Ebay Multi-Buy Promotions Fail to Work on Multiple Occasions, Resulting in Retail Fraud

I update this page fairly regularly.  If you've been here before, please hit function key F5 to refresh, and scroll down for the latest news from 16-DEC-2020

On 7th April 2020 I was alerted by a very helpful customer that when he had purchased four items, the discount for buying four had not been applied.  He wrote...

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Helpful Customer:  E-Bay has given a postage discount but hasn't given a quantity discount.  Listing shows UKL3.28 each for four off.
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He is correct.  A UK buyer has seen an advertised price of £3.28, used all the ebay shopping cart systems correctly, got the postage 'discount,' and has still been charged £3.45 each.

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Henry:  Hello H.C.

I will look into this and give the telephone seller "support" line some bashing about this, as it amounts to retail fraud. Right now, all I can do is either cancel the order and refund, or send it. Or, I could cancel it and send you a paypal money request for the correct amount. Please let me know which you'd prefer and thanks for your note.

Henry Walmsley.
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Henry:  Hello again,

So, the ebay seller "support" line can give no explanation for this, other than suggesting that I only put the multi-buy promotion on after the sale was made, which we know isn't the case. I've found another instance of this in today's sales. I suspect that they will blame it on a 'glitch,' when they call back tomorrow. I've made my displeasure clear and will publish the recording of the calls here:

https://www.interestingelectronics.com/old/henrys_interesting_electronics/customer_service/ebay/ebay_main_page.html

Meanwhile, please let me know if you want to cancel the order. It might work correctly if you re-order or I can send a request via paypal for the correct amount as suggested.

Thanks,

Henry.
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Helpful Customer:  Thank you for your reply. Please send the items and forget about the few pence. I just wanted to let you know about what's going on on your listing.

Kind regards,
H.C.
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What a helpful and nice customer, considering that he's just been the subject of (albeit unintentional) retail fraud!  I spotted another instance of this that happened around the same time.  Overseas buyers from UK sellers can't see the multi-buy discounts.  Why this should be in the 21st century I have no idea, when I've used multi-buy discounts as a UK buyer from some Chinese / HK sellers for years.  However, that is a question for another time.  For now, why are ebay multi-buy promotions from a UK seller to a UK buyer who has seen the advertised discount sometimes mysteriously failing?  Let's get on to the Ebay seller "support" telephone line for an unambiguous and clear answer, shall we?  You can click on the links below for the recordings.  The first one had Very extended hold times, which have been edited out for your sanity.  The full call time was about 45 minutes.

Ebay Seller Telephone Support Say That Multi-Buy Discount Promotions are Working Fine and Accuse Me of Lieing Despite the Facts In Front Of Their Own Eyes.

I despair at the delay tactics employed by the staff, and the denial of the obvious.  However, I will no longer accept "Oh, it was just a glitch" as an excuse for making me guilty of Retail Fraud.  Thankyou for repeating the information that I gave you in the first instance as an explanation of what has happened.  No.  Not good enough.

There was a call back the following day.  Thankyou again, ebay seller support, for repeating back to me the information that I gave you in the first instance as an explanation of what has happened.  I was a bit busy at that moment getting out an urgent parcel, so I didn't quite have the time to 'dig-down,' as they say.  Here's the call:

Ebay Telephone Seller Support Call Back and Repeat Back to Me The Same Lies About the Failure of Multi-Buy Promotions Which Made Me Guilty of Retail Fraud.

There has been no response since.  Well, I've not finished on this one. 

Rob Hattrell, UK VP Ebay.  I hope you're listening to the 'phone calls, Luv.

"Rob Hattrell leads the eBay UK business and is accountable for all operations in that market. He is passionate about consumer sellers, small businesses and the role technology and eBay play in powering entrepreneurship and creating opportunity. Rob has run the UK market since 2017." 

