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Security deposit scam - Germany
Summary: Anonymous User shared their experience of buying an alternator on eBay from a seller who asked for a refundable €50 deposit. After a successful installation, they noticed a lack of communication and a refusal to refund the deposit, even after multiple attempts to get in touch. lingma85 suggested that the issue could be related to communication and differences in procedures between countries, but Anonymous User insisted that language was not a problem and criticized the non-transparent deposit practices. The tone deteriorated with tense exchanges about selling practices, with both sides expressing differing opinions on the legitimacy of deposit policies. Anonymous User’s intention was to warn other eBay buyers against these practices.
Hello, received from [pseudo] an automotive alternator, installed and tested without any issue, that’s a good point.
The problem is that [pseudo] adds to the Ebay price a €50 deposit refundable upon sending back the used part, and by Ebay messaging they agree to cover part of the costs, except that... all of a sudden they stop replying, neither to my messages nor to Mondial Relay’s, which asks them to provide their "favorite" delivery address (that was to test the [pseudo] system), I see many identical cases from [pseudo] customers online, deposit not refunded and even alternators delivered faulty (photos to back it up!). Already a nearly identical problem on **bleep**, and customer service lets the scammer keep doing business, here on Ebay with live chat I got nothing more, customer service is a bit too easy, as if by chance communication gets a bit blocked at the end, where are you? you’re not there?!
Bottom line: avoid buying technical items through these sites, especially from abroad, I’m going to see if Paypal can pressure the seller, I didn’t have that option with **bleep**...
Also, I was offering to give them the alternator inherited from **bleep** for free, [pseudo] was fine with helping cover the shipping costs, what a joke! Since I sensed the scam vibes they’ve gone silent!
Does any Ebay member have another plausible idea? When it works fine, otherwise... it’s a pain! Thanks
lingma85
Mentor2 years agoGood evening @Anonymous
It’s strange, but when you read the review you posted and the message above... there’s kind of a “veerrry” big difference.
Was it the fact of not having received a return label that made you angry...?
This seller being German, they’re not likely to send you a Colissimo.. ! The documents aren’t the same from France to Germany and vice versa....
On the other hand, the address of this company is on their listings... so it was easy to send the goods back to them...
It would seem there was a real communication problem between this seller and you... When you don’t know a foreign language, you should avoid buying, because if something goes wrong, it’s not always easy to make yourself understood.
Kind regards
Anonymous User
OP2 years agoNo problem, nothing very important and not annoyed at all, it’s not
in my directory, did you perhaps read it a bit too quickly? I mention
in my post that, once contact was broken off, I looked through the review sites
and realized the many problems mentioned by the
internet users who are customers of these Plaidt auto distribution companies.
Language isn’t a problem in the exchanges; the first
French-speaking contact and the second English-speaking one were very clear, everything
was perfect for getting me to pay right to the end.
The eBay customer service is right to point out that you should never accept any
kind of deposit outside the eBay price, a deposit that was only mentioned by email
at the time of the transaction.
This deposit system also exists for many standard
exchanges.
I was asking whether someone had a constructive answer to offer; what I mainly
want is to warn eBay customers…
The equipment received works, so that’s already good; shown at the normal rate
price+deposit I would have bought it anyway, it’s only the scammy method
that doesn’t sit right
😉 Best regards
Happy holidays 🥳 to everyone
Sent from Gmail Mobile
lingma85
Mentor2 years agoHello @Anonymous
You say-------> "eBay customer service rightly points out that you should never accept any deposit outside of the eBay price, a deposit that was only mentioned by emailat the time of the transaction."
This deposit helps avoid the free standard exchanges that existed before this practice became established among auto parts sellers....
That eBay does not take this into account is one thing... but that you do not understand that sellers also want some assurance of "honest conduct or conduct considered as such" from their buyers..... is another...
Now...Read the listings of this seller carefully and you will see that the deposit is not hidden... ( Pay attention to the deposit fee!
This information must be provided separately from the purchase price in accordance with the Price Indication Ordinance (PAngV) § 1 para. 4. Ebay cannot automatically process the full purchase price. The deposit payment must therefore be made separately. Contact us if you have any questions.
So I’ll take up your wording--->
- "you may have skimmed it a little too quickly".... = it would seem that you are the one who did not read the listing description...
- "Language is not a problem in the exchanges".... = it would seem that it is....
So... when you write------> " deposit that was only mentioned by email at the time of the transaction."....
It would seem, here too... that you need glasses (a Christmas gift in advance..??.)... that’s pretty cheeky...!!
Best regards
Anonymous User
OP2 years agouseless comments.
All this for the gold poster medal?
Good riddance and may you have a nice bout of useless commenting diarrhea
Just as cordially
For your information, look up “in German” the reviews of
local customers about the deposit, etc… thanks for not replying
Sent from Gmail Mobile
lingma85
Mentor2 years agoBingo....!
caught red-handed...
😂