Aquabid issues with buyer/seller?

Hey guys,

As some of you may know I was in the area during the marathon bombing last week. As I had some aquabid winnings during that time I requested a delay in shipment to those who I could pay by Paypal. One of my auctions was done through a money order.

I have been in contact with all of my sellers, especially the one I had yet to pay about the situation. I could not have made it any clearer that due to circumstances I had trouble getting the money order out to them. They have since begun sending me very demanding e-mails, saying things such as "give me positive feedback" for the wait before I even received my product. Demanding that I overnight the money order because during the lockdown CVS was closed and I was unable to get it in a timely manner.

I was sent an e-mail that said "Mail arrived your money order didn't, where is it?" To which I replied this afternoon that it was in the mail, on the way. Tonight I received a message from Aquabid that this seller is filing a claim against me due to lack of payment.

Hopefully it's not out of line for me to bring this subject here, but I'm really curious considering the circumstances what any of you would do given the situation? A terrorist attack is not exactly something that can be faked, I sent mass e-mails to all of my sellers, explaining the situation and only had trouble with this one.

Being brand new to aquabid I do not want negative feedback because of a situation out of my control, and this person is being completely unreasonable about the circumstances. Aside from sending a counter complaint I am not sure what to do, and I don't know that doing so is a good idea.

 

I can't believe that. It's obious you didn't fake it, it's all over the news. I would absolutly not leave any feed back before getting the product and I would warn others of the e-mails so they know what they are dealing with. Are they filing the complaint to Aquabid? I would expect people to be more understanding. . . .

 

I would send a counter complaint with the original e-mail you sent explaining your situation attached. If he agreed in the first place to give you some extra time due to your circumstance then he has no right to complain to you or aquabid "police" about your "lack of payment" since he hasn't sent your shipment (I assume) then you are not held liable for payment not being received yet.

 

I can't believe that. It's obious you didn't fake it, it's all over the news. I would absolutly not leave any feed back before getting the product and I would warn others of the e-mails so they know what they are dealing with. Are they filing the complaint to Aquabid? I would expect people to be more understanding. . . .

I spoke to one of the other sellers who was absolutely shocked to see I was sending out emails about fish during the incident. So I explained to him, as we have been in contact for awhile, that I was doing it because of one particular seller still waiting on payment.

The pushy e-mails did not help.

I received an e-mail from Aquabid around 8 pm EST, stating that they had filed against me. The message stated that I had "stopped responding to attempted contact" when my last e-mail to them was at 2:44 this afternoon.

I would send a counter complaint with the original e-mail you sent explaining your situation attached. If he agreed in the first place to give you some extra time due to your circumstance then he has no right to complain to you or aquabid "police" about your "lack of payment" since he hasn't sent your shipment (I assume) then you are not held liable for payment not being received yet.

I did not get an agreement, I got demands. I said that I would buy the money order on Friday, but everything was on lock down on Friday. I then e-mailed saying that I would buy it on Saturday, however the PO box is not open on the weekends and I wanted to get tracking for it so I would not be able to mail it until Monday.

The response was a demand to overnight it, so they would get it on Tuesday. On Tuesday I received another e-mail stating that they got their mail and my money order was not in it. I responded that the money order was in the mail. I did not overnight it, and I did not agree to overnight it as that seems like unnecessary expense for a tragedy that is not at all my fault.

 

Well that sucks. This person needs to be reported for bad service. seeing as though you are responding to e-mail and you have sent your money you are following your agreement with the seller. And demanding an overnight is not acceptable. **sidenote** I would demand an overnight on your purchase**... And you have proof of you e-mails so I would still do a counter claim with all of your e-mails to and from the seller. that way you should not be at fault and this seller will be reprimanded for false claims

 

Have you heard back from aquabid since the complaint? I'm shocked that they're being so pushy, especially with such an awkward payment method (paypal does make it simpler).
besides......weren't you still within the 3 businessdays to send payment agreed on by the ab system? (Supposed to go fri, sat and sun don't count, out Monday....if the auction ended Thurs they don't even have a complaint)

 

Have you heard back from aquabid since the complaint? I'm shocked that they're being so pushy, especially with such an awkward payment method (paypal does make it simpler).
besides......weren't you still within the 3 businessdays to send payment agreed on by the ab system? (Supposed to go fri, sat and sun don't count, out Monday....if the auction ended Thurs they don't even have a complaint)

I won the Friday before the bombing. Monday was a nightmare, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday involved a lot of catching up because of Monday - again Aquabid was not exactly on my mind during that time... but I remained in touch throughout the whole situation. Thursday night started the lockdown.

