I bought a cd changer on Ebay a little while ago, and the guy only accepted BidPay, which is Western Unions electronic money order company. Right after I sent out the money order via BidPay, I got an email from Ebay saying that this guy is now suspended and any open auctions of his are null and void. He hasn't returned any of my emails, but he has 2600+ positive feedbacks on his profile. What can I do if I am getting screwed? Can I dispute the charges with my credit card even though I payed through a third party? I know that Ebay won't do a thing with people that screw others, so I need another way.

 

I haven't tried lodging disputes with a credit card before, but it seems like that would be a great place to start -- perhaps your credit card would contact BidPay / Western Union, and they in turn would undo the money order? That is, if the guy you sent money too has an account with Western Union? Lots of transactions go through 3rd party institutions like BidPay -- I would EXPECT that there be some sort of dispute mechanism in place.

Anyone else have other suggestions?

Let us know what you find out!

 

I am pretty sure Ebay has a fraud guarantee service as well - although the amount they insure you upto is limited (either 300 or 400 dollars). I am not sure how much you paid for the changer.

You should contact both your credit card company AND Ebay customer support and I am sure between them, you should be able to get your money back.

Good luck.

 

The only problem is that BidPay specifically says that once they mail out the money order, it is only up to the buyer to resolve any problems that occur. I also hear that ebay customer service stinks, and it takes a couple months to get anything done.

 

If you have an address, maybe the T.I.T.S. Crime Fighting Team could lend a hand!!

 

The guy lives in the bronx, I tracked down his address and phone number, but I think I'll wait for T.I.T.S. as a last resort.