...if I had, I wouldn't be in my current dilemma.
The story...
I purchased a set of refillable cartridges from earthinkjet on eBay in March and waited two weeks for them to arrive.
Even though a tracking number was provided, when I checked the USPS site, it just lists the status of my item as electronic shipping info received. I sent a few emails inquiring about where my package was but received no response whatsoever. Eventually I used the "Live Chat" feature on earthinkjet's website to try to see if I could get a hold of someone.
My first attempt to use their live chat feature didn't go so well since it stated that the chat feature was unavailable at that time. I tried again the next day and it worked. I was informed that all shipments would be received usually in 2-3 business days, if it took any longer, then the shipment was most likely lost in the mail. However, when I checked the USPS site, it only stated that the post office received electronic info so there wasn't any indication the package was actually sent in the mail.
However, they (or whoever I instant messaged) said they would resend the item.
I got the package - though I have qualms about the packaging (all of the cartridges were placed in an envelope...). Yes, cartridges are somewhat sturdy and they are in their lightweight card stock carton but I think a bubble mailer would be nice. Alternatively, maybe a single layer of bubble wrap?
Being the total idiot that I am, after I received the cartridges, I didn't check the contents since hey, the product in the box should match the label on the carton right?
Wrong. Very wrong.
Well, just this week I ran out of ink for my printer and I decided to test the ones that I ordered off of eBay. The printer didn't read the cartridge and upon closer inspection, the compatible label on top of the cartridge did not even match the label on the carton or eBay description of the item! To further add insult to injury, I discovered that I didn't even have a full set of color cartridges since the cartridge in the black ink carton was actually a yellow one! So now, I have two yellow cartridges, along with a cyan and a magenta cartridge... Now that I look at the picture on the eBay page, the cartridges I received doesn’t match the picture at all since it lacks stoppers on top of the cartridge tanks.
The graphic on the eBay page still states that the inks are made in the USA. Yet, the cartons that contain the cartridges have the words "made in the USA" crossed out with a permanent marker...
While their policy on the product's eBay page states that buyers can return the item for "a full product refund in 90 days" if "not completely satisfied with [their] system," getting a hold of them is another problem. I've emailed them but received emails in return stating a delivery failure. I did get an automated email from earthinkjet saying that a department would process my email and it included a tracking code. I checked it out but it wasn't useful at all.
I've resorted to using PayPal's resolution center to resolve this issue. However, since filing my dispute, I have yet to hear from earthinkjet. I'll give them a few more days to reply.
Overall...
I'll definitely do background research before buying from a seller off of eBay or at least Google their seller name so at least I can find helpful sites or forums like this one.
I didn't think my first purchase on eBay would be such a hassle. I never had problems with Half.com or Amazon so I thought it would be the same for buying stuff on eBay. Probably I just picked the wrong seller to buy from... earthinkjet is listed as a power seller with many good reviews so I thought them to be a reliable seller. I guess I was wrong again or it may be due to the fact that I have incredible horrible luck.
I think I'll go and try purchasing the same item from another seller. Or if all else fails, I'll just continue buying the printer's brand name of cartridges since that's what I'm currently using anyways (since the ones I ordered didn't work). There should be a rating system or at least a more comprehensive feedback site somewhere where online buyers can provide feedback about sellers on eBay since the current system isn't too detailed (not enough characters!). Speaking of which, I still haven't left feedback yet for my purchase on eBay and I don't believe it's expired yet.
On a more positive note, I'll use this as a learning experience to:
- Always check the item when it arrives to make sure the content matches the label!
- Do research on seller before buying.
- Avoid earthinkjet or any branches of that site.
- Be more careful in looking over items (especially things that have fishy signs i.e., permanent maker cross outs on carton)
- Be more practical or realistic when trusting people or giving them the benefit of the doubt.
~ sea_otter, a college student
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