Man Sued For Leaving Negative Feedback on ebay

by Charlotte Cardingham
Posted by Hannah on 24 October 2008
Ebay

A man is being threatened with legal action after leaving negative feedback on an ebay seller's account.

In what could represent a landmark court case a man is being threatened with libel action after he left negative feedback on an ebay seller’s account.

Chris Read, of Herne Bay, Kent, left the feedback after a mobile phone he purchased through the online marketplace turned out to be both damaged and incorrect.

"There were scratches all over it, a big chip out of the side and it was a different phone.  I paid for a Samsung F700 and got a Samsung F700V." Mr Read commented to the Daily Telegraph.

Read returned the phone promptly and, as is customary for ebay transactions, went on to leave feedback on the seller’s account; stating: "Item was scratched, chipped and not the model advertised on Mr Jones's eBay account."

While the seller did agree to grant Mr Read a refund, he also contacted him by email threatening legal action if the comments were not removed.

Shortly after declining to remove the comments, Read received a legal letter from the seller, notifying him that he must provide a signed statement admitting that his comments were unreasonable or face libel action. The letter threatened that Read would be sued for costs, lawyers fees and damages should he not comply within 7 days.

"If it has to go to court then so be it. Hopefully it won't go that far but I'm prepared to fight my corner." Read commented.

Continuing: "I can't believe someone can be so petty. All I had done was left an honest opinion and everything I said was true. I thought that was why the feedback service was there. It's not like I wrote anything malicious or called him a conman."

The seller has defended his actions, responding: "Given that Chris received a no-quibble refund, the feedback was unfair, unreasonable and damaging.

"I am being punished by eBay because of it and the items I have for sale are being pushed down the search listings.  I'm losing money by the day and my business could go under because of it. I've been left with no option but to take legal action and I'm sure I'll be successful."

Source

Get our free money saving newsletter
Join over 480,000 other subscribers who grab our expert money tips, unmissable money guides & hottest bargains each week in our special email...
Terms & Conditions
 
72

Your Comments

colin
on 19 Aug 2010 18:47
you should of gave exactly what you said you were selling and not tried to sell something to someone who is not as clued up, many people would be scared and not put up with the agro, but be honest u messed up by selling rubbish and now your fingers got burned u are trying to make excuses . negative comments are just here and u should sort out yourself and accept u messed up with your advertisment of the item. you deserved negative feed back as it was not what it said it was . FACT
 
Charles
on 14 Jun 2010 10:42
The ability to leave feedback either positive or negative that is effective relies on the simple fact that the comments need to be made by someone who is rational and hopefully can string a sentence of 70? characters that makes some kind of sense to someone else reading the comments who hasn't first hand experience of the situation. At the risk of sounding rude, unfortunately that rules out a large percentage of ebay buyers. I am a buyer 300+ items and a seller 22000+ feedback. I try my hardest as a seller but am now receiving a steady stream of feedback that is not positive. This consists of smart alec remarks and false accusations of selling fake items. Of course as a seller we are going to contact buyers regarding feedback, how else is service to be improved?. If you check buyers who leave non positive feedback, they sesm to have a larger amount of poor buying experiences than I have had. Some people shouldn't be distance buying at all as they lack the qualities for doing so.
 
Gary
on 22 Oct 2009 11:33
We are power seller and we have received 6 negative feedback comments from one buyer who has not paid for the items and disagrees with our terms and conditions on our listings. We do not offer collection in person. We are an on-line retail company and just as catalogue company's do not allow collection in person, there is no difference for us. He wanted to come to our site and test each item prior to paying, yet he has already won them based on the items working. If there was a problem, we would of course rectify immeidately, however, we have quality control departments who also randomly double check many items prior to packaging and posting. We have also had other negative feedback left by buyers who are simply trying to get items free of charge and lying about damage. We asked for photo's of the items and / or for them to return to us for full refunds including the cost of their postage to return. After this, no further emails and negative is left. We are now taking legal action
 
LeraJenkins
on 23 Jun 2009 18:23
Really strange
 
Liz
on 15 Jun 2009 19:01
As a new eBay member I mistakenly thought that my feedback was only to be seen by other prospective buyers of the items. Having left a midly critical comment about one item (together with glowing praise for other items from the same seller!), I recieved a furious e-mail from the seller who claimed she was 'offended' by my feedback and has blocked me from using her site! I tried to update my feedback in order to mollify the woman, only to find that my feedback had been removed by eBay. I'll never leave any kind of feedback again - once bitten! The whole episode upset me so much that I'll probably avoid eBay altogether in future. Why on earth encourage members to give their honest opinion if only positive comments are tolerated?
 