 

"This seller has filed an unjust complaint against me.

I have been in constant contact with this seller about my present situation, the statement that I have stopped responding to attempts at contact is a lie. Below is our conversation throughout the duration of the period. Additional e-mails were sent to ALL auction sellers during the week including this seller, they are not included here but can be for additional clarity. I have several seller witnesses that I remained in contact with all sellers during this time, and will gladly provide any additional information necessary.

The e-mails below read from the bottom up, as that is how gmail organizes them.

I apologize that my safety came before the purchase of some plants, but the reality of the situation is that more important things were going on than delivering this money order at the time."

This is how I've worded my counter complaint. Below this I have included all of the e-mails that were directly between the two of us, from day one. I did not include the mass e-mail as they were not conveniently in the same thread, and I don't want the complaint box to exceed a character limit or something.

What do you guys think about the wording?

 

Where is the seller from? Sometimes it could be a communication problem/language barrier.

As like Ebay, if he leaves u with a bad feedback, leave him one back too.

This is a situation you can't control and he if cannot make himself understanding enough then just break the deal.

 

Where is the seller from? Sometimes it could be a communication problem/language barrier.

As like Ebay, if he leaves u with a bad feedback, leave him one back too.

This is a situation you can't control and he if cannot make himself understanding enough then just break the deal.

They are from California. As the name is listed as "Alex" I am not sure if male or female.

 

Don't leave feedback first, AB only allows upgrades to feedback, you can't go from neutral to bad. I hope the mod who gets your email understands the situation

 

I noticed that when I looked into it, and didn't leave feedback. I only leave feedback once my purchases arrive.

My biggest concern is that Aquabid explains that the message will be forwarded to the seller, and no response from Aquabid will be sent. So I'm not even sure what Aquabid does with the complaint once they have it.

 

I wouldn't worry about it. Just file a counter complaint and let Aquabid sort it out. Once he receives the payment then you need to demand your shipment. People like that can't be reasoned with no matter what. I used to do graphic design for a living and let me tell you, some people are crazy when they think they're owed something even if you explain you can't deliver until x date/time.

It can be stressful and make you feel anxiety about even checking your email. Don't let it. Take a breath, give his email the finger and stay as polite as possible.

 

Just received this email:

"Mark/aquabid

How is this a breach of sale? I'm
Still waiting for payment . If you read his complaint he says "I put safety in front of plants."

Although he knew the guidelines of the auctions after he wins it he complains that he'd rather be safe than pay? Isn't that an admission that he doesn't want to pay?

He even emailed me yesterday that the payment Is In the mail. Look at when this auction ended and look at today's date (Almost 3 weeks?) Who is waiting for who ?


And if you look at my sell history this is the3rd person in a row that has flaked on buying .

Resolve this now please."

The response I put safety in front of plants is in response to the fact that my rebuttal stated that being at the location of a terrorist bombing my own safety came before the aquabid sales.

Edit: My response

I'm countering your breach of sale, as you knew my position and still decided to file a claim against me. Putting my physical safety over an aquabid plant auction is only common sense at the site of a terrorist bombing. I would love to know how you would have handled the situation with an entire city on lock down while you had to get to the store to get a money order and send it via mail.

"Isn't that an admission that he doesn't want to pay?" Let me again, restate. Your payment is in the mail. And you can bet that should I not get my plants delivered after I paid you despite all of this, I will take further action. You even said yourself that you got my email "He even emailed me yesterday that the payment Is In the mail."

It is utterly ridiculous to hold any one person at fault for the actions of a terrorist, besides that terrorist. If you are so caught up in your own personal situation that you haven't noticed there was a bombing in Boston during the past week that is not my fault. I was in constant contact with you, I have several e-mails to prove it. I have made prompt payments to ALL other sellers, which Aquabid is welcome to check with, and I know of at least one who will vouch for me in this situation.

I am new to this site and don't appreciate my name being slandered because of one seller's inability to have some human compassion in such a difficult time. Although I admit to initially being late on payment, the fact that this seller lacks the emotional ability to be understanding during such a time as the circumstances that followed is enough that I would not want to do any further transactions with them.

