|
|
Viewing PayPal Protects From Online Auctions Gone Wrong - Here's HowPayPal Protects From Online Auctions Gone Wrong - Here's How
|
Many with PayPal accounts are unaware of all the benefits that their accounts allow them to enjoy. One of the benefits is PayPal's buyer protection program that includes a dispute resolution tool designed to resolve problem transactions. By Claude Bourgoin I think that for the many online shoppers who have PayPal accounts, few are aware of all the benefits that their accounts allow them to enjoy. One of the benefits is PayPal's buyer protection program that includes a dispute resolution tool designed to resolve problem transactions. Having recently been part of an auction sale that turned bad and not being able to resolve the issue with the seller, I turned to PayPal for help. My issue revolved around a used piece of electronic equipment I had won on a popular auction. It turned out, on receiving the unit, I noticed that many functions were not operational with this unit and there were some cosmetic flaws that were purposely hidden on the listing's pictures of the unit. The unit was listed as flawless, both functionally and esthetically. The seller refused to recognize that his listing was misleading and that the product did not respect the listing rules - even accusing me of damaging the equipment as his only defense. Looking over PayPal's buyer protection program, I discovered that buyers are protected for a total of $1250 for a possible 3 claims per year. The dispute resolution service will protect the buyers in two ways; This covers quite an array of possible scams, and in my case I was able to prove that there were discrepancies between the listed product and the received product. The process did extend itself over 4 weeks, mainly because the seller was slow to respond. I was asked by PayPal's resolution center to provide a copy from an authorized repair center's own evaluation report. This consisted of returning to the resolution center a faxed copy of the repair center's work order outlining the needed repairs. Once all the steps were taken to evaluate the discrepancies, the resolution center was quick to resolve the issue, and in this case decided in my favor. Once the unit was shipped back, at my cost and received by the buyer, PayPal was prompt in returning the funds to my account. PayPal refunded me the purchase price with the exception of the shipping charges, including the return shipping charges that I had to bear in order to return the unit to the seller, to comply with the resolution center's final requirement. For the most part, online auctions end with successful transactions, but I know from reading blogs that there are some horror stories about online auction frauds. In most cases, frauds occur when unprotected payment methods are used like money transfers or cash payments. It pays to know the advantages and disadvantages of each payment protection mechanism offered buyers. You should never, never transfer funds or send cash or checks. Knowing how each payment method protects you, be it PayPal or credit card, helps you to understand when you are protected and when you are exposed to fraud. This will go a long way to help you anticipate defrauders and enjoy online buying with peace of mind - knowing that if things go wrong, you are protected. About the Author: Mr. C. Bourgoin is an MBA and an online auction seller and buyer as well as an e-commerce executive. He can be reached here for more online auction tips and info. Article Source: 1st Rate Articles - http://1stRateArticles.com |
|