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Sold iPhone on Ebay - Buyer wants to return because they have Alltel - What to do?

B

BrittQ

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 23, 2007
235
0
I recently sold my iPhone on Ebay.

The buyer just contacted me and said he wants to return it because it does not work on their network (Alltel - CDMA)


Here is the dilemma:

Where the carriers are listed - Alltel is listed there (which does operate a GSM network).

But where it says technology - it has GSM

And in the description I said very clearly:

"Works with any GSM/Sim card Network
Just insert sim card and enjoy!"


My question is - what is the right thing to do? My mistake or theirs? Do I have to refund the money?:confused:
 
BrittQ said:
I recently sold my iPhone on Ebay.

The buyer just contacted me and said he wants to return it because it does not work on their network (Alltel - CDMA)

Auction Link

Here is the dilemma:

Where the carriers are listed - Alltel is listed there.

But where it says technology - it has GSM

And in the description I said very clearly:

"Works with any GSM/Sim card Network
Just insert sim card and enjoy!"


My question is - what is the right thing to do? My mistake or theirs? Do I have to refund the money?:confused:
Click to expand...

I would say it's your mistake - return the money and get the iPhone back and re-list it on eBay
 
Tell him to cut/paste your auction and list it himself. You listed it accurately.
 
BrittQ said:
I recently sold my iPhone on Ebay.

The buyer just contacted me and said he wants to return it because it does not work on their network (Alltel - CDMA)

Auction Link

Here is the dilemma:

Where the carriers are listed - Alltel is listed there.

But where it says technology - it has GSM

And in the description I said very clearly:

"Works with any GSM/Sim card Network
Just insert sim card and enjoy!"


My question is - what is the right thing to do? My mistake or theirs? Do I have to refund the money?:confused:
Click to expand...

well then you screwed up by putting Alltel in the carriers when it clearly is not supported. you have to give him his money back
 
I know the basic premise of eBay is caveat emptor, but in this case I would say the buyer has grounds to complain - you clearly list AllTel in the list of carriers, which is incorrect.
You could argue with him that the GSM bit made it clear, but not everyone understands the differences between CDMA and GSM.
You may not be obliged to take it back, but it would be the right thing to do - you can always resell it (with a more accurate description!)
 
its not that big of a deal, The guy probably didn't even know he didn't have a sim card in his phone you might as well be speaking chinese to some people, but since you put Alltel or ebay did it for you who knows. You should return the money and re-list the phone and try to get the description correct or just take the negative feedback.
 
I don't see how that changes anything. The phone doesn't work on that carrier, so the listing was incorrect. The fact that you found something about the "Mystery Alltel GSM Network" after the fact doesn't change the basic issue.
 
I take it you sold an unlocked iPhone on eBay? If so, you did screw up as it doesn't work on Alltel's network. The right thing to do would be to refund his money. If PayPal were investigating the claim, and they will be the second you say no to a refund, they'll just take your money and you could only hope the item is returned.

It is going to be less ugly if you refund and relist now.
 
Sold for $400.

I will most likely refund it, just to keep things civil.

But, I am not convinced I have to.

It will work on Alltel's GSM network. Like I said many times in the listing - it will work on any gsm/sim card network. Nothing in my listing was inaccurate.
 
BrittQ said:
Sold for $400.

I will most likely refund it, just to keep things civil.

But, I am not convinced I have to.

It will work on Alltel's GSM network. Like I said many times in the listing - it will work on any gsm/sim card network. Nothing in my listing was inaccurate.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately - i believe that's an error of omission rather than commission. i.e. the information that it will not work on alltel w/o some limitation.

I would also wait to refund till you have the phone back. it sucks for both of you, but would suck more to refund the money and then be stuck waiting.

edited to add: it appears that Alltel's GSM network is from prior acquisitions and they keep it to make money off of roaming agreements from providers that support GSM (which they do not).
 
I don't think you need to refund the money. I can see doing it just to avoid confrontation, but you listed your auction accurately. Its the buyer's responsibility to know the difference in networks when buying a phone off ebay.
 
dylangurl21 said:
I don't think you need to refund the money. I can see doing it just to avoid confrontation, but you listed your auction accurately. Its the buyer's responsibility to know the difference in networks when buying a phone off ebay.
Click to expand...

I agree. I understand that not all people are tech savvy and may not know the difference between GSM and CDMA but when buying a $400 phone, some of the responsibility has to be on the buyer for making sure they know what they are buying.
 
alltel doesn't offer GSM service to their customers, so the listing is contradictory in listing alltel as a carrier for the iphone. the customer will certainly know their carrier, they may or may not know the type of technology from their network. They should know better, which is why i still think you need to wait till you have the phone in hand to issue the refund (and make sure it is the same one). it sucks. but the right thing to do.

b
 
The longer term harm to your ebay reputation/rating is not worth it. I'd speak with the buyer and if he/she really wants it, give the refund. You shouldn't have a problem selling it again anyway (even after Friday).
 
I didn't even know an Alltel GSM existed. I am on Alltel right now and it's definitely CDMA. It's your fault for putting Alltel as a carrier.
 
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