I got shafted by BidOrBuy

Rouxenator

Rouxenator

Dank meme lord
Joined
Oct 31, 2007
Messages
46,376
Reaction score
22,391
Location
Stellenbosch
Branching this story into a thread of it's own. You may have seen Bid Or Buy getting mentioned quite a few times here : https://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showth...line-purchase-you-have-ever-made?goto=newpost

Heed those warnings and the one below

So let me share with you my latest nightmare with Bid Or Buy

Some of you may have followed my saga with a seller sending me a dodgy hard drive which prompted me to return it only to then have claims that my return method was not adequate. Let me recap by quoting some of my posts in the "Thing that irritate you" thread.

Rouxenator said:
******* sellers on BidOrBuy. Whenever I get a complaint from a buyer I refund them in full - no questions asked and no need to return anything.

Now I spent R750 on a drive, it fails and I include a screenshot of the Windows event log to the seller. I spend another R50 to return it and more than week later the seller tells me I did not package it well enough on the return so no replacement or refund.

Dammit man, when you got my email with the event log clearly showing the drive is failing I expected a refund in full!

View attachment 453572
Click to expand...

Ho3n3r said:
Aren't BOB PC hardware sellers the same quality as the scum of the earth? Have read only bad things.
Click to expand...
Rouxenator said:
Depends, this item was sold as being second hand, but even then I expect it to still work for a reasonable amount of time.
Click to expand...
wabbit16 said:
That seller is taking a fat chance
Click to expand...
Rouxenator said:
Yes he is, the fact that the drive was sent without anti-static protection, no matter how good the rest of the packaging was, is probably what caused all of this. Why should I even have to return it? Now he blames my packaging as the sole reason for not refunding me.

I logged and issue with BoB and gave him a negative rating. If he gives me a negative rating I'll take that up with BoB too because he as no reason to do that since he has my money and I have sweet blou fanny eff all.
Click to expand...

Rouxenator said:
Now I'm even more irritated at this chop on BoB. Not only is he sitting with my money he also gives me a negative rating because this was not a very good "experience" for him, it also seems he has a track record for this kind of thing.

[-]Where MD4E when you need him....[/-] found him

View attachment 453888

View attachment 453890
Click to expand...

Rouxenator said:
I logged a buyer protection claim against him and opened a support ticket due to the fact that he gave me a negative rating while still sitting with my money. Hell, if you are gonna try and keep the dough then at least leave me a positive rating with a comment like "Cheers sucka!"
Click to expand...

Then this bit of richness from Bid Or Buy

Dear Paul,

I trust that you are keeping well.

The seller has replied to our communication regarding the returned hard drive, they have also provided a picture of the returned item packaging which shows that the item was not properly packaged.

We have been advised that the item was damaged on it's way back to the seller, note that as the sender of the parcel it is your responsibility to make sure that the item is returned safely to the seller and in the received condition.

Bidorbuy unfortunately did not get to see the condition of the item when you received it from the seller or when you returned it to the seller, it has now come to a case of buyer's word against the seller's. The seller is refunding to refund or to replace the item as it was allegedly received damaged.

It is difficult for bidorbuy to now advise further on the matter as both the parties are claiming that the item was damaged by the other. We will at this stage suggest that you take the matter further by seeking the necessary legal advise on how to proceed with the matter further.

You can contact us directly for assistance should you wish to take the matter further.

I trust that you will find my response to be sufficient.

Please advise how we can assist you further?
Click to expand...

So by this point I am well and truly die f..ken moer in. I decided that I will put together all the evidence I can to not only prove that I was given a defective product but also that my method of returning is was perfectly safe by using it to send a drive to myself. I present Bid Or Buy with the following.

1 Sent to me.png : This establishes the timeline in which my period with the drive started.
1 Sent to me.png

2 USB Forensics.png : This shows the make and model drive the seller sent being present in my PC with the label/name "Samsung 1.5TB"
2 USB Forensics.jpg

3 USB Forensics.png : Here we see "Samsung 1.5TB" name/label was assigned to drive letter G:
3 USB Forensics.jpg

4 Failure Log.png : Windows reports having multiple and repeated failures writing to the MFT (Master File Table) because the drive locked up as a result of being defective.
4 Failure Log.jpg

5 Returned to seller.png : This establishes the end of the timeline where I had the drive.
5 Returned to seller.png

6 Test send to myself.png : Here I sent a drive to myself and it went through the same mail hub as the return drive being sent to the seller.
6 Test send to myself.png
Click to expand...

The above already should be more than enough evidence that I was given a faulty drive and therefor it warrants a refund.

I also send the a link to the video to I made proving my method of shipping
[video=youtube_share;_zreyHxKBGc]https://youtu.be/_zreyHxKBGc[/video]

After a week I get this back from the head of the claims department at Bid Or Buy

I believe that both parties are users of the bidorbuy platform in good standing. I believe that in this dispute we are not in a position to determine who is at fault with any certainty.
I would suggest that in this case that you should both engage with each other to see if there is a way that this matter can be resolved. Should you not be in a position resolve this matter with each other your rights remain reserved in terms of
exploring other avenues to resolve this dispute.
Click to expand...

Really?! That is what I initially did and the seller was bull****ting me - hence the dispute I logged.

So here I am, a user of Bid Or Buy since 2005 with a score of 944 (at time of writing) warning all of you to
stay the hell away from Bid Or Buy!