I've written to you before Rob, and I didn't get a response.  Fancy!  I look forward to your call about how your company makes me guilty of retail fraud.

17th April 2020:  Ermmm... What's Happening with Multi-Buy Here As Well?

I'm glad that Rob Hattrell is so, "...passionate about the role technology and eBay play in powering entrepreneurship and creating opportunity," because here's another eBay Multi-Buy failure that results in me committing retail fraud, and you can reproduce this one consistently.  You can click on the screenshot below for a bigger image of one of my listings.

So, this is a variation listing.  Variation listings include slightly different variations of the same thing, like different size T-shirts.  Some unscrupulous sellers will try to fiddle this system by having a list of different size T-shirts for £9.95, and then another variation for a stick-on badge for 99pee in an attempt to get to the top of a list of items listed by lowest price first.  Naughty!  This is forbidden by the rules.  However, it's explicitly allowed to have the XXXL T-shirt at a different price than the XS one.  Equally well, in this example we have a series of different capacitance values from the same range of capacitors.  The bigger ones are more expensive.  Fine.  That's all clean and above-board.  When you select the appropriate capacitance on the drop-down box, the prices change and you also see the correct prices on the Buy 1, Buy 2, and Buy 3 multi-buy buttons.  Hang on though, below that it says,  "4 or more for £3.75 each." 

"Oh that sounds like a bargain," says the customer, bungs four into their basket and hits checkout and pay.  Not realising that in fact, that particular part of multi-buy does not change price when you select your desired capacitance value, and continues to show you the price for four of a different variation.  Useless!  No, worse than useless.  Because that's a retail pricing offer that is subsequently changed without warning, it's fraud.  In this particular case the price for four looks unusually low and most customers will notice, and check the price in shopping cart.  But that need not be true in all cases. 

It's yet another ebay programming monkey failure which no-one cares about, because guess what?  If the customer is over-charged, that's more fees for Ebay in the very short term, while I have to deal with the annoyed customers and issue costly refunds.  I'll call this one in on the telephone next week to see if the reaction is anything greater than the usual slopey-shouldered shrug, and 45 minutes of pretending not to understand the problem.  I find it remarkable though.  Supermarkets have ended up in court with similar problems where the price marked on the shelf was different to that charged at the checkout.  The analogy is direct, so I hope that you've got your best suit and tie ready Rob Hattrell, VP eBay UK, because if I end up in the dock, you're going to be right there next to me.

Henry:  "What, Rob; You didn't know about it?"

But I've posted links to this page as comments on the ebay Facebook page, and I'll be on the telephone to eBay seller support about it next week.  Don't worry, I'll mention your name in person for the tape, and say that it's an urgent legal issue about eBay trading practices.

Update 26-MAY-2020:

As if it were possible, it's even worse than that.  The much vaunted "Ebay Multi-Buy discounts" not only frequently fail to apply correctly, not only show misleading prices, but also sometimes apply when they should not!  Ebay claim that during the current virus issues, they can't find a way to employ call centre staff in such a way that they can work from home, which we know from previous experience that they can.  So instead we are forced to use the text chat system.  The level of deliberately obtuse misunderstanding in order to try to avoid addressing the point that I've experienced here is very annoying, but one must be dogged and carry on explaining the situation, as if to a child.  Here is a transcript which proves that multi-buy discount has been applied incorrectly to two completely separate transactions from the same person:

Welcome to eBay Live Help. My name is Raja. I would be happy to help you today. Please stay connected while I review your query.

Hello Henry,

Hi

I can see that you are concern about a discount applied incorrectly, am I correct?

Yes that's right.

Order no. 21-05041-93702

May I know it you want to alter the discount offer or is there anything else I could do for you with this?

Can you see that order in paid and dispatched items?

Ah! the item has been sold already, no worries, Please share the buyer id and I will assist you further :)

johnny_#####

Thank you for sharing this with me, i can see that the item is showing in sold section.

