This spring we auctioned a Selmer Maple Bassoon With High D Key that sold. But the buyer had all kinds of complaints about it and did not give me a chance to try and make her happy. (i.e. within one day e-mailed me her complaints, allowed me to respond with an offer to meet her demands) and then BOOM - escalation to Paypal claim!  You can read about all the drama below.  She was our first negative feedback and claimed my husband and I had no knowledge of what we were doing.  It's really hard to have someone lie about you publically like that. 

But we were vindicated.  That bassoon sold a couple of weeks ago, and the new buyers LOVED It and gave us great feedback for it.

I am not letting my first negative feedback get me down.  I'll sell more, buy more with a goal of getting back to 99.9% rating at least until next May! 

So to start things off I've had these books for a while but my kids are through with them!  Great summer reading for teens at the beach or anywhere!

Even though my "trading partner" (koff koff - piano-sound you've been anything but a partner!) wouldn't cooperate in helping me get my fees back, I just called eBay and talked to a nice guy named Chris who checked it out, saw that we issued a full refund and is getting my fees reversed. 

That makes me feel a lot better!!

The followup to our first negative feedback was that piano-sound left a final word, proving that she is indeed everything I said she was, and probably more.

• • DO NOT TRUST SOLD WALL HANGER AS PLAYABLE BASSOON * SHAME ON YOU * NO KNOWLEDGE

So just to recap because that's what a blog is for - we have been selling musical instruments on line since 2002, all over the country and even to a few other countries and this has been our first problem. My husband the repair technician, has been doing this for over 25 years and even teaches an instrument repair class at the local university.

So he's is very knowledgeable. Unfortunately you have to know how to actually PLAY a bassoon - they don't play themselves.  I guess next time we'll have to put that in listing.

I guess it was inevitable that after many years on eBay we would receive our first negative feedback. Something told me when piano-sound won the auction with her private feedback that this was not going to be an easy sale.  It was just a feeling I had.

Sure enough, as soon as she got the instrument she wrote to me that it was not as described and had a list of gripes about it.  Less than  8 hours later I offered to have her send the instrument back so that we could correct any problems and I also offered to refund her shipping costs.


Hello L,

I'm sorry there are problems with the bassoon. Sometimes things get out of adjustment during shipping. This was play tested and it played well.

Please send the bassoon back with a list of the repairs/problems that you would like to have fixed.  We will also install a hand crutch holder.  This one didn't have it. Some folks don't even want it. But we can install it.  We will refund your shipping costs, make the repairs and have it back to you quickly.

As per our original sale we don't do refunds, but I am sure that we can get this instrument up to your satisfaction.

Elena


A few hours after that she wrote a rambling ranting e-mail claiming that I was not reading her complaints!  I replied immediately:

Hello L,

I'm sorry there are problems with the bassoon. Sometimes things get out of adjustment during shipping. This was play tested and it played well.

Please send the bassoon back with a list of the repairs/problems that you would like to have fixed.  We will also install a hand crutch holder.  This one didn't have it. Some folks don't even want it. But we can install it.  We will refund your shipping costs, make the repairs and have it back to you quickly.

As per our original sale we don't do refunds, but I am sure that we can get this instrument up to your satisfaction.

She escalated to a claim asking for a partial refund.  If the instrument was so horrible why would she only want a partial refund?   She got a full refund and we got our instrument back, but now she leaves us horrible untrue feedback.

item NOT as decribed, WAS NOT WILLING TO RESOLVE, PAYPAL NEEDED, what waste.

This is clearly a lie. She just wanted a $300 discount on her bassoon and when we would not play along this is her vindictive revenge. 

My reply:
Itm WAS as described Buyer wnted it for $300 less I wont b blackmailed awful prsn.

Ebay can be a fun, profitable place to meet great people.  Too bad some people like piano-sound have to ruin the experience for honest people.