srtiwari
Daktari
I have bought and sold many items here on RFF, (as well as on PN) and the overall experience of these transactions has been quite satisfying. One gets to "meet" and correspond with new people, both parties get what they set out for, and one gets a chance to "deal" with people in a more personal way, however "virtual" this might be. Any hurdles are usually overcome quite amicably.
Every so often however, things don't go too smoothly, and no amount of "working it" helps. One is left with a bad taste in one's mouth, and a dilemma as to how best to deal with the situation, and how best to look approach future transactions.
Several months ago I bought a Hassy which caused me some pain. After weeks of not hearing from the seller, it finally arrived, in nowhere the condition it was described as. I was never able to communicate with the seller who weeks later, sent me a brief, seemingly guilt-ridden note that asked "Did you really not get the Kit ? I'm sorry". I finally sold the kit at a loss of several hundred dollars.
Unfortunately, last week a similar problem occured- I bought an M4 described as "Like New", a description repeated to me upon my specifically asking about the cosmetic condition, as I was looking for a collector grade piece. Well, the camera arrived with bright-marks, a fine superficial scratch on the top plate, and a sharp ding on the side. My attempts to contact the seller for a resolution have been to no avail, except for one quick response telling me that "it was a 40+ yr. old camera". I believe almost anyone on RFF would have graded it closer to a User/Exc, let alone a "Like New", Exc ++, or even Exc+. (I did consider posting pictures here, but thought the better of it).
At this point, there is a PayPal claim filed, and I await further word.
This is truly disappointing in a community such as RFF, where one comes as much for the camaraderie as the trading. It is bad enough to feel cheated, but worse when it happens amongst supposed "friends". Since public floggings and the "tar and feathers" routines are no longer acceptable, I wish there was a better way to deal with these occurrences.
My reason for starting thread was mainly to "Vent" my frustration, since there might not be any other recourse. But I was also curious if others have encountered this, and how they have dealt with it. In the end, I might just need to remind myself that " It takes all kinds..." ,chalk it up to experience, and move on without becoming too cynical. 🙁
Subhash
Every so often however, things don't go too smoothly, and no amount of "working it" helps. One is left with a bad taste in one's mouth, and a dilemma as to how best to deal with the situation, and how best to look approach future transactions.
Several months ago I bought a Hassy which caused me some pain. After weeks of not hearing from the seller, it finally arrived, in nowhere the condition it was described as. I was never able to communicate with the seller who weeks later, sent me a brief, seemingly guilt-ridden note that asked "Did you really not get the Kit ? I'm sorry". I finally sold the kit at a loss of several hundred dollars.
Unfortunately, last week a similar problem occured- I bought an M4 described as "Like New", a description repeated to me upon my specifically asking about the cosmetic condition, as I was looking for a collector grade piece. Well, the camera arrived with bright-marks, a fine superficial scratch on the top plate, and a sharp ding on the side. My attempts to contact the seller for a resolution have been to no avail, except for one quick response telling me that "it was a 40+ yr. old camera". I believe almost anyone on RFF would have graded it closer to a User/Exc, let alone a "Like New", Exc ++, or even Exc+. (I did consider posting pictures here, but thought the better of it).
At this point, there is a PayPal claim filed, and I await further word.
This is truly disappointing in a community such as RFF, where one comes as much for the camaraderie as the trading. It is bad enough to feel cheated, but worse when it happens amongst supposed "friends". Since public floggings and the "tar and feathers" routines are no longer acceptable, I wish there was a better way to deal with these occurrences.
My reason for starting thread was mainly to "Vent" my frustration, since there might not be any other recourse. But I was also curious if others have encountered this, and how they have dealt with it. In the end, I might just need to remind myself that " It takes all kinds..." ,chalk it up to experience, and move on without becoming too cynical. 🙁
Subhash
