Background: My father, Bubba, is a beanie baby fanatic. He pretends he is buying them for my mother, but we all know better. Even though Bubba is a Data Base Administrator and more than competent on the computer, he does not feel able to do business on Ebay or Metaexchange, which is where I come in.
Last week, he had me buy a Sakura bear for almost $80 on the metaexchange. Since it was so expensive, I wrote the seller and stated I wanted insurance & to please send me the total amount due incl. ins. & postage. Which he did and I promptly paid via Paypal.
So far so good until I get the package and it’s completely empty! It looked like it had been opened and shut again, so I wasn’t thinking fraud, more like mail theft.
I write the seller, explain the situation and ask him if he’ll be giving me a cash refund or a replacement bear. Two days later I get a cryptic response that none of us can interpret. I write back, and restate what I want done in terms a 2nd grader could understand. Two days later he writes back and says that he’s sorry it has taken him so long to get back to me, he is busy with a divorce. He goes on to say that he will mail me the insurance receipt, so that I can make a claim.
Okay, fine, but he goes on to say the problem is he only insured it for $50. No mention of how he is going to refund me the extra $30 or anything.
Now, am I so wrong in thinking that when I asked for postal insurance it goes without saying that I wanted it insured for the whole amount? And since he didn’t bother to insure it, he should be liable for the extra $30? Or am I wrong for not being more specific?
And how long should I give him to rectify the situation before I ask Metaexchange to intervene? I wrote them in general terms about the incident and they wrote back that they would be happy to help me resolve the situation if I couldn’t do it myself. I’m thinking I should give him until Monday, is that fair?
BTW, I need to commend customer service at metaexchange, I got not one, but two replys to my question the same day I e-mailed them. It’s always great to get good customer service.