Are Baboon]

What an asshole seller.

 

[stoney]

Yeah, @stoney wanna buy a really nice cross bike?

No. If I'm getting another bike it will be one of these: http://www.yeticycles.com/bikes/asrc

And if I'm coining up for anything anytime soon it's going to be an ENVE SES 8.9 wheelset lace up to a Powertap on the rear. That's only going to be $2500, so not happening anytime soon.

 

[HAB]

Yeah I was mostly kidding.

PayPal dispute has been filed. Time to shop for a new bike, again. :/

 

[IH8Rice]

two sizes larger than listed sounds like a scam by someone who couldnt sell their XL bike..i know the feeling

 

[cecil]

dispute or offer to shove it up his ass piece by piece.

Wrap each piece in tinfoil before shoving up said ass

 

[StiHacka]

Wrap each piece in barb wire before shoving up said ass

Fify

 

[HAB]

Next question: how long do I give him to respond before I raise my PayPal "dispute" to a "claim"?

 

[dan-o]

Next question: how long do I give him to respond before I raise my PayPal "dispute" to a "claim"?

Yesterday.

 

[HAB]

Yesterday.

I figured I'd at least give him 24hrs. It's not like I need the money right this second.

 

[Toshi]

I figured I'd at least give him 24hrs. It's not like I need the money right this second.

Even after you escalate it Paypal will sit on their ass for several days (a week?).

 

[HAB]

Even after you escalate it Paypal will sit on their ass for several days (a week?).

I'm sure. My thinking was just that I didn't want him to have reasonable grounds for complaining that I didn't give him time to respond.

 

[cecil]

What was his response time when you first contacted him to buy the bike?

That's the time frame I would give him

 

[jackalope]

Maybe spray paint it a bunch of shitty colors and sell to @gemini2k ?? Seriously, that obviously sucks and I'd escalate it post haste with paypal. Fuck that guy, go ahead and get the ball rolling.

 

[AngryMetalsmith]

You're going about this all wrong. Build the bike up with some old clapped out parts as a fixie without brakes and sell it to some rich hipster on Craigslist as a NeoClassic Vintage Town Bike. You could easily triple your investment.

 

[gemini2k]

It's a scam. Just do B, X100000. He's just trying to placate you to get some money out of it.

 

[HAB]

Yeah, I got the ball rolling on b this morning.

Next question, what are the odds of me actually getting a full refund in exchange for returning it? I found a frame/fork in my size that I could move parts over to, but I'm worried about throwing a wrench in the dispute process by cannibalizing the bike. It's probably safer to but the replacement complete, right?

 

[jstuhlman]

if you get your $ back you're probably going to have to return it as it came, right?

 

[HAB]

Presumably, if I get a full refund. The PayPal dispute process also lets you ask for a partial refund though. I could just try to get enough money back that it's worth my while to deal with selling it.

 

[canadmos]

Presumably, if I get a full refund. The PayPal dispute process also lets you ask for a partial refund though. I could just try to get enough money back that it's worth my while to deal with selling it.

I know not the same, but my PayPal account was compromised a few years ago by someone in Mexico. Being a fool, I had it linked to my bank. Being a fool AND poor while in college, this Mexican asshat purchased a new Blackberry and pretty much drained my account.

I filed with PayPal and even though it took them 3-4 weeks, they did refund 100% of my cash. Just go for the full amount, I wouldn't settle for less. You didn't get what you paid for.

 

[HAB]

Kinda a different scenario though, since I do have a bike to show for it. It's not the one I paid for, but it isn't worth nothing either.

 

[Toshi]

I'd personally settle for nothing less than a full refund.

 

[maddog17]

full refund only. don't compromise with this doosh

 

[HAB]

I get that line of reasoning, but at some point it's worth more to me to take a partial refund and keep the bike than it is to go for a full refund and return it, especially since I then have to deal with repacking and shipping it. Where that line is is a valid question.