Ronni from Santa Barbara
on 15 Jun 2009 07:43
This seller is full of hot air. I doubt he would get a lawyer to take the case without a hefty retainer. This is not a contingency case. Additionally, the buyer said nothing wrong. He could add a follow up that he was refunded and whatever he went through. IT IS important for other buyers to have a head's up about this seller. People, believe it or not, are still afraid to leave negative feedback. I always appreciate seeing comments that tell the TRUE story behind a seller. thank god you got your money back. I haven't always been so lucky!
 
Jackie
on 18 May 2009 06:32
What about this one? My husband was being blackmailed by one buyer. Said the spare for the vehicle had arrived damaged which was a side wing for a car. We said to return it and we would give you a full refund. He refused to send the item back and said he would leave neg feedback it we didn't send him another part he was after free of charge. There was no proof of damage to the wing, Customer was satisfied with photos provided of the wing before despatched. Asked ebay to remove the neg comment, and they wouldn't, even though they can see by the emails that he was trying to black mail us and we did offer a refund for the item to be returned. I'm pretty sure blackmail would stand up in court
 
Jean
on 11 May 2009 01:57
I think someone should write a report on the poor service received from EBay Canada if there is a problem. I have had a problem which, so far, I have reported about six times. I either get a silly response, telling me to work it out with the seller (which I am unable to do - otherwise I wouldn't be contacting E-bay) or they pass the e-mail round from country to country. The buck stops at sending in a form online, whether or not the format can be configured to your particular complaint. Then some clown receives it and doesn't deal with the problem. I can't get past the front line of clowns to complain to a supervisor, and NOBODY CAN CONTACT E-BAY BY PHONE. I do not believe that it should be allowed that ebay users cannot reach the company by phone. Their service is apalling. I hope someone will write about that.
 
Kirsty
on 5 May 2009 14:11
I've had problems with leaving negative feedback on Ebay, nothing as far as this though. I agree that there is no point in pressuring customers to leave feedback, when if they are honest, they are plagued by the seller to change this, if you've had a negative experience with sellers, even if a refund is given, then you are goin to leave negative or neutral feedback, to show you are not recommending the seller to future buyers.
 
christy
on 19 Apr 2009 00:55
I hope he does sue & win as it will make all those buyer bullies think twice about ripping off the seller. However in this case it is the sellers fault & he does not have a chance just threats. I threatenend a guy with libel once & he removed the comment probablt a wetback.
 
Mark Hetherington
on 18 Apr 2009 12:51
I thionk most people are missing the point here; it's not about whether the comment was accurate or not, it's about the fact that negative feedback could mean loss of sales, and given that the seller has refunded and rectified the situation to a point it is unfair that he should now be punished further - if you daubed a slogan across a High Street shop declaring their poor service you would be arrested, and rightly so, so why should it be different for an online outlet? I've had a negative left recently after the buyer left me a neg simply for not replying to an enquiry he left about delivery on the Tuesday after Easter, arguably the busiest day of the year with 4 days' orders to pack, then accused me of lying in his follow-up. It's unfair and unjust that potential future sales should be affected in this way after I have done nothing wrong, and the whole system is flawed when a simple comment can affect a seller's whole business just because he made a mistake as in Mr. Jones' case.
 
