p.1 #1 · When to leave negative feedback (buy and sell)
Hi Everyone,
Just looking for some opinions here. I purchased a Nikon 35 1.4 in the buy and sell section on this site. The seller had an excellent track record.
In my ad I said I don't mind if the cosmetic quality is a little off as long as the glass is good. He stated the lens as almost brand new and asked if I would still be interested in one of such condition. So anyway, I paid what I consider top dollar for it ($1565 USD).
When it arrived the front and rear elements were very dirty. There were finger prints and even a couple small hairs.
Cleaning it was unavoidable, so I cleaned the lens which I have done a million times before with no problems. I noticed a scratch on the front coating.
I contacted the seller over 2 weeks ago (profile said "online") stating my concern and I have not received a response. I tried again today and am waiting patiently to hear what he has to say.
On a side note, the above is my biggest complaint but in the stages prior to the purchase there was promises of shipping it out that day or the next day for sure. I waited until early the following week and had to contact the seller to receive confirmation of it actually being sent out. This is not a cheap item to just wait blindly for.
Just wondering what you all think, I am not the type to want to blow things out of proportion but I feel that I was poorly treated in this situation.
p.1 #2 · When to leave negative feedback (buy and sell)
I agree. Especially for items over $500 .. which I consider my personal cutoff between expensive and not-too-expensive .. I'd hate to be treated like that. I believe you can always edit your feedback and give the seller a good score if he replies, and solves the issue with either a partial refund for a product not as described or a full refund or something.
p.1 #3 · When to leave negative feedback (buy and sell)
If you don't hear back from the seller, which is a perfectly reasonable expectation, maybe go the extra mile and try one last time. If you still don't get a response, what other choice do you have than to leave negative feedback? Just be fair and specific in what the issues with the lens were, mention that the seller failed to respond after several attempts, and move on. Sure, you run the risk of retaliatory negative feedback, but the truth is on your side, and honest feedback is backbone of the buy/sell forum here.
p.1 #4 · When to leave negative feedback (buy and sell)
"Almost brand new (except for the scratch which you did not ask about)"
Your original WTB post stated you were primarily concerned about *clean glass*. Not only was the glass not clean, it was damaged as well. So you were, in my opinion, misled (and possibly swindled) by the seller.
Was the glass purposely dirty to disguise the flaw or was the seller unaware of the flaw because the glass was so dirty?
The truth may never be known, but if the seller continues to be non-communicative making it impossible to reach a resolution AND you have the ability to initiate a charge back through your CC, I would start that action ASAP.
p.1 #5 · When to leave negative feedback (buy and sell)
When? When there's material deviation from what was represented by the seller, and the seller is clearly at fault, i.e., is the cause of the deviation, whether by act or omission, and the seller does not correct the problem. The first two elements are clearly present in your case and unless he comes forward soon to correct the situation, the third is also present. Indeed, it appears that you've been deliberately victimized by the seller and his non-responsiveness continues that victimization.
You owe him nothing except a fair-minded assessment of whether he lived up to the bargain. And by your account, he hasn't. I suggest that you not allow yourself to be victimized further by remaining silent. Moreover, giving negative feedback on someone who is clearly a victimizer is a public service that you perform and and act that redounds to the benefit of everyone who uses FM. So feedback, positive or negative, contributes to the general well being of everyone.
And I think the other feedback you've received is spot on.
p.1 #6 · When to leave negative feedback (buy and sell)
If you paid via regular PayPal, you may have recourse through them as well. Usually PayPal putting a hold of $1500+ gets a sellers attention right away!
p.1 #7 · When to leave negative feedback (buy and sell)
jkittmer wrote:
He stated the lens as almost brand new and asked if I would still be interested in one of such condition. So anyway, I paid what I consider top dollar for it ($1565 USD).
"Almost brand new" with an undisclosed mark on the front element ?
Either way, if a $1,565 lens of that type is sold dirty, that alone doesn't speak well of the seller, even if he has a $hitload of positive feedback on B&S.
If you like the lens otherwise, ask the seller if he'd pay for the replacement of the front element by Nikon.
If he doesn't wanna do that, request a refund from him and return the lens.
If he doesn't wanna refund your lens payment, initiate a Paypal dispute and leave a negative feedback on B&S.
