Grrrrr..angry. Ebay and the alleged cat tree. Rant.

minxie

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Sorry I need to vent


I was overjoyed last week when I won a cat tree on ebay (some of you would have seen it as I posted a pic of it in this forum)

I won the auction at a bargain price and was really impressed with the seller (great past feedback and they immediately sent me details of UPS delivery and a tracking number)

The day came for scheduled delivery. No cat tree.

Called UPS. They said there seemed to be a problem on the seller's end and they could not collect.

Called the seller. I was told after a while that the cat tree had to be RECALLED and they they are not looking to sell the cat tree anymore, unless they can get replacement stock which could take about a month. Gee, thanks for telling me that.


They promised me an immediate refund ("Yes as soon as I get off the phone I'll refund your money via paypal"). 2 days later...no refund from paypal. I was going beserk. When I called the seller..they HUNG UP on me. Only when I lodged a complaint with paypal did the seller coperate and give me my money back.

Wht annoys me is that they have about 10 auctions at the moment for the same tree and these poor people are bidding away thinking they are getting a bargain, but infact there is a problem with the cat tree and the seller is not looking to sell the item anymore unless they can get more stock - which means a long wait ahead if they do.

If I have notified ebay of my concerns. But Im just glad to get my money back.

Now I have to go look for another cat tree
It took me ages to find one I liked at a price I liked


Sorry...just really annoyed. Every day I look at my current cat tree I get severely depressed as its a wreck. Was so looking forward to treating my babies with the new one.
 

ping

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Who did you order from? Armarkat is the company I hear a lot of people buy from on ebay and have no issues. They also have their own site and I believe they make their own furniture. I would check them out.
 

proudkittiemom

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i second what ping has said, i got 2 cat trees from Amarkat and ive had no problems with them at all and i got it off ebay, and now my brother just ordered one from them and my grandma from someone else! And I know ur fustration, it is so hard to win on these trees
it took us a few days, and my brother did it one to three
now my grandma we fought for a few hours but finally got one and since my brother was paying for it she payed over 80$ we told her to go higher on a different one she wanted but she didnt incase he made her pay for it
But many
to u!
 

natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by minxie

Called the seller. I was told after a while that the cat tree had to be RECALLED and they they are not looking to sell the cat tree anymore, unless they can get replacement stock which could take about a month. Gee, thanks for telling me that.


They promised me an immediate refund ("Yes as soon as I get off the phone I'll refund your money via paypal"). 2 days later...no refund from paypal. I was going beserk. When I called the seller..they HUNG UP on me. Only when I lodged a complaint with paypal did the seller coperate and give me my money back.

Wht annoys me is that they have about 10 auctions at the moment for the same tree and these poor people are bidding away thinking they are getting a bargain, but infact there is a problem with the cat tree and the seller is not looking to sell the item anymore unless they can get more stock - which means a long wait ahead if they do.
Sounds like a load of BS to me. Sounds to me like you were going to be the victim of a scam. You say that the trees have been recalled? Where is the proof of that? If it has why are their auctions still up? Why didn't they give you your money back promptly and why did they hang up on you when you called them back about it?

Instead of being upset I think you should be grateful because you were involved with shadey people and didn't get taken for a ride.

I won't deal with eBay because of stuff like you described. I'd rather go to a store, inspect the merchandise, pay for it and take it home. It costs me a bit more, but it's piece of mind and I know I'm getting what I paid for.
 

sillyjilly

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I've heard of the Amarkat too! There is also the sponsor of this forum at the top called Spoil My Kitty, you may try that. Glad you did actually finally got you $$ back!
 

lillekat

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I agree, it sounds like you have had a very close call! I'd be mad too, so don't feel bad about ranting! I'm so glad you got your money back.
It's precious dollars you can spend on spoilling the cats - purchasing from someone more worth your time!
 
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minxie

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Yes Ive seen the Armarkat trees. As Im in the UK, I have to order from Armarkat Germany. The prices on ebay are not bad, but shipping is the killer.

And yes, i agree with you guys - I think they are trying to take advantage of people who don't kick up a fuss. I mean hanging up on someone as soon as they hear its me..how rude is that? Not answering emails. Not giving money back when they know they have no intention of sending you the product (unless paypal gets onto them). It gives ebay a bad name and spoils it for all those other great ebay sellers as the consumer market becomes more and more wary.

Im not totally put off ebay yet. But if something like this ever happens again, I dont think I will buy anything over £20 again on ebay.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

I won't deal with eBay because of stuff like you described. I'd rather go to a store, inspect the merchandise, pay for it and take it home. It costs me a bit more, but it's piece of mind and I know I'm getting what I paid for.
There's nothing wrong with ebay, and there's plenty of honest sellers. No matter where you go there's always going to be some rotten scum that will try to take advantage of you.


One thing that helps is to read all of a seller's feedback, if you're not comfortable at all with any of the feedback or if they have a high amount of negative comments it's best to pass them over. This is actually a good idea when shopping anywhere online, if you can find store reviews it can really help save you trouble and give some peace of mind.


Originally Posted by minxie

Im not totally put off ebay yet. But if something like this ever happens again, I dont think I will buy anything over £20 again on ebay.
I'm sort of that way too, I don't like to spend a large amount on there. I'm glad paypal took care of that for you and got your refund.
 

babyharley

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This is why I've never done anything on ebay before!


I'm glad you got your money back... I hope you can find a kitty tree for them soon!
 

littleraven7726

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i really don't like ebay. my husband got scammed on something, but at least he was only out $5-$10. every time i sold something on there i never got a decent price.

have you checked out the trees on www.drsfostersmith.com if i had room i'd get a tree from there. i've heard very good things about their furniture.
 

xxtashaxx

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thats to bad hun
iv just had a simillar problem , i order a toy for my son , 2 weeks later still nothng even after sending emails , so today i sent them an email saying i shall leave bad feedback ect.. and get in contact with ebay if i dont get a reply.
she replys back saying sorry it must have got lost in the post , she said she has not recived any emails from myself.
this is the second time this has happend in the last month!!!
 

lochnessmonster

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Sorry to hear about your rotten experience. I just bought myself a large cat tree on ebay and have to say I had no problems. It does suck however when things dont go as planned. X
 

reesespbc

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Sorry to hear that. I deal with Ebay all the time either buying or selling and have only had a bad experience once while buying a rare VHS tape.

Did you leave the seller negative feedback? If not, do it. I usually check the sellers feedback and if I saw that and I was bidding on the same item, I would think twice. Did you report them to Ebay too? You said "If I report to Ebay" which I didn't know if that meant you did or you were thinking about it. If not, definately do it.

I'd be frustrated too but just be happy that you got a refund. You'll find another one I'm sure
 

duchess15

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Sometimes you get what you pay for and all too often if the offer is too good to be true, it usually means something's not right. Ebay is a great place to buy and sell, if you know what you are doing and it's not good for everything.
I would never buy large items, expensive items, or electronic equipment on ebay. Why? For the reasons above and individuals sellers often can not guarantee warranties that come with such items.
It does sound like a scam to me especially when they said they would refund your money and didn't until threatened by the thought of legal action. I am very happy that you were able to recover your money and I would follow the suggestions of many who posted above me and go with a well-known company. Reliability often comes with a price, but at least you know what you are getting for your money.
 
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