Is there any validity to this negative feedback about my Mac IIsi?

[Maclueless.0]

I apologize for the duplicate thread...I posted this question under the general Mac forum but no one has responded. I'm hoping someone here will have an idea.

I recently sold a Mac IIsi online. Prior to shipping it, I had the computer running effortlessly and tested the majority of the applications. When the buyer received it, he left negative feedback saying that the Mac was out of service and he later reported that 2 of the integrated circuits were unsoldered. He never replied when I asked if the machine turned on. My question is, is it possible to have the computer up & running with these circuits being unsoldered? Is it possible that they may have disconnected in transit? I'm highly suspicious of his claim because he did not request to return the item, but I wanted to double check before I respond to his feedback.

Thanks for your help!

 

[MacTech68]

I find that really hard to believe. ICs don't just fall off in this type of equipment. I wonder if he means that the RAM SIMMs came loose in transit.

I'd be asking for pictures as proof of his claims, but of course he could say it's been repaired now.

I'm NOT an eBay seller, so I'm not familiar with what YOUR obligations are with respect to the sale.

Assuming you shipped it in a cardboard box, was it surrounded with packing?

A question for your buyer - What was the cardboard box like when he received it?

A final note. What is his gain in leaving negative feedback? Is he asking for a full or partial refund without returning the item? Otherwise, I don't see the point in leaving negative feedback unless it was damaged in transit.

 

[tyche]

I would try and find out what is going on before responding to feedback. If he won't reply and is keeping the computer just add that to the note. It certainly is possible something was damaged in transit but this talk of unsoldered integrated circuits sounds like he's trying to sound like some expert. It comes across like telling me it needs a new flux capacitor. Does not pass muster to me.

If he's that savvy to identified unsoldered ic's he can fix it and move on. And it certainly isn't something you would have known about.

eBay is filled with scammers, idiots and thieves and I have long given up selling anything. And I only buy low price items with free shipping because of things like this. I dealt with one on an electronic device that I thankfully walked though his problem (how to charge with a usb cable) before he dinged me.

Pretty sure you're stuck with the negative feedback and just have to move on and pray he doesn't get PayPal to refund his money and keep the computer.

 

[Maclueless.0]

After several attempts to contact the buyer, still no response. The computer was meticulously wrapped and packed, so I doubt that was the issue unless customs had a field day. He didn't take me up on my 14 day return policy, which makes me wonder if there really was ever an issue. I naively thought that if I sold a good product, I would avoid the headaches that countless sellers report/gripe about on forums. Now I'm left with a negative feedback that took a huge chunk out of my score (used to be 100%) and have no idea why. Sellers beware

 

[iBlazed]

After several attempts to contact the buyer, still no response. The computer was meticulously wrapped and packed, so I doubt that was the issue unless customs had a field day. He didn't take me up on my 14 day return policy, which makes me wonder if there really was ever an issue. I naively thought that if I sold a good product, I would avoid the headaches that countless sellers report/gripe about on forums. Now I'm left with a negative feedback that took a huge chunk out of my score (used to be 100%) and have no idea why. Sellers beware

Does ebay have any form of feedback appeals process?

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Offer him a full refund if he returns it. If he doesn't take you up on it, then it's not broken. Contact eBay support with your full email chain.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I find that really hard to believe. ICs don't just fall off in this type of equipment. I wonder if he means that the RAM SIMMs came loose in transit.

Actually, it IS possible for ICs to simply fall off Macs of this age. The usual culprits are leaky electrolytic capacitors; when they leak, their corrosive electrolyte can corrode the legs of nearby components so that they are not firmly connected to the logic board.

In this condition, a computer might still work for a short time, until something shorts out, but failure is always the end result. The capacitors need to be replaced and the board cleaned before the corrosion spreads too far.

I have a Mac SE/30 and a Mac Iici with this problem, and I may have to replace some of the logic chips on the board due to corrosion.

Personally, if I were selling any 68k Mac I would list it as currently working but AS IS, with no guarantee that it will keep working. The capacitor problems affect every Mac as they age and it's worth pointing out that Mac IIsi computers are 25 years old.

I'm not saying this is all true in the OP's case, but it is possible. Sometimes the corrosion is really hard to spot, and apparently clean components can fall off - this is especially true of computers that have been tossed around in a Fed Ex truck, no matter how carefully they may have been packaged.

 

[Maclueless.0]

I was told my options were to send a feedback revision request (which the buyer denied) and comment on his original feedback. He eventually responded to my email after a few weeks and attached these photos. I'm not sure what it shows...any ideas? I apologize for the size of the photos. When I tried to expand the their size, the quality became very poor.

 

[MacTech68]

By the looks of it, these are 74ALS245 Octal BUS Transceivers (circled in red in attached pic).

And perhaps they came adrift due to the electrolyte action. However, I do believe this happened in transit, but the electrolyte corrosion was a contributing factor. Remove either factor and the chip would not have moved.

However, unless you advertised this as reconditioned/re-worked/re-capped then I don't think a buyer of these can expect much better.

However, it's a difficult situation to be in. He doesn't know you, nor did he see the machine working. I don't believe that you sold the machine in a broken condition, merely a very old computer that was still working. But these machines are known to suffer from leaking capacitors and all the joys that it brings.

New collectors may not be aware of the capacitor problem, so I guess situations like this will arise.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

New collectors may not be aware of the capacitor problem, so I guess situations like this will arise.

Every Mac logic board I've ever seen, up to and including my Mac Pro, use electrolytic capacitors. So it bears repeating, for the benefit of newer collectors: every Mac ever made will suffer leaky capacitors as it ages!

It seems like failures of this kind become a lot more common once the capacitors are over about 20 years old though - right now the Mac II series and earlier machines are having problems, but the Quadra and Centris machines will be right behind them.

The lesson for Apple collectors is, unless you want a collection of paperweights you need to keep a close eye on every electrolytic capacitor in every old Mac you own. Chances are some are already leaking. This is especially important if you have a rare/collectible/valuable model like the TAM or a 128k - if you let leaky capacitors go too long they could corrode the logic board components and traces so badly that it will become very difficult to repair. The electrolyte can also corrode the inside of the case.

 

[MacTech68]

Every Mac logic board I've ever seen, up to and including my Mac Pro, use electrolytic capacitors. So it bears repeating, for the benefit of newer collectors: every Mac ever made will suffer leaky capacitors as it ages!

Whilst I agree, as far as motherboards go, I'll take a Quadra700 or a MacIIfx any day!

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Whilst I agree, as far as motherboards go, I'll take a Quadra700 or a MacIIfx any day!

I once had a IIfx as a teenager...my old man threw it away because I had too many old Macs sitting around and it was the biggest.

I have to recap my Iici and SE/30, and once that's done I need to go retrieve my Apple II machines and Quadra 610 from storage so they can be checked for leakage. Not to mention my three PowerBook 1xx machines...