Mark Hetherington
on 18 Apr 2009 12:19
While the feedback left in this case might be accurate, the whole system is flawed. One bad feedback CAN affect sales and when a comment has been made such as one I got from a buyer recently (who left me a neg simply for not responding to his message within 24 hours) then wrongly accused of lying in his follow-up comment. Sorry but this is unfair, pontential buyers don't know who to believe and I see no reason why this should be allowed - if you daubed a comment on the window of Argos after a bad experience you would be arrested and rightly so, so what's the difference when dealing with an online business? Ebay have enough tools in place now to make the feedback system redundant, but until then we need to keep fighting this unfair system and I too am considering legal action against my buyer.
 
Lori Grierson
on 30 Mar 2009 21:57
Bottom line is this....you are liable for your written comments about a person or institution. If you want to smear someone's name, you are liable for it....despite what anyone thinks that you 'deserve'.
 
olstar18
on 23 Mar 2009 20:37
If he didn't want his record tarnished he should have sold a phone in good condition.
 
Bob Lamont
on 3 Mar 2009 17:40
Good, he deserves it. Every business seller on eBay knows what it feels like when some idiot comes along and, rather then following the correct procedures, jumps to leaving an unreasonable comment. If he had contacted the seller in the first place and had the problem dealt with then this is better for both parties. Unfortunately there are too many idiots out there and it's too much to hope for that this would make some people think twice before jumping to leave negative comments, when these are almost NEVER necessary. Problems can almost ALWAYS be resolved amicably, and most sellers will go out of their way to do so.
 
MR Jakovic
on 17 Feb 2009 19:25
I sell on ebay, but I brought something instead, I brought a xbox 360 controller, it stated it was in the UK, it wasnt, it was in hong kong, I paid for it by paypal. Item never turned up, so I reqeusted a refund, paypal refunded me as the seller never responded, now the seller has told me to pay up for the item, he opened a unpaid dispute, I contacted ebay and ebay are not bothering to close the dispute, the seller is asking me to remove the negative feedback I left, and is saying he refunded me not paypal. ebay is getting a joke,especially when its on the system that paypal refunded me and the seller wasnt bothered till I got my money back and left a negative. Im not removing anything till the dispute is closed and no strike is on my account! by the way the seller is glory_sky
 
Tracy
on 17 Feb 2009 11:51
Ebay feedback is there for other future buyers or sellers to read before going ahead with a transaction, Despite being given a full refund, does not alter the fact that the seller sent out something that the buyer didn't bid for. if this was a one off, one negative surely isn't going to damage anyone business that much
 
ebayer
on 27 Jan 2009 14:13
some mental ebayer left us 2 negatives on our account and our sales went down by £200 per week, We asked her very politely to remove it as it was false and she refused. We asked her to ammend it and she refused also We have lost alot of business because of her The ebay feedback system is very unfair, we now recieve more and more non payers because we cannot leave neg feedback for them
 
phil howarth
on 23 Jan 2009 11:43
'let the buyer beware' should also apply to the seller - 'let the seller beware' - if he hadn't deliberately tried to con this chap he wouldn't have gotten the feedback. So he is sore because its affected his business. He should have known better and not treated his customers like idiots ripe for scamming. In legal terms his feedback was "fair comment" and he should have a strong case.
 
Frank
on 22 Jan 2009 06:16
I stopped using ebay because the bullying from sellers became outrageous. ebay is full of scammers. On top of that Pay-pal has nastier fine print than any credit card company.
 
Its not libel if the statement is true!
on 12 Jan 2009 15:38
I hope he does file the lawsuit - it seems clear the defendant in this case will prevail and it also looks as though he will not roll over for this crazy business owner. If he was so worried about his feedback, he should have got it right the 1st time!
 
Whut
on 12 Jan 2009 01:05
The buyer should've noted that he got his refund, but if I saw the comment he left about the phone being damaged and everything, I'd refuse to buy from the seller refund or not. If he's going to do that crap to one guy, who's to say it won't happen to me? Sorry, but this guy is an idiot for thinking he can get money out of his own stupidity like this. :/
 
Chris from Blackpool
on 12 Dec 2008 10:51
If you cant describe the item accurately expect negative comments. Get it right in the first place and dont try to sell your goods under the pretence that whoever buys your item will just put up with it. I would want to know which seller to keep away from. Obviously this Jones fellar is a bit of a to***r and needs to get out of e-bay.
 
ian munro
on 12 Nov 2008 10:34
the seller accepted the terms of reference set out by ebay for using their service and in so doing would have appreciated that if he did not comply with them he would be taken to task. even the the so called error was an accident he must ttake the consequences for his actions by not having taken reasonable care in his description of the item. that is why the feedback service exists. bullies like this should be prevented from future access to the service
 
tydygrll
on 5 Nov 2008 08:45
If he's so worried about his business he shouldn't be sending out bad merchandise to people. I sell on ebay and my items are always how I describe them to be. This lawsuit is ridiculous!
 
