You may have heard that Ebay is celebrating its 15th birthday this week, but did you know about the changes to its dispute resolution policy, including reducing the amount of time you have to report problems?
It’s clear Ebay has come a long way since its first auction – a second-hand CD by The Scorpions fetching £2.89. In the UK, an item is bought every second on Ebay using a mobile device.
But what if the item you buy is significantly different from its description, or arrived broken? Or what if it doesn’t turn up at all? Ebay has recently changed its Buyer Protection policy to a Money Back Guarantee policy to help those buying on eBay – but do the changes actually increase your chances of being out of pocket?
Ebay Money Back Guarantee policy
One of the key changes to Ebay’s policy is a reduction in the amount of time you have to escalate your complaint to Ebay.
You now have 30 days from receipt of the goods to alert Ebay to a problem, a reduction of the previous time period of 45 days from payment of the goods. It’s an important deadline to remember if you have a problem with the item you’ve bought.
You could also be eligible for the Money Back Guarantee policy if your item hasn’t been delivered. Under the policy, you can put in a claim to the seller for a refund at any time up to 30 days from the actual or latest estimated delivery date.
This is where it’s important to be aware of another change from Ebay – you must have raised the issue with the seller and given them eight days to respond in both instances. This is longer than the three days previously given under the Buyer Protection policy.
Paypal policy changes
There is a silver lining to these changes, however – Paypal Buyer Protection has now increased the amount of time you have to escalate issues with them from 45 to 180 days.
This would mean that you would still have the option to use Paypal if you din’t escalate your issue to Ebay in time. Don’t forget that Paypal Buyer Protection and Ebay Money Back Guarantee policy are two different schemes though and cannot be run simultaneously.
Both policies are only for those that have paid by Paypal – Ebay offers no protection for those who have paid directly by credit card or debit card.
Were you aware of these changes coming in? Do you think they are fair? Do you think Ebay should also offer a resolution scheme for those who don’t pay for their goods using Paypal?
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