Right. And how many were sold?

on transaction id 21-05041-93702

The item "Solder Lug Connection 16mm Log Potentiometer" has been sold for two times to - "johnny_#####"

On tranasaction id 21-05041-93702 there is one item sold.

Henry I would like to share that every transaction Id remain different for transaction on site.

Well, on the single transaction that you can see are seperate sales there was one item sold then.

ALso, May I know what exact resolution you are seeking for so that I can have a better understanding in order to resolve this quick and efficiently up to your satisfaction?

Yes. There are two single transactions there.. The customer has bought one item on each. A discount has been applied incorrectly. £2.87 has been charged rather than £2.96. This is not a new problem.

Thank you for sharing this with me Henry, please allow me a moment to check every detail with you so that I can clear this for you.

Henry, as I have check this for you and found that there are two discounts, which are item price discount and postage discount as well, may I know which one of them you think applied incorrectly?

No postage discount was applied. The item price has been discounted incorrectly . These are two separate transactions.

The item price on each transaction should have been £2.96.

Let me share what has happened here.

I can see that you have created multi buy discount, as per which for two items the price would be £2.87 each. So now buyer has purchased two items for which the original price was £2.96 each however, as per the multi buy discount system applied £0.09 item discount and hence the final price is £2.87 each.

No. Not on two separate transaction it should not.

And you can clearly See with Your Eyes that there are two searate transactions, so why even say that?

Yes, I can see that there are two separate transaction and I totally agree with you however, I will have to check this from the other end, which I am already up to and I will surely clear this as well for you :)

It's happened before on a single transaction. Do you want me to drag that one up for you?

Henry, I can see that you are absolutely correct as the discount should not be applicable to single transactions and hence I am escalating this to get a clarification. Please be assured as we will reach back to you within 24-73 hours via email with a clarification on this, will that be okay?

Yes, thankyou.

You're welcome Henry.

Goodbye for now, then.

I am sorry that you have to face this and please take care and stay safe :)

It was my pleasure assisting you today. Thank you for contacting eBay. Have a wonderful time ahead!

Chat ended by vila_restor

Now, I can't offer discounts on separate transactions because of the once-per-transaction paypal fee, even if they do happen shortly after each other from the same user.  As also mentioned in the transcript, this has happened once before, on a single transaction for one item.  So what became of the promised response within three days?  The above conversation was ten days ago.  Nothing will happen, Rob Hattrell, VP of Ebay UK.  That's not an Ebay promise, that's a Henry Walmsley promise based on my everyday experience of eBay lies. 

27-MAY-2020:

Oh, I do apologise.  Oddly, the very next morning after the last post on this website I received an ebay site message.  Actually, no I didn't!  It was a Direct Email from customerhelp_uk@ebay.com .  It reads thus:

Follow up regarding Multi Buy Discount issue SR# 1-261391692697

Hello Henry,

 

 

This is a follow up from eBay customer support with regard to the credit for the unsold items.

We apologize for the long wait as we are still looking into this matter. I’m sorry for the inconvenience it has caused to you.

 

We are working closely with the relevant team to seek a resolution for your query. Please do not worry, we will be taking full ownership of your query until we can get a resolution and would monitor your account to ensure that you are not experiencing any other issues.

 We cannot state the stipulated time, however you would be contacted sooner as we get any update from our technical team.

 

Thank you and have a blessed day!

 

Kind Regards,

Raja S.

eBay Customer Support

[THREAD ID: 1-3C2XV4WR]

£3 for it.  Actually, it could be worse.  It is probably possible to make the global discount higher than the specific one.  Then the customer would see a big discount and get a smaller one at checkout.  I'll try this to see if that is possible.  Of course, that would be ebay systems enabling retail fraud, which you might well do accidentally if you weren't reading this.