Ainegue
on 4 Nov 2008 01:46
So, was the comment true? Because if it wasn't, then he has perfect right to sue. But otherwise, this seems totally stupid.
 
Simon
on 3 Nov 2008 06:28
HAHAHA! that's amazing! i'm gonna have to go with the fact that he deserved the comment he got. I can't wait for that guy to waste money on a case that'll probably just be throw out. HAHAHA!
 
Ferrin Riggins
on 2 Nov 2008 04:33
This is ridiculous. Although reimbursement was made it does not negate the fact that the original item was damaged and not the model that was bid on. Ebay items are purchased physically site unseen. This leaves the consumer with only the caveat venditor concept of legal rebuttal. The article does not say whether or not the item was listed as used. If it was listed as used, then what did the buyer expect? If it was new, the seller deserves the comment and the loss of business as he was negligent in ensuring the product was reasonable to be sold as new. None the less as one comment has mentioned, It is a sad sad time for humanity when the courts time is wasted on such ridiculousness. Shame on the plaintiff for wasting valuable time, money and energy. Chris... if it were me, I would offer to add a comment that you were reimbursed for the damaged goods received but that's as far as I would go. Take the higher road. Let Mr. Jones suffer his own conscience and waste his own time.
 
Mary from Metairie
on 30 Oct 2008 23:37
I've read tons of Ebay comments over the years and I've always seen that when someone leaves a negative comment the seller sometimes leaves a comment underneath it stating "their side" whether it's about contacting them for a refund or etc. I find it hard to believe that one guy's comment would cause this guy so much grief. Wouldn't it be easier for him to leave a response under the comment he is suing over? In fact, I've read responses from one Ebay seller to their buyers that were so rude that I decided right then not to purchase from them. So, in other words, I know that it can be done!
 
Linda M.
on 30 Oct 2008 15:27
I think the seller is being petty. If he sold an item that was not as described then he should be able to leave negative feedback, even though he did get a refund. I bought a BIN item from a seller on E-bay and did not receive it. The seller kept sending me e-mails making excuses so I opened a dispute and left negative feedback. I never did receive the item. The seller did refund my money, but I still got excuse anfter excuse. She then proced to harass me about the negative feedback, asking me to reverse it. E-bayh states that a person who is not happy with an item or has not received the item as described has the right to leave negative feedback.
 
Random
on 29 Oct 2008 20:42
When did the common sense in the world get exchanged for "hey, if something I don't like happens I'll just sue the other guy!" The world is so going to hell.
 
David
on 27 Oct 2008 21:53
In fairness he should have left neutral feedback since he got his refund. Negative should really be reserved for stole my money or never contacted me. Ebay has always been to gutless to police this properly and although the legal action sounds extreme, if he is running a business a negative comment like that would be very damaging and it is his livelyhood at stake.
 
Emmy
on 27 Oct 2008 11:59
This is ebay's fault since sellers can no longer leave any neutrals or negs. From my own personal experience leave the site until ebay fixes their problems. They're trying to be too controlling and in denial about everything. If the seller could have given a neutral state that he refunded $$ that would have been the end of it. As it stands ebays new policies are going to create much more of the same.
 
Andrew West
on 27 Oct 2008 06:57
I purchased a DVD player in June, I am still awaiting the delivery of the item. I paid for the item by personal cheque. I left negative feedback, which the sellar said I needed to remove before he would send the item out, which I have not done as I feel what I wrote was correct. I have asked on numerous occassions for a refund which I have not had, and now the sellar completely ignores any emails and phone calls from me. I have written to eBay to ask for help and they say basically it is nothing to do with them, they only act as a agent between people. I went to the police and they were not much help either, so can you tell me where we go from here please? any ideas will be gratefully received.
 
