Buyer Beware

andrewjbryson

A particular member on this Forum sold me a Multi-effects pedal.

He claimed that it was in working order (good working order), etc.

After taking quite a while to send it, I finally received it.

However, after a few minutes of it being powered on, it starts repeating the soundwave,

(almost like an eternal echo of the soundwave, but with other noise interference)

He claims that it was working before he sent it off.

The pedal arrived in a box, sealed with plastic wrap(bubble wrap), so I doubt it got abused along the way.

My question : Am I entitled to a refund of my cash?
Should I accept my loss and GAS elsewhere?

Comments appreciated

inflames

That sucks!

That type of malfunction could not be due to shipping!
How old is the unit? Did you try a software reset?

I would want my cash back!

andrewjbryson

I took it to a professional and he claims there is actual circuit issues.

Don't know if this guy knows his stuff, but he claims that certain parts of the circuit have overheated/ melted even.

Anyhows...

Since this post, The member has kindly offered to pay me the money back for a refund.
I appreciate his co-operation.

evolucian

I think you should sue and go to the supreme court afterwards for extra punishment. Oh wait, nevermind.

Maybe just kick up a big fuss like posting something about it. Oh wait...

I'd be PISSED!!!!

Gearhead

Couple of thoughts:
- there would be added value to the forum making sure buyers and sellers are protected, though I'm not sure how to best do that
- starting a thread is not always a good way, depending on how 'nice' people play it
- some folks don't respond well to PMs being sent.

Since he offered to refund and take back, you guys will be equally dissatisfied (which is not the same as equally satisfied but close enough).

inflames

Good to hear Andrew,

I have had some great deals from forum members. Buying things blindly and we are not talking a pedal ?
It is always a risk buying equipment you did not test yourself!

Good on the forum member for repaying you!
+1

NorioDS

Well-handled AJB. You vented without naming and shaming (which so often ends worse than intended) and got what you needed out of it.

Gearhead, I have no idea how to offer that sort of protection. It's a lot of work. Easiest is to add to your forum sig something like:

Have had good dealings with: AJB, Gearhead, AlanR

And not mention the bad dealings (for fear of one-sided accusations and undue public humiliation, etc)

inflames

Gearhead, I have no idea how to offer that sort of protection.

Indeed Norio, there is no way for the forum owners to protect the users. This is the same with Gumtree.

The good dealings with idea is great! I should update mine!

aubs1

Hey Andrew, I would have been quite pissed off myself........but I'm happy to hear that the member has agreed to take it back and refund you.....wow......that's cool......

andrewjbryson

Shot norio

You can go ahead and kill this thread , if you wish

I just wanted to get the particular person's attention as no PM' were being replied too.

Thanks

Gearhead

Norio wrote Gearhead, I have no idea how to offer that sort of protection. It's a lot of work. Easiest is to add to your forum sig something like:
Have had good dealings with: AJB, Gearhead, AlanR

I don't like the signature thing since the longer the signatures, the less posts on a page. If I'm looking to find out if a certain seller is okay, I don't want to go serch through 1500 member signatures to see who's had a good deal with him/her.
My proposal would be for every buyer to post his/her findings at the end of a 'classifieds' thread, so it is easier to trace.

NorioDS

Gearhead wrote My proposal would be for every buyer to post his/her findings at the end of a 'classifieds' thread, so it is easier to trace.

Nice idea ? No reason we can't use both though. Or neither.

I *think* there's a mod out there, somewhere, that will allow us to rate forum members we've bought from. Not something I can tackle now but something to keep in mind for the future. Sort of like eBay/BidorBuy ratings. Could be very useful but just make sure it's done properly so you can only rate someone you've bought from via the forum. (Otherwise it can be abused)

inflames

What about a sticky called: Good Forum Member Deals?

AlanRatcliffe

To be honest, I don't think the forum is the place for this kind of thing. My reasoning as follows:

1. There are always two sides to every story.
2. We are not in any position to say who is right and who is wrong.
3. As a forum, we provide the service of allowing members to buy and sell via classified ads and as such, it behooves us to stay completely impartial.
4.We should not even allow discussion of "bad deals" or introduce a rating system, as these can be used to pressure someone (as it has in this case).
5. If we allow discussion of bad deals and an allegation proves to be wrong or even slanderous, we could be the subject of a frivolous lawsuit. While we are protected from such in that ultimately we could not be held responsible, we might not have the wherewithal to defend ourselves against such a suit.
6. In the event of someone feeling they have been defrauded, there are other, more suitable paths to take: police charges of fraud, small claims court etc.

singemonkey

But is the pressure not one of the advantages of buying through a well-known forum member? Their reputation is on the line. It's an incentive to play fair. They are at liberty to respond. I've seen that a few times on other fora where it resolved well after a bit of angry "how can you say I'm trying to rip people off just because I made a mistake...blah...blah".

Can you at least say when you've had good dealings with someone?

Gearhead

My point about the added value is that, despite the downsides like work and trouble with impartiality, any protection is a lot of added value.
I have posted on the forum before when a seller was not responding to mails any more.
I have had deals fall through at the last minute.
I have waited over half a year for stuff to be sent through.
I have not heard from the guy buying one of the things I am trying to sell for five days.
I have sorta had it with trading here...
This kinda fu@!ng thing never happened to me dealing on Marktplaats.nl, even from SA, even though our membership base is 2000 as opposed to 2 million. C'mon... ☹

inflames

I don't like the signature thing since the longer the signatures, the less posts on a page. If I'm looking to find out if a certain seller is okay, I don't want to go serch through 1500 member signatures to see who's had a good deal with him/her.

That do make sense Gearhead. So having a sticky could solve your problem, but I do understand Alan's concern here.
It can easily go into a member being abuse for the wrong reasons.

Moral of the story, it is up to me and you to make sure we are protected. It is not GFSA's responsibility.

Bob-Dubery

I think there's a difference between a site like GFSA and a site like Ebay which is expressly aimed at trading. On the latter you can implement features that allow rating of sellers (though why not buyers? Some of them can be a pain in the place where the sun don't shine) and you can make it a condition of registration that you must accept that you will be rated by the guys you take money from. In the case of GFSA trading is a side issue, not the main motivation of the site.

Gearhead

inflames wrote it is up to me and you to make sure we are protected. It is not GFSA's responsibility

I can not make sure I am protected, I can enter a calculated risk; that's all. I would expect GFSA to do a couple of things to help protect me, which obviously should not involve a large amount of work.

GFSA can create rules and enforce them. Meaning:
- the forum could rule that by posting under classifieds a seller accepts to be bound to forum classifieds rules
- the forum could enforce members submitting full personal details before allowing them to post in classifieds
- the forum could have a "Judge Judy" kinda setup where any party can ask forum admins to look into a certain case and hear both sides. If there is nothing the forum can do, at least they can supply the full personal details of the people involved.

Then there is PayPal. I must admit not knowing whether it's feasible to use that on the site...

inflames

Then there is PayPal. I must admit not knowing whether it's feasible to use that on the site...

We can receive money in SA with PayPal.

Like Bob said, this site is primary for discussions not selling equipment.