So, displaying one discount and giving a bigger one is a clear site failure, at least it is to me.  What do ebay seller support have to say about this?
Here's the telephone call - Yes, the 'phones are back.  Oh, joy unrestrained!  Click to listen:

23-JUL-2020 Ebay Seller Support Call where an Immediate Ebay Lie Causes an Argument About Recording 'Phone Calls, Followed by a Very Helpful Person Called Eric who Agrees That the eBay Multi-Buy Discount System as it Currently Stands is "Completely Useless."

Summary: 

1)  Well, ebay first line telephone support. I don't know what such a big successful corporation could be so afraid of, but if you are allowed to record telephone calls for 'training and quality purposes,' then I am also allowed to record telephone calls for 'training and quality purposes.'  It might, you never know, improve your quality one day.  The first line telephone operative finds a way around this ebay lie by carrying on the call while 'not giving me authorization to record it.'  Fine!

2)  I explain the problem to a very helpful man called Eric who I suspect is based in Ireland.  Basically, we both agree that the system should definitely never display one price and charge another, and is therefore, "completely useless."  His words and mine.  We also agree that a proper solution to this problem is unlikely to happen, ever.  He promises to have a look into it anyway to see if there is some way to work around it.  I thank him for his time.

So.  I deactivate the global multi-buy discount so that the smaller number of listing specific discounts show correctly.  Unfortunately this results in people who might like to buy multiple different items having to pay more, and I make fewer sales as a result.  Yet another much-vaunted ebay feature that is completely useless, much like Rob Hattrell, VP of ebay UK for example, who I have no doubt is aware of this issue, but who carries on regardless allowing new silly features to be added to the website, while failing to correct the existing critical functional failures.  Those much-vaunted failures which I pay to use in my monthly fees and shop subscription.

Thanks Rob,

Until the next time:)

25-AUG-2020:  Another Customer Loses Out on his Ebay Multi-Buy Promotional Discount and Makes Me Guilty of Retail Fraud - Again.

This problem was first reported to ebay by me way back on 7th April 2020, four months ago.  The response then was complete denial.  On the 23rd August I spotted another instance.  The listing was for items priced at £2.95 for one, and £2.83 for three:



Just in case you thought that I might have recently edited the listing, here's the revision history:




So the last edit was on 24th July.  We have to establish all these facts beforehand, or else the ebay telephone support liars will just use claims like "you have edited the listing" as their excuse during the call, as we have heard earlier.

Finally, a list of recent sales from that listing and the prices charged for the items.



We can see that on the 6th August, someone successfully buys four relays for the correct reduced price of £2.80, there are no subsequent edits to the listing, and on 23rd August a UK customer buys three and is charged the full price of £2.95.  The price per item should have been £2.83.  Showing one price and charging another is retail fraud.  So, I refund the customer his 36pee via paypal, paypal keep all their fees on the full price and ebay keep all their fees on the full price.  Over the entire ebay sales world, this must be inflating the bonuses of Rob Hattrell, VP of Ebay UK and several Californians by Millions Upon Millions Of Pounds.  Remember, it's been Four Months since I first reported this, and I've not inspected every single transaction.

To the Ebay seller support telephone line then, I think.  Click to hear the recording:

25-AUG-2020 Roger of Ebay Customer Support Admits That I Am Not The Only One Suffering Multi-Buy Promotion Failures Resulting in Retail Fraud and Says That, "It Will Never Happen Again!"

Summary:  Roger promises that this will never happen again then goes into what I'm going to describe from now on as covering up the truth while saying nothing, "Blabber Mode."  He then tells an ebay lie about this being "Top Priority."  We also establish that the much vaunted multi-buy promotion system does not function on most international sites.  There is also a post-script with the delightful Sharmaine about the upcoming new ebay managed payments system.  I look forward to that being implemented flawlessly.

Still not very good, Rob Hattrell, is it?  Did you actually finish your geography degree at Oxford?  Still, I look forward to you being being a co-defendant in the dock at my trial for retail fraud.  Actually, I won't be in the dock because I'm giving refunds where it occurs.  So it will just be... *You.*  After all, you are

"accountable for all operations in that market."