If you ever run into problems with a purchase they will no doubt be spineless and you will sit with a total loss. This is me "exploring other avenues" to warn people about disputes on Bid Or Buy.
 
The seller send the drive via sapo?? No wonder it was not working. Probably just tried make a quick buck off you still.

Will link the thread to magicdude, he is still active on another forum.
 
Why did you buy a hdd from bidorbuy in the first place? I can't imagine using them for anything tbh, especially not electronics.
 
Gtx Gaming said:
The seller send the drive via sapo?? No wonder it was not working. Probably just tried make a quick buck off you still.

Will link the thread to magicdude, he is still active on another forum.
Click to expand...

would love to see his reply
 
Logged a few disputes myself. Aways had a fair outcome. Its impossible to say who is wrong here. From their perspective i mean. I do agree though that the seller probably sent a faulty drive or that it was damaged on its way to you. Dont ever use sapo for anything breakable. This is NOT a failing on bidorbuys side imho
 
MD4E has been very helpful in this regard, but ultimately he does not deal with claims so this is beyond his control. I do appreciate the effort he put into this though.

As my video proves you can send hard drives and other fragile goods via SAPO.
 
Rouxenator said:
MD4E has been very helpful in this regard, but ultimately he does not deal with claims so this is beyond his control. I do appreciate the effort he put into this though.

As my video proves you can send hard drives and other fragile goods via SAPO.
Click to expand...

Yeah you probably can. Doesnt mean that you should though
 
rakabos3 said:
Yeah you probably can. Doesnt mean that you should though
Click to expand...

True, I have stopped using SAPO and now only make use of Aramex couriers. Faster, safer and way more reliable.

rakabos3 said:
Logged a few disputes myself. Aways had a fair outcome. Its impossible to say who is wrong here. From their perspective i mean. I do agree though that the seller probably sent a faulty drive or that it was damaged on its way to you. Dont ever use sapo for anything breakable. This is NOT a failing on bidorbuys side imho
Click to expand...

No, it is not, but when there is a deadlock in negotiations between a buyer and a seller one would expect them to look at the evidence and take action. I have gone out of my way to prove my side yet they are too spineless to make a decision. In contrast on eBay you would never have this kind of nonsense because by default eBay sides with the buyer.
 
Last edited:
Bid or Buy withdraw their responsibility between the buyer and the seller as set out in their terms or policies,

https://www.bidorbuy.co.za/help/441/Terms_Conditions_of_This_Site

1.1 As we are not involved in any sale and purchase of any goods and services on this Site, save for providing a venue for an auction of goods and services, and as described in Clauses 10.1 and 10.3, you hereby agree and acknowledge that we:

...
Click to expand...

4.8 In the information provided about the goods or services the Seller offers for sale, or sells on this Site, the Seller must set out the terms and conditions for sale of those goods or services, including the following:

...

4.8.7 returns policy;
Click to expand...

10.4 We have no involvement in the sale and purchase of any goods and services other than providing a venue for an auction and as described in Clauses 10.1 and 10.3 so we will never accept returns of any goods and services purchased on this Site as we are not the Seller. You must therefore direct all enquiries, of whatever nature, including, but not limited to, goods and services being of a defective nature, not fit for a particular purpose, or non-delivery of any goods and services, to the Seller, at whose sole discretion, the goods or services may be replaced or the price refunded.
Click to expand...

you can either challenge Bid or Buy legally which is a costly process or go CPA/ombudsman on the seller. Under Bid or Buy’s response, it is reasonable under the terms. My opinion and their terms disagree as they are an online marketplace where listings are ‘Facilitated’ and ‘Actioned’, but this is a legal challenge. As things are now, it is between the buyer and the seller.
 
Very well summarised, thanks Fulcrum29.

So let's tally up the situation.
Samsung 1.5TB HDD : R649
Normal Post - Counter To Counter 5 - 7 Working Days From Payment : R97
Return postage to seller : R48
Test postage to myself : R48

Total : R842

Options : Take legal action or let people know about the dangers of this marketplace and troll it like I troll VAG?
I'll go with the later thanks, already wasted more than enough money on this :twisted:
 
This is the reason I have stopped using BidOrBuy.co.za. Although you get scammers everywhere online, I think they are attracted to online platforms like these where they are absolved of responsibility in the case of the platform refusing to take a stance.

@Rouxenator, would you have been happier if they explicitly sided with the seller?
 
I would have been happier if they explicitly sided with either party. If it was me, then good. If not, then more reason to burn them.

What would have been better was if I paid with credit card. On my items I accept credit card payments and BoB is very clear that if the buyer has the charge reversed they will not offer any assistance to the seller and simply take the money off their account. I have asked a few buyers that bought from me and paid via credit card why they chose that payment option and it was for that very reason. They can do a charge back - no questions asked.
 
Thanks for the heads up. Was looking at buying some electronics from them soon. But not if this will be their service.
 
I feel sorry u got shafted.

But in all honesty. Buying a 2nd hand hard drive of all things from someone u dont know isnt very clever. I wouldn't do that even on Carbonite. U dont know what the state of the drive is.

Out of interest. Dunno if i missed it. Did the seller have a rating?
 
Rouxenator said:
True, I have stopped using SAPO and now only make use of Aramex couriers. Faster, safer and way more reliable.
Click to expand...

I recommend MDS Collivery. They do Rebeltech deliveries as well. They are pretty fast and reliable, if a bit more expensive - but I normally use the 10k insurance option.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X