Help!! My first problem Seller

[Guest]

[PepperD]

I have been buying HP stuff on eBay for 3/4 years now and it appears I have finally come upon the worst nightmare type syndrome:  non-arrival of the cards you bought, and a seller who refuses to communicate.   

Let me say up front that I HATE confrontation and I am no good at it.   

Just over a month ago I bought a card from CARDVAULT (Richard Wheat) and within the next week I bought 9 more from him.  I paid immediately on PayPal and was advised by them of his receipt of the payment and sat back and waited from my cards.

After two weeks, maybe 16 days I emailed him via eBay asking if they had been posted and when as I had never received any emails from him outside of the eBay you have won this item stuff.

A week went by without a reply and just as I was going to write another eBay informed everybody about the UK postal strike so I waited another week.  Meanwhile I have been receiving mail from everywhere including England and I saw in his feedback Aussies who had bought after me who had received their items.  *sigh*

Last Friday I emailed saying I would have no recourse but to go to eBay about it if he didn't at least write.
He hasn't answered that email.

Okay I have several questions before I take this any further:

1. Has anyone in the Yurt had any problems with this Seller?   
2. Does anyone have any suggestions about alternative ways to get this chap to talk to me?
3. Would it be worth an overseas phone call to try and sort it out??
4. I haven't really had much to do with eBay, is it worth going the complaint route with them?
5. I just want my cards.....  *grumble rhubarb!*   

[allender]

Hi Pepper, I don't think I've met the gentleman face-to-face, but he's pretty well known in the U.K. seller circuit. Perhaps there was some confusion related to traveling to shows, that might have interrupted the communications. "Life" sometimes happens to people too.

I've bought things about a half dozen times from him on eBay without any problems, and have received cards within about 15 days after paying, over in USA too.

Have you tried "both" ways of sending an email, directly and through "send a message" from the eBay item listing screen? I've found that some sellers don't seem to see one of them, but respond to the other.

Also, you might send him a PM from the Shack ... and I see that the email address in his public profile (Card_Vault) is different from the one he uses for eBay. He hasn't posted here in almost a year, but the notice of a Personal Message will go to the alternate email.

But in general for shipments from the UK, even simple ones, I see that a percentage of them take up to 6 weeks to arrive after they are posted, for no apparent reason, even if there isn't a postal strike. Postmarks show they were sent early but were delayed by Customs, sorting machines, gremlins, or Cornish Pixies; we never can figure out which.

If you do choose to pursue a problem with any seller through eBay, you can post a non-received-item message. It can get their attention, and if things are resolved happily there's no strike against their record. Anybody can mess up, and lack of email follow-up is quite annoying, but in general this seller has had a darn good reputation.

[PepperD]

Thank you Allender for that thorough response.

I have sent emails thru eBay and to cardvault's uk email addy.  I will try sending one from here but how do I contact him through here?  Please feel free to message me if it is sort of private.

I have certainly never had anything take more than two weeks and am loath to besmirch anyone's name but it is lack of response at all to either my purchases or my follow-up emails that really rankles.

I hoped there might be people here who knew him.  Do you think a phone call might be worth a try?

I have to go now, but I will check tomorrow.

Thanks again   

[DaveH]

I believe that Richard has been on Holiday for the last 2 weeks.

[Bogleg]

I will be seeing Richard at the weekend and, if you wish, pass on your concerns.

[Roz]

I re-iterate that we really have had a spate of postal strikes in the UK. It's all over now (allegedly) however, I still have a number of items posted within the UK to addresses within the UK which have not yet arrived.

I think you will need to be a bit patient on this one and it will all turn out OK.

I believe that Richard has been on Holiday for the last 2 weeks.

That would explain why you haven't had a reply - I think your items were probably posted before he left but are currently paused in the post system. He'll have a tracking number if you paid for international signed for. Just call him, his phone number will either be in his 'about me' section or in his emails to you.

It's always easier if you just talk to someone.

(Just remember to dial 0044 and then drop the first 0 in the telephone number to call the UK)

[PepperD]

Thanks for the feedback.  I will take you up on your offer Bogleg, thank you, and I am hoping to hear good news 

I heard about your mailstrike on eBay of all places, but aside from this seller I haven't noticed any unusual delays.

Nevertheless I am prepared to wait and hope for a pleasant outcome.

[PepperD]

An interim update.

I took Bogleg up on his offer to talk to this chap but he hasn't responded to either my message or email.   :'(

I think there is a black hole out there with cardvaults name on it   

Today is Saturday and my fingers are crossed that there is an explanation.  Hmm..  praps he just liked my name so much that when he when he packed my two separate purchases he just put em on the bench to stare at?  Maybe..

[Sharon]

Hi Pepper
Unfortunately Boggy has been very poorly and so couldn't go to Milton Keynes and so didn't see Richard.  I know this is starting to sound like a broken record but the postal strikes here have been horrendous.  At work we have been waiting over two weeks for things that have been posted from our head office which is only a few hundred miles away.  The rumours I have heard is that anything that was next day delivery is being dealt with first, then the items that have been posted recently and the backlog is the last thing they are looking at.

[Doc Oc.]

Hi Pepper D
Been alerted to this post by another customer
What Ebay ID Are you? Email me on cardvault@toycapsule.fsnet.co.uk
There is no outstanding orders and I havent been receiving any emails regarding any
Get in touch or post here your Ebay ID and I will look into it
Thanks Richard

[Nienna]

Looks like help is on its way Pepper ... 

[PepperD]

Thanks Nienna and Sharon,

I certainly hope so cause that email addy from Cardvault I have already written to.  Here goes again,   

[PepperD]

Dear Card_Vault,

Could you let me know the dates those items were sent please?  I would like to try and see if our Post Office can help but I need to know when they were posted.

Thank you,  Pepper

[PepperD]

I guess Bogleg must have spoken to Richard shortly after he wrote the message below, because on Wednesday I got the cards I bought on 21st and 26th of September.  They were in the same envelope dated the 25th October, 2007.

I will be seeing Richard at the weekend and, if you wish, pass on your concerns.

I am really pleased that they have finally arrived.   

[Bogleg]

Sorry, I can't take credit for this. I was too ill to go to the show. Some other Shacker may have said something, or Richard himself may have read of your concerns here.

[PepperD]

Dear Bogleg,

I am sure you would have if you could have.  I am sorry you were so ill,  I hope you are fully recovered now.

It does seem that mentioning my problem on the YakShack was beneficial