04-SEP-2020 Roger Was An Ebay Liar - Because it Did Happen Again.  More Ebay Multi-Buy Promotion Retail Fraud.

So, after I was assured on the 25th August that, "It will never happen again," another of my customers was defrauded by ebay systems and I have to pick up the pieces.
It's the usual story.  The customer chooses to buy three of the same item, in this case a stereo potentiometer.  Multi-Buy says £3.00 each, ebay checkout charges the full price, £3.45. 

Here's the order as it appears in my paid and dispatched list, noting that it is a UK buyer with a CF postcode:



And here's the listing:



And here's the part of the listing showing when it was last modified, just so that there can be no, "You must have modified the listing," confusion as was the first ebay excuse back in April:



OK, so there's no mistake on my part, and even ebay now admit that this is happening.  This is not good enough.  I first reported this six months ago on 7th April 2020.  It's retail fraud and should therefore be considered to be an emergency, not something to first deny and then to delay for six months.  So, it's onto the telephone again.  Warning, there's a full forty minutes worth of this.  You can click on the link to hear the call in its entirety.  I have spared you the hold music:

04-SEP-2020 Recording of Ebay Seller Support admitting Multi-Buy Promotions Fail Thus Charging Customers Too Much, And More.

Summary:

An ebay customer support person repeats back to me what I have already told her, tells me that it is nothing to worry about, and goes into "Ebay Excuse Blabber Mode."
An ebay customer support manager "Jim" repeats back to me what I have already told him.
I am assured that this problem first reported six months ago is being given top priority.
"Jim" gives me a magic reference number.
"Jim" refuses to contact Robert Hattrell VP of ebay UK directly in this emergency but will raise it with "higher management," through the usual channels.
I say it's not good enough, and inform "Jim" that I intend to raise this with UK Trading Standards as ongoing retail fraud.

There is another slight twist to this issue.  Twice today when I checked the listing, the multi-buy promotion had disappeared.  Here's a screenshot from today:



Spooky!  A few minutes later the promotion came back, using the same exact same browser, viewing from the browser that was accessing my ebay account.  Then it was gone once more, and a few minutes later it came back.  So maybe some customers are seeing this version and buying when the multi-buy promotion is mysteriously not showing.  But we know from the 7th April 2020 report from the customer that at least some people are buying expecting a lower price and not getting the discount that they have seen with their eyes.  What's going on?  Maybe the defrauded customer clicks on the discount, then pays a few seconds later when ebay has mysteriously deactivated the promotion.

16-SEP-2020:  More Multi-Buy Failure Updates and Some Interesting Information That Slips Out During an Ebay Seller Support Phone Call

So, the multi-buy promotion failures continue unabated with many similar instances to those shown above.  I'd say that they occur about 30% of the time, though I've not done a full count.  They do not always result in a retail fraud situation.  What is happening is that the multi-buy promotions are appearing and disappearing.  My guess is that when a customer actually complains, the promotion has disappeared in-between the customer hitting the 'Buy Four' button and the system registering the sale.  This remains under further investigation on my part.  The phone call on this day concerning a particularly obvious failure is linked below, and you can click on the link to listen to it.  I have sent a message to my customer asking if he could see the promotion, and if he made his purchase expecting a discount.  I should not have to bother my customers with such questions.  Some interesting events and comments fell out of this conversation.

16-SEP-2020 Call to ebay seller support about the six month long ongoing failure of multi-buy promotions.

Call Summary:

The call operative actually witnessed the promotion re-appearing having first said that there was no promotion active, and she confirms this.
Ebay admit that this has been occurring since at least April 2020.
The call operative states that the problem is occurring on ebay.uk and ebay.com.
The call operative states that the problem does not occur on all selling accounts.

How strange!  Why could that ever be?