Dana
on 27 Oct 2008 00:54
If the statements made were truthful the seller has no case.
 
Smarterthanyou
on 26 Oct 2008 20:41
I highly doubt one single negative feedback occurrence would cause this person's Ebay business to go under.
 
Ian S
on 26 Oct 2008 14:58
I've had death threats by a selling before now for leaving honest feedback but selecting "mutual" instead of "positive". Sellers do not like that they can no longer leave what was unfair negative feedback in return for any they receive.
 
um, ya
on 26 Oct 2008 06:45
If its such a big deal move to a different auction site, there are literally hundreds out there. The whole all your eggs in one basket cliche seems relevant here.
 
strawberry
on 25 Oct 2008 19:36
Stick to your guns Chris!!!!!!!!!!!! You had every right to leave negative feedback. While it was decent of Mr Jones to refund your money, it took you time and money to return purchase. Hopefully eBay will intervene in this matter. If he continues with his legal action, I feel eBay should discontinue his listings.
 
NDMan1955
on 25 Oct 2008 16:56
The seller was obviously playing the odds that the buyer would not complain to try to get rid of a crappy item. If the seller is not happy with his feedback he can leave negative feedback on the buyer and his own comment justifying it. The sellers actions here indicate he is probably not reputable and Ebay should investigate and if the buyers story is accurate the seller should be banned permanently.
 
Grizz
on 25 Oct 2008 09:44
The seller should have offered to refund a % of the item in return for editing the comment.
 
Merchant
on 25 Oct 2008 06:09
I agree 100% with the merchant. Merchants are punished by buyers even after merchants make good refunding for defective merchandise.
 
raoul40759
on 25 Oct 2008 05:59
Stand ur ground Mr.Read i don't think the feedback was unfair at all.
 
shepsters6
on 25 Oct 2008 05:39
Go for it Chris - I sure hope you win this! The integrity of eBay depends on your positive outcome in this case! Negative comments are posted so that others can make an informed decision to buy or not from the ebay seller. When I'm buying I want to know what others buyers experiences have been, for good or for bad. I did one time leave negative feedback - my product took 3 weeks to arrive and the seller was unreachable for that entire time. I was offered free shipping in exchange for removal of my negative feedback, but I refused. If the seller is giving bad service, others need to know this!
 
CJ
on 25 Oct 2008 05:38
I guess that sending subpar merchandise is going to go a long way toward preventing his business from going under. Please. Truth hurts.
 
kitty
on 25 Oct 2008 04:41
seller should be punished by ebay. i work for a wireless provider in customer care and customer feedback has brought to attention that throwing money at the customer (whether credits or even just refunds) doesn't erase the mistake
 
Alfred
on 25 Oct 2008 04:29
Some business are warning for action against negative feedback, even to people just reading the articles pages. I think this is not good for eBay. Sellers should not behave like opponents but stay friendly and open to customers. Maybe the ban for negative feedback to buyers has something to do with the conflict since they can not be harmed for what they all say anymore. I understand I should lookout what I comment here but gave negative feedback myself after a bargain was canceled. It could drive someone crazy I guess. Even if you have had good reasons to do that. That man gave me the blame, asked high shipping payments all of a sudden and could not be contacted with but otherwise I would not have gotten much in extreme. Subtle is much more nice in these things. Readers will use fantasy and build their impressions from scratch. Try to act very polite. This will avoid bad feelings and grab peoples attention instead. The scratches and the wrong phone were perhaps just worth one complain.
 
lynn
on 25 Oct 2008 04:25
How ridiculous..When they get to court the man that sold the phone should be given time for wasting the courts time...i've bought on E-bay and if the service was not what it should have been then i left a negative comment, which is the right of the buyer,,
 
Maya
on 25 Oct 2008 04:23
You're kidding, right...?!? The seller was attempting to defraud the buyer...and is trying to sue because he got called on it...? Give it a rest, seller, you deserve the negative feedback. Get over it and learn your lesson.
 
crybaby31
on 25 Oct 2008 04:23
If I remember correctly the City of Kent is in the UK and as such I would not be too familiar with the laws governing the area. In the US however libel is difficult to prove, and generally giving a business an unfavorable review is not considered libel. It seems to have about as much grounds for a suit as the US had grounds to invade Iraq. Yes that last sentence is supposed to be ironic.
 