 

Wow.. sounds like this seller is a rude ignorant person. I would definitely make sure I took note of their selling name and never ever buy from them again. It seems like they are asking for issues by refusing to use paypal. I know that when my x used to sell stuff on ebay, I preferred the paypal payments.. once a check or money order is in the mail, there's no real way to track it and there's a reason it's called "snail mail".

I wish you all the best with this transaction, Wingless

 

Wow.. sounds like this seller is a rude ignorant person. I would definitely make sure I took note of their selling name and never ever buy from them again. It seems like they are asking for issues by refusing to use paypal. I know that when my x used to sell stuff on ebay, I preferred the paypal payments.. once a check or money order is in the mail, there's no real way to track it and there's a reason it's called "snail mail".

I wish you all the best with this transaction, Wingless

I knew I was taking a risk at the time by bidding on them, but at the time I put the bid in I couldn't find them anywhere else. I found them before winning the bid, but I figured I would just have extra - no big deal, right? Besides, I couldn't exactly take the bid back.

This is what happens when you think "no big deal" I guess.

I did put tracking on my money order though, because I want to make sure I have proof it was delivered in case they try to pretend that they never received their payment.


Thank you though, and everyone else. I just hope aquabid also realizes how ridiculous these claims are.

 

Newest update is that my account is suspended for an undetermined length of time "Under Review".

 

I'm sorry to hear that wingless.

 

Have thay given you any more info yet?

 

Have thay given you any more info yet?

Nope. I only know I'm suspended because I had a few bids in this week and when I checked on them it told me I couldn't do that because of my suspension.

"Your account is currently suspended for Account under Review. Contact AquaBid.com for Details..


You will be able to use your account again - Time to be determined.

If you have questions, regarding this suspension, please contact AquaBid.com."

When I tried to contact them initially, the site said that if it's about another user to fill out a dispute so I counter disputed the claim twice. At this point I just wish I knew whether or not the seller is also under review, their item description alone goes against Aquabid's policies (which I included in detail of my counter claim).

 

Pm a username, ill snoop around and see if any of their auctions are still active.
If your account is suspended theirs should be too!

 

I sent an e-mail to aquabid requesting more information about my suspension, explaining that I have fish arriving from other sellers this week and would like to be able to leave them feedback once the fish are delivered.

I refrained from outright asking if the seller is also suspended under review, as I'm sure I wouldn't get a straight answer anyway.


Edit: Just got an e-mail from aquabid. The only text included was "Did you pay for this auction?" and a link to the auction in question.

Sure feels like they didn't monitor the disputes very well to even know the context of what was going on.

Edit 2: Seller is claiming he was not paid. I forwarded the tracking number, delivery time and date to Aquabid as evidence.

 

Wow....hesclaiming to not have received the tracked mo now?

 

Wow....hesclaiming to not have received the tracked mo now?

Yes. USPS has it listed as delivered two days ago, so it's not like it just arrived and the seller might not have gotten their mail yet today.

 

I hope I don't ever has the misfortune of dealing with this guy

 

I hope I don't ever has the misfortune of dealing with this guy

I hope that eventually Aquabid pulls their senses together and removes his account for the fraudulent backstabber he is. It takes a special kind of low to care more about $20 than someone else's safety. And the fact that Aquabid seems completely nonplussed with the fact that the seller is being an outright bully during a terrorist event makes me wonder about their values as a site, as well.

All of my other sellers told me to stay safe, and take the time that I needed.

Edit: I was finally able to check the seller's feedback page. There is no note there that says they are under investigation, as there is on mine. Considering we both filed complaints against one another I feel this is unjust on aquabid's part, since they have zero reason to believe that seller's claims over mine. (For the record, we have the same exact feedback score.)

 

Curious how long I should wait before contacting Aquabid once more to request more information on the length of my investigation. The fact that after I sent them the tracking number they never responded really bothers me, the least they could have said was that they were looking into it.

All I got is silence.

contacted Aquabid again regarding the account, the suspension was lifted after a few more e-mails. I asked if the seller ever agreed to getting my payment, and an e-mail was sent back to me showing their conversation where the seller claims to have no payment still, despite delivery being April 27th.

I asked for advice on how to handle the situation, as I have proof of delivery with that tracking number, and he's refusing to acknowledge that I paid.