17-SEP-2020 The Helpful Customer Responds The He Did Indeed Buy Via The Multi-Buy Promotion - And That Therefore He

Showing The Multi-Buy Promotion



Order Details Page Showing Incorrect Non-Application Of Mult-Buy Discount for Item Number

114166030939 and the Subsequent Refund Instigated By Me



Ebay site message exchange with my customer

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New message to: *Helpful Customer* Sent: 02-Oct-20 14:37

Hello *Helpful Customer*,
Sorry to bother you. When you bought these two neons did you see any promotion on the page like "buy 2 for £2.51?" If you did, you may have been overcharged by an ebay failure. If you could let me know it would be most helpful.
Thanks,
Henry Walmsley.
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New message from: *Helpful Customer* Sent: 02-Oct-20 17:16

There was indeed a "buy 2 for £2.51" box on the page. I never thought to check that that had been applied. Don't worry if it's difficult to sort out, it's only pennies in the scheme of things.
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This response from the customer indicates again why this kind of problem is considered to be straightforward retail fraud under UK law.  Because it is.  So, it's onto the Batphone once more to see what ebay Seller "Support" have to say about this latest example.  You can click on the link below to hear the conversation in full.

05-OCT-2020:  The Ebay Seller Support Telephone Line Continue to Describe The Problem With Multi-Buy Promotions Failing and Causing Retail Fraud as an Inconvenience and that it will be Reported and Fixed Soon.

Call Summary:

1)  Oddly, this call operative can add up numbers, and doesn't try every silly deception in the book to deny the problem.  Weird!  What's going on?
2)  I do the refund and get a very vague promise that I will get the fees back on the 88p.
3)  I make it clear that Robert Hattrell VP of Ebay UK will be with me in the dock if I end up in court in front of Tradings Standards, so he ought to be told about this problem.
4)  I point out that this was first reported by me on 7th April 2020.
5)  All the usual lies about it being a priority which we've come to expect by now, etc. etc. 

Not so much of a priority to stop the ebay programming children spending time messing about with the website fonts, cosmetic layout, and busily adding on other sub-standard features to the badly understood and creaking underlying infrastructure which cause even more failures and inconvenience, though.  You can read about some of those on my other pages.

15-OCT-2020 The Same Ebay Multi-Buy Promotion Price Misrepresentation Retail Fraud Problem Occurs Again, and I Get The Same Nil Response From Seller Support

Same story again. 



You can see that I *did* modify that listing at 14:53 that day, but only to reduce the amount of stock visible on the recently purchased C1M variant, as I was running out.

Check with the customer:
_____________________

Hi there,
Yes there were discount boxes, Ive attached a screenshot
of what is displayed on the item page below
Thanks for contacting me
All the best
*JS*


____________________

Here are the eBay telephone lies.  You can click on the links below to hear the lies in full.

eBay accept that Multi-Buy Promotion Failures result in Retail Fraud and after much discussion, and being put through to the wrong people, a little singing boy child cuts me off.

Well that's not good enough, is it?  No.

I Complain at being cut-off by an Interrupting Ebay Child Call Operative

I also see that Robert Hattrell is no longer VP of ebay UK.  No.  He is now Senior Vice President of Ebay Europe.  Well lad, I'm delighted to see that eight months of retail fraud on your website has lifted you to such a lofty position.  I dare say that your promotion is due to the extra money generated by systematic ebay retail fraud on the online marketplace for which you are responsible.

22-OCT-2020:  Another Instance of Ebay Price Misrepresentation aka Fraud From 17th October 2020

Unless they are particularly relevant or provide new information, I'll spare you most of the screenshots thenceforth and skip straight to registering the fraud event, the subsequent telephone calls and some discussion.  On 17th October 2020 another customer bought two items from a listing with an active MBP.  He was overcharged by 24pee.  I issue a refund because I'm not a criminal.  But what about the ebay fees on that 24pee?  Approximately 2.4pee.  Not a massive amount in the grand scheme of things but no; Wait.  Actually, it is.  Worldwide, that's millions of pounds a year.  Once again, in each of these instances, ebay has to be given the right to reply.  So, it's onto the, "ebay telephone of lies."  You can click on the link below to hear the call in all its extended gory detail.