Bob
on 25 Oct 2008 03:15
The seller says: "Given that Chris received a no-quibble refund, the feedback was unfair, unreasonable and damaging." Nonsense! Sellers don't get a free shot at ripping off customers. When you attempt to rip someone off, you don't get off the hook by providing a refund. Ripping off customers creates huge hassles for them and wastes their time... a refund covers only part of the loss. Furthermore, the customer who was harmed by the seller had an obligation to warn other customers - that's how the system works. If a seller rips you off, he should receive negative feedback - refund or not. The seller's argument is akin to saying that a mugger shouldn't be held accountable for stealing a watch if he returns it to the victim. I hope the buyer counter-sues and puts this turkey out of business.
 
simpletaste
on 25 Oct 2008 02:53
I believe the person who left the comment is in his right. It seems very clear to me that he should not be forced to remove his review. If the seller corrected the situation in a professional and timely matter, then he should have encourage the buyer to update his review with a positive and add on to his previous one, instead of threatening him to removing it completely. Forgive and forget is good values, but if you don't learn from your mistakes or choose to ignore them for the sake of looking good, then it makes us wonder how else you've been treating your customers for a quick buck. Ebay is already iffy at best.
 
brad
on 25 Oct 2008 02:51
well let's hope he has photos. Sounds like he made an honest comment, but in today's world no one wants to accept that they are to blame for their lot in life. Welcome to lawsuits
 
Brendan
on 25 Oct 2008 01:46
This is a buyer's market, you work hard to ensure there are no mistakes...you make one, you bite the bullet. I don't want to live in a consumer-driven society where the consumer is legally forced to shut up about services rendered. Especially when that voice can be heard and learned from on both the buyer and sellers behalf. If somebody makes less mistakes, they make more money. It's called customer satisfaction and it is something that the service industry used to strive for.
 
anonynous long time ebay buyer AND seller
on 25 Oct 2008 01:45
The seller is out of line and obviously is a newbie to Ebay policy. The buyer had every right to leave feedback that was indicative of HIS feelings towards the sale. Should this unreasonable seller continue on his fruitless effort to HIDE the fact that he sent an item that was NOT AS ADVERTISED (so that he can potentially do the same to then unsuspecting other buyers), Ebay should be willing to stand behind this earnest and rightful buyer in court.
 
powerseller
on 25 Oct 2008 01:36
Good. Although I don't agree with his reason since it was a damaged phone and a different model, the buyer was well within his rights. I'm waiting to see a buyer get sued over leaving truly false damaging negative feedback like a non paying buyer left me. That will be the true yardstick to measure by.
 
suzanne
on 25 Oct 2008 01:34
If the guy got what he paid for then there would've been positive comments but saying it like it is & in effect warning others they may not get what they paid for shouldn't be sued over even though a refund was issued. How many other negative vs. positive comments had been left for this seller? Maybe adding about at least getting a refund at the comment end would've been okay to do. What will become of the world if you can't say anything negative at all even when a situation warrants it?
 
Jon
on 25 Oct 2008 01:33
If the retailer doesn't want negative feedback, perhaps they should be a little more careful about the goods they're providing. I'd say that Mr Read has every right to leave negative feedback, given that the experience with the retailer was negative. I'd hope that eBay show some support for Mr Read in order to protect the right of users of their site to notify other users of potentially poor service; as soon as buyers have to fear legal action for leaving negative feedback, the whole feedback system is rendered rather pointless, surely.
 
