Libel suit threatened from eBay deal

[rikks]

What is the name of your state? California


Here's my situation...

I got the runaround for a month from a seller after paying him for a
product.

After seeing four members in a row post negatives saying they got
"stiffed" and after getting no help from eBay, I posted...

"WARNING. Don't buy from this guy. He'll stiff you. HE SHOULD BE SHUT
DOWN."

After I posted that, three MORE members left negatives stating that they
got taken.

THEN... The package arrived.

I was CONVINCED that he hadn't shipped. I even asked the post
office about the tracking number and they said it had not left the point
of origin or it would have been recorded by scanning the bar code on
the shipping label.

So then the fellow emailed me and threatened to sue for libel.

I've not gotten a good nights sleep since.

What do you think? Am I up the creek or what?

He's claiming that I've damaged his reputation and tried to hurt his
business when all I was doing was trying to help other members.

Seems to me he was smashing the hhheck out of his OWN reputation
already and now I'm going to flip the bill for his poor service.

 

[panzertanker]

What is the name of your state? California


Here's my situation...

I got the runaround for a month from a seller after paying him for a
product.

After seeing four members in a row post negatives saying they got
"stiffed" and after getting no help from eBay, I posted...

"WARNING. Don't buy from this guy. He'll stiff you. HE SHOULD BE SHUT
DOWN."

After I posted that, three MORE members left negatives stating that they
got taken.

THEN... The package arrived.

I was CONVINCED that he hadn't shipped. I even asked the post
office about the tracking number and they said it had not left the point
of origin or it would have been recorded by scanning the bar code on
the shipping label.

So then the fellow emailed me and threatened to sue for libel.

I've not gotten a good nights sleep since.

What do you think? Am I up the creek or what?

He's claiming that I've damaged his reputation and tried to hurt his
business when all I was doing was trying to help other members.

Seems to me he was smashing the hhheck out of his OWN reputation
already and now I'm going to flip the bill for his poor service.

Suck it up, it took more than 1 month for the package to arrive. Seems like a reasonable assumption you had gotten stiffed.
He is just blowing smoke....

You say:
"I got the runaround for a month from a seller after paying him for a
product."

What kind of runaround did you get?

 

[rikks]

After waiting for 2 weeks I e-mailed him and very nicely
asked what the status of my shipment was and he wrote me
back saying that he had been ill for the past week but would
check into it.

I waited 2 MORE weeks and never heard from him.

I sent another e-mail and got in his face stating that I had
tried being nice but that didn't work. I told him that he
had 48 hours to ship the product or I would persue every
possible angle within the law to make things right and that
I would not back down.

I wrote me back within an hour saying that he had already shipped
the product and since I didn't pay for insurance, it was no longer
his problem. THEN he stated that since he has a 100% satisfaction
guarentee that he would ship another identical item.

Wierd.

He wrote me back later that day saying he had shipped.

I wrote back saying that I didn't believe anything he said and that
I needed a tracking number for proof.

He provided it.

I looked up the number on the USPS website and it stated that it
was "expecting the package" or something like that.

That's the SAME THING that the first package said when I tracked it.

So....

I wrote him back and sent a screenshot of the postal inspectors link
on the USPS site and said I would file a complaint if he generated a
tracking number without actually sending a package (this can be done
using click-n-ship and choosing to not pre-pay the postage).

He wrote back and stated that it shipped out late that afternoon.

I checked the tracking and SAME THING... "expecting the package for
delivery".

This made me pretty darned angry.

At this point I was CONVINCED that he was not telling me the truth.

I checked tracking again in the morning and AGAIN the following afternoon
and it was the same.

I went through the roof and e-mailed him and said I thought he was a
liar (smart move eh?) and that I had had enough.

Then I posted the negative feedback.


There you go.


I can't believe this you know?


Thanks,

]R[

 

[panzertanker]

So go back to his feedback, he deserves the negative for being such a slow shipper with poor communication, and add another follow-up comment that states something like "FINALLY got package. Like the product but poor communication" or something to that effect.
you have done nothing wrong and have not slandered him, in my opinion.

 

[rikks]

I've already left a follow up.

Did it immediately after recieving the package. I didn't want to show
ANY sluggishness if you know what I mean.

I wrote something like...

Got Package after a month. Stressfull. Bad info from post office 2nd shipment.

I think the part about the post office is vague, but it's too late. I just
wanted to be as fair as possible since the guy evidently told the truth
about the second shipment. I wanted to be as accurate as possible. It's
important to me.

There's GOT to be some kind of glitch with the postal system if they tell
me a package gets tracked at at least 3 points: origin, local post office and
destination.

Odd thing... he gave the same story to at least one other member that
got stiffed.

How many packages get lost a month in the mail from one person? Can that
be right?

I also sent a letter of appology.

This gets better don't it?

Jeeez.

No reply, but I felt it was in order since my PROOF of "non-shipment" was
based on inacurate information. I thought I could trust the postal
service to be the ultimate source. Good grief.

My brain hurts. I'm a nice person.

I swear, I've gone through most of the day feeling like I was ill.

The thought of getting sued for a fortune, which is always possible
I suppose, is absolutely dreadful.

 

[panzertanker]

As I said before.... suck it up. You are letting some little thing control your life....

Let it go.

 

[JETX]

I agree with Panzer on this one.
Your post was accurate at the time it was made. After receipt of the item, you amended to update.
They seller is just pissed at all his negatives.... don't worry about it... until/unless some time that you get a more formal notice from an attorney or court... VERY unlikely!!
Sleep well.

 

[ablessin]

At least you got yours, I bid on some bakery sstuff a while back, she left me a + feedback, yet I never got the stuff.

She had gotten TONS of - feedback > same thing...... I wrote back and forth with several others, who like me, were hesitant to leave a - feedback, but finally did after 6 weeks of NOT getting the item.

Get this, she lived in NY too - - I was tempted to ask her if I could just come get it.