22-OCT-2020:  Ebay Seller Support Try To Deny a Retail Fraud Problem Again, Claim to have Issued a Fee Refund Which is Invisible To Me, and Blatantly Lie About Informing Robert Hattrell, SVP of eBay Europe

Call Summary:

1)  We try to establish the issue while 'Bler' fetches her pocket calculator, then we get some made-up excuses about buying one item.
2)  I attempt to establish that the problem is not an inconvenience or a glitch, it is systematic ongoing retail fraud.
3)  I issue a refund to the customer.
4)  I try to establish a visible transaction in my ebay account where I can see my ebay fee refunded, and the last one from 15th October.
5)  Having been assured that the credit had been issued, we find that an unusual thing called "Validation" actually has to occur before the credit is issued.
6)  Some ebay "blabber mode"
7)  I still can't see the credit.
8)  'Bler' says that she does not have full access to my account.  LIE DETECTED!

16-NOV-2020

Suella Braverman,
House of Commons,
London.
SW1A 0AA.

Dear Suella Braverman,

Since January 2012 my primary source of income has been as a self-employed seller of electronic components primarily using the ebay online marketplace.  On 13th November I took part in an online webinar run by ebay entitled, "Power Up Your Online Sales," where you were one of the speakers.

You should be aware of the many thousands of deeply frustrated ebay sellers who would like to "Power Up Their Online Sales," but are prevented from doing so by a variety of ebay site malfunctions, illegal sales limiting activity hidden within their computer systems, and retail fraud committed by ebay system failures.  Those failures are directly connected to a site feature that was specifically promoted during the last webinar. 

I have been meticulous in documenting these issues, giving ebay a chance to respond every time.  On no occasion have I received a satisfactory response.  In particular, an issue with customers seeing one price and then being charged a higher price at checkout has been ongoing since 7th April 2020.  That has still not been resolved as of this date, and the last occurrence was on 5th November.  That is retail fraud.

All my documentation is available in public and online at the following secure https web address:

https://www.interestingelectronics.com/old/henrys_interesting_electronics/customer_service/ebay/ebay_main_page.html

Somewhere in your schedule, I urge you to consider the following actions:

1) Put aside some time to look at these pages, to understand the importance of the points made and the dismissive responses given to me by ebay.

2) Bring these points and the online documentation to the attention of your ebay contact or Robert Hattrell who, "Is responsible for all ebay activities in the region."

3) Reconsider your apparent public connection with ebay UK, who consider retail fraud to be so unimportant that it can be ignored for eight months.

Yours Sincerely,

Henry J. Walmsley.

I am delighted to be taking over the reins at eBay UK, which is an incredibly exciting business in normal times, and is proving to be an even more significant business in this developing ‘new normal’."

Well, we live in interesting times, Murray!  Let's hope that your 'new normal' <cough> includes fewer instances of consumer fraud committed by your website, eh?



More to follow, as it occurs.

01-MAR-2021 Two More Instances Of Ebay Multi-Buy Promotion Failure Retail Fraud Within Two Days

On 13-FEB-2021-22:17 a customer ordered two items and was charged the full price for one item twice, rather than the discount price for two.  On this particular occasion, the customer did not see the discounts, but as a UK customer, he should have done.  This demonstrates the ongoing issue of multi-buy promotions disappearing seemingly at random.  Oddly enough, it seems to be when I'm selling a respectable amount, and ebay systems are desperate to reduce this.  There are currently three seller support telephone calls associated with this report, two of which clearly involve passing the proverbial Hot Potato, as if it's a radioactive lump of spent fuel.