Edit: According to moneygram the money order hasn't been cashed yet, so that would make it possible the seller honestly hasn't received it, but that's puzzling with a delivery confirmation from USPS.

Last email from aquabid: Too bad you did not do Signature Required.

 

Newest update: I've been in contact with the seller, to try to show a sincere effort in paying him despite everything so far.

He sent me two e-mails today swearing at me, and calling me sick for using the Boston bombing as an excuse not to pay for plants. I've forwarded his emails to Aquabid, I hope they see the way he talks to people and investigate his account instead.

Aquabid responded that the zip code the money order was sent to was not the zip code on his account. I sent them back an email containing the entire thread from my first email to him (before the auction ended). Included in this thread of emails is the address he sent me when I asked him how to properly fill out the money order and send it to him, as it would be my first.

Currently waiting on a response from Aquabid on this matter, I think the seller is forwarding all of my future emails to spam... but I'm not letting this drop until I am sure that it's obvious I made every effort to get the order paid for.

I am pretty close to contacting moneygram about a refund, so I'm not out $30 because this person apparently doesn't know his own zip code... but if this can be resolved I'd prefer that instead.

 

I have never used Aquabid, but from the way this has been handled I may never use them. There is no reason to send emails swearing at you and Aquabid isn't (in my opinion) handling this in a timely manner or effectively.

 

I have never used Aquabid, but from the way this has been handled I may never use them. There is no reason to send emails swearing at you and Aquabid isn't (in my opinion) handling this in a timely manner or effectively.

It is seriously making me reconsider ever doing any business with them again. I've gotten some lackluster responses that make the e-mails appear almost automated, and I've had to repeat myself several times. Not once as any of my detailed messages been responded to in a manner that shows they've read and understand the situation.

This last e-mail alerting me that the zip code I sent the money order to does not match the zip code the seller has on file is the most help they have been since day one. I will give them credit for one thing, and it may be the only thing I give them credit for - when they do respond to my e-mails it is nearly automatic.

I'm also wondering what fishlore's policy is on including user names at this point. Frankly I would want to warn others of his behavior, so they don't risk the same.

I'm pretty mad I didn't notice the warning until after all of this happened, but aquabid has a note that states they do not condone use of money orders in auctions.

 

Even if they don't condone it, they still need to deal with the issue at hand. I would think it would be OK to use the username? If they allow it for positive feed back its only fair to allow it for negative but only Mike or a mod could tell you for sure.

 

Even if they don't condone it, they still need to deal with the issue at hand. I would think it would be OK to use the username? If they allow it for positive feed back its only fair to allow it for negative but only Mike or a mod could tell you for sure.

Yeah, hopefully someone will pipe up - as this sort of uncalled for behavior really deserves a warning in my opinion. I hate mentioning names, but after all this? I would feel awful to see it happen to someone else.

 

Maybe they would at least allow you to pm people? I, for one, would like to know the id so I can avoid it at all costs.

 

Maybe I could just ping Mike about sharing the seller's name?

 

We have a section of the forum.

You could post there.
It would be helpful for members looking for good or bad sellers.

Before leaving a review please read the following:
Review Rules and Guidelines

Good luck!

 

We have a section of the forum.

You could post there.
It would be helpful for members looking for good or bad sellers.

Before leaving a review please read the following:
Review Rules and Guidelines

Good luck!

Thank you Lucy, I have read the rules before and re-read them now. I put up a post, I hope it is acceptable and informative for potential buyers on the site.

 

Maybe I could just ping @Mike about sharing the seller's name?

Yeah, I'm ok with posting in the private seller reviews forum.

I've not used aquabid before, can you leave feedback or a review on their seller profile on aquabid so everyone can see it? Sort of like how amazon.com works?

 

Yeah, I'm ok with posting in the private seller reviews forum.

I've not used aquabid before, can you leave feedback or a review on their seller profile on aquabid so everyone can see it? Sort of like how amazon.com works?

It's like ebay, you can leave a one line response as Praise, Neutral or Negative. If I leave a negative review I'll get one in turn though, and I don't want to risk my name being slandered on my own feedback page because this person clearly believes they're in the right here.

 

You can also post on the AB forum but I must warn you, the members there speak their minds and may scare you off. I hope this problem doesn't scare you off from selling your extra fish. I wouldn't want to deal with a seller like this too.

 

Wow, what a mess! How long has he been denying that the money order was delivered? Can you request delivery address confirmation from USPS?