Pete
on 25 Oct 2008 01:13
I expect his items *would* be pushed down on the search listings if he can't get a simple order right. Honest mistake or not, the feedback was (presumably) factually correct; suing the poor guy over it is just stupid and childish. Unless there's some other underlying issue, then ebay-seller needs to chill out.
 
forthebuyer
on 25 Oct 2008 01:05
As far as I understand, you can't sue somebody for telling the truth, even if it causes damage. The seller should take this honest feedback and make an effort not to mislabel his products in the future. It would be nice if there was a way to ALSO make a note that a refund was provided.
 
chris
on 25 Oct 2008 00:53
If an item you purchase on eBay is not in good condition and your bid is refunded, negative feedback should NOT be left. There is no need for negative feedback if all parties concerned are satisfied with the outcome. Just don't purchase from that seller again. Unless all recourses are exhausted and you are still unhappy, contact eBay before leaving negative feedback of any sort. eBay is on your side and will make any effort to resolve the problem. Sellers can no longer leave negative feedback for a buyer.
 
Michael
on 25 Oct 2008 00:48
If the SELLER was a legitimate and honest business person, he would have made every resonable effort to correct the situation, allowing the BUYER to leave further feedback stating the honest and satisfactory resolution to the situation. Good for the SELLER for leaving a level-headed and honest feedback! That is why the feedback safety-net is in place; to keep the SELLER honest and making a reasonable effort to satisfy his/her customer! The court will certainly throw the SELLER right out of the courthouse doors!
 
LinuxDan
on 25 Oct 2008 00:21
Unfortunately for eBay, and consumers, the feedback method has become more of a system of mutual back-scratching rather than a reliable indicator. Many unreasonable buyers/sellers hold each other to ransom over it...the whole systems needs to be overhauled completely.
 
Fail
on 24 Oct 2008 23:58
If his feedback score is so low that a single negative rating could damage him so badly, then he's obviously not making much money on eBay.
 
Mark
on 24 Oct 2008 23:54
ebay sucks ,it was decent in the beginning.They have a new rule that you can`t leave negative feedback ,which is crazy.If you get ripped off you can`t even warn anyone by leaving negative feedback.
 
Super Mouse
on 24 Oct 2008 23:51
Completely outrageous action. I sell on E-bay and I'm very careful to accurately disclose both what the item is and the condition of the items I sell. It sucks to get negative feedback but it's his own fault.
 
Tom
on 24 Oct 2008 23:07
Good luck winning that one pal.
 
Sue Me Too
on 24 Oct 2008 22:45
Look Jones, if you want positive feedback, provide a positive transaction. Read did nothing illegal or damaging... you damaged your own reputation first by NOT delivering what you puported to sell and secondly by threatening Read with legal action. People like you do NOT deserve to be in business on ebay or any other business. You simply do not understand that people (BUYERS) have a right to express a legitimate opinion of the transaction... in your case a poor one indeed. Anyone know this guys ebay id? I'd love to help remove him from the scene... and if you (JONES) are reading this, I'd love for you to try and sue me for expressing my own opinions... I'll take everything you have and will have for the next 15-20 years. Done it before against a local temp agency, so you should be a piece of cake. Pick your fights with better forethought... never know when you're asking to be stripped of every dime you have or ever will have. No go flip burgers or something...
 
Jessica
on 24 Oct 2008 22:19
The plaintiff in this case is a MORON. I sell stuff on eBay and one negative feedback isn't going to break your business. Get over it man! Suing people for no good reason should be illegal!!!
 
Matt
on 24 Oct 2008 20:31
Ha ha ha ha ha!!! Who is the plaintiff's lawyer? If all of what the guy said is true, guess what? It's definitely not libel. It's only libel if he lies. And if he lied about a sex act or the commission of a crime it can be libel per se.
 
Sara
on 24 Oct 2008 20:12
What a dirtbag, and what a sham the legal system has become that a lawyer would take on this case.
 
Dan from Nova Scotia
on 24 Oct 2008 18:39
Why not ask him to amend his comment by adding that he received a full and courteous refund. After all, he did say the phone was a slightly different model number, 700V and not 700. A chip, iffy. The purchaser's attitude does demonstrate intent to harm. The vendor's attitude demonstrates intent to rectify.