15-FEB-2021:  Ebay Jeannie makes a series of excuses and tries to drop the retail fraud hot potato.  No, I will call back for the refund.

Call Summary: 

1) We establish the facts at length.  I wish that I did not have to do this every time, but when you do not, you get a flat denial from ebay.
2) Jeannie pretends to create a bug report.  Liar.  It takes much more typing to do that than we hear on the call.
3) I ask for a fee refund and Jeannie tries to pass me somewhere else to avoid the negative feedback on the call.  Nope!

15-FEB-2021:  Managed Payments supposedly provide a Fee Refund and I get Embroiled in Reporting the Site Issue Yet Again

Call Summary:

1) Establish Facts, supposedly get a fee refund on the refund amount.
2) Hot potato drop 1, long hold
3) Hot potato drop 2, long hold
4) Put through to the pretend village idiot / fall girl.
5) Attempted obfuscation by numbers, along with hilarious call centre laughter in the background.
6) Some "blabber mode," about when the promotion was created.
7) Cut off!
8) I was called back and am forced to make it clear that the line was not dropped at my end.
9) "This is really a glitch on our system." - a small admission.  "We are really sorry, but there is no problem" (!)  "It is the only one."  (Lie!)
10) We discuss when this was, "all fixed."  More Lies.
11) I say again that this is retail fraud.
12) We establish that not all accounts are affected.
13) The telephone operative pretends to create a bug report as a priority, but can't guarantee anything.  No, indeed.  Not if you don't create the report because the whole thing is too much of a hot potato to even document for legal reasons.
14) I suggest that Murray Lambell needs to hear about the retail fraud being committed by his online marketplace, for which he is responsible.
15) I get 58pee back, as if it's some kind of gift from god.  'Gee Thanks, eBay!'  What do you want, some kind of Ebay, "Best Liar" Badge?

Upping the online ante slightly, you can now see and hear that last call in full, including the hold music on YouTube, Murray Lambell:

YouTube Video of Ebay Seller Support Call Discussing Multi-Buy Promotions Causing Retail Fraud, 01

That's all for now.  The second retail fraud incident that week, and the subsequent ebay telephone 'support' lies will follow shortly.

 
03-MAR-2021 Another Confirmed Case of Retail Fraud Caused by Ebay Systems on 17-MAR-2021

On 17th March 2021 I spotted another case of ebay retail fraud committed by ebay systems on my behalf on 17th March 2021.  I sent a site message to the customer to ask if he saw the multi-buy promotion boxes:
______________________________________
Henry:  "Hello Nice Customer,
You've been overcharged on your order by an ongoing intermittent failure in ebay systems to apply multi-buy discounts correctly. Your total of £8.90 should have been £8.20. I'll refund the difference manually later on tomorrow. Meanwhile it would be immensely useful for me if you could let me know if you saw the discounts when you viewed the listing, boxes saying "Buy 2 £3.11 Each."
Thanks,
Henry Walmsley."

Nice Customer:  "Hi, thanks for the refund - didn’t realise I’d been overcharged. I did see the discount box when I chose to buy two of the pots.
Cheers.  N.C."
______________________________________

Once again, clear price misrepresentation retail fraud.  So, off we go again to the ebay telephone seller 'support' telephone line of lies.  You can hear the entire phone call with just the hold music edited out here:

17-FEB-2021 Ebay Seller Support Call to Report More Retail Fraud Caused by the eBay Website.

Call Summary:

1) Just the usual denials, lies, and hot potato drops writ extremely large on this particular occasion.
2) I refund the customer during the call.
3) Absolutely no resolution of the issue.
4) I complain, invoke Murray Lambell General Manager of eBay UK, who is responsible for all ebay UK activities including retail fraud.
5) I am told to write to the Dublin dustbin ebay complaints address, as if we're living in the 19th century.  I suggest delivering it by horse and cart.

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