Members filtersweep Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 So I just sold my first thing ever on EBay- my much loved Access Virus C. Guy who bought it was quick to thank for sending so well packaged and in such great condition. Said he hadn't properly jammed with it but was sure the OS and firmware were fine. That was yesterday. Today he sends me two messages saying that the unit is completely worthless, has some sort of "encoder" problem that causes it to change programs and settings randomly, can't get the vovoder to work and can't even use the filters without horrible results. He wants to send it back for full refund or have me refund half the price so he can get it fixed. I'd like your opinions. Is this some sort of scam? Has anyone ever heard of these "encoder" problems which he says he sees all the time? I never had a single problem with this unit. What sort of problem could cause such completely chaotic behaviour as he describes? I have suggested that he try a hard reset or reinstall of OS. Any other thoughts. My dealing with him to this pont has been courteous and professional. I was shocked to read his complaints today. I don't really see what he has to gain in such a scam unless the idea is for me to refund half the money so he can resell it. Is this familiar territory for anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Delicious Lamprey Problem Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 Never happened to me (I've sold a lot of stuff, too), but if it were me, I'd tell him to please return it tracked/insured, and I'd refund him in full + the cost of return shipping. In other words, this is a rare occurrence; I'd eat the financial loss and take it from there. Sucks, but it's the right thing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members augerinn Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 Yeah, eat the shipping and have him return it. I sold a D-550 once, which was fully tested and re-furbed. (Like everything I sell, which to date is probably about 50 synths/modules). In order to re-load the factory patches, I had to use the MIDI ports and Sysex commands. When the buyer rec'd it, he/she stated they couldn't get patches to load using Sysex. We went back and forth with a lot of E-mails, but in the end I had to state that I knew it worked when it left. I saw it go back up about 2 months later, and it sold for about what they paid for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members frankthomson Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 sold is sold.he could have ruined himself and YOU'D never know ALL SALES FINAL........IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Space Peeps Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 what OS was on it when you shipped it? this probably isn't helpful and i'm just thinking aloud here, but is it possible that the buyer uploaded the new OS and had problems as a result? if so, it would seem to me that it's the buyer's problem and not yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Delicious Lamprey Problem Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 Taking notes here, who not to buy stuff from... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members filtersweep Posted January 18, 2009 Author Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 sold is sold. he could have ruined himself and YOU'D never know Short of taking a hammer to it, I don't think he could have ruined it. But I do wonder if he knows how to use it. Despite all the knobs, they are complex and not the easiest thing to navigate. So getting "good sounds" out of it takes some practice once you leave the presets. What about this "encoder" problem that he's seen many times before? A problem that causes all the encoders to malfunction at once? That sound like an OS issue maybe, but I've never heard of it and I've been using synths for over 25 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Space Peeps Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 Taking notes here, who not to buy stuff from... it is a valid question, but i wouldn't want to screw anyone out of their hard earned money. it seems that the right thing to do would be to eat the pain and refund the money. i think that i'm going to think aloud elsewhere. /me walks away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Space Peeps Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 What about this "encoder" problem that he's seen many times before? A problem that causes all the encoders to malfunction at once? That sound like an OS issue maybe, but I've never heard of it and I've been using synths for over 25 years. it sounds fishy to me. that's why i asked about the OS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members drxcm Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 Tell him to make a video of the problem so you can see what is going on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Delicious Lamprey Problem Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 it is a valid question, but i wouldn't want to screw anyone out of their hard earned money. it seems that the right thing to do would be to eat the pain and refund the money. i think that i'm going to think aloud elsewhere. /me walks away. Sorry - didn't mean to sound like I was picking on you! Just sayin', you know. A transaction gone bad is likely to get worse if you fight it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members synthman1 Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 I would never sell an item on ebay without clearly stating: Sold as is. No returns, No refunds. (You should always have the items shipped with tracking or delivery confirmation and insurance as well.) You need to clearly state that both in the listing and follow up emails. Who's to say he did screw it up or just had buyers remorse? With that said you do have describe item accurately. It Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Numina Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 I wouldn't trust this either. I would make sure he isn't swapping it out with another defective unit too. Also, maybe ask him to record the audio and send you an mp3 of the patches changing and the filter issues. Although, I suppose this could be mimicked manually, but I dunno. Personally I'd be very nervous about taking the synth back. The virus C is a pretty solid synth. - J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xmlguy Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 Require the unit to be inspected and diagnosed at a manufacturer authorized service center, at his expense. Tell him you'll only consider possible options after this is done and you talk to the tech in person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members eric Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 I agree with the last couple of posts about getting additional proof of the issues, beyond a simple email request. Refund 50% of the cost???!!! F*ck that, I'm inclined to think you're being scammed based on this alone. Sorry to say it, but it sounds fishy. I had a similar situation a number of years ago when I had sold a very boutique and rare analog synth on eBay and shipped it all the way from East to West coast. I had it fully insured, shipped in a flight case, etc. Upon delivery, the buyer sends me a desperate email that it was DOA. This was a minty gem of a synth and I was **VERY CONCERNED**. Rather than banter back and forth incessantly over email, where it is very hard to gauge sincerity, I pulled his phone number from eBay and called him. This put things at ease rather quickly and the route we took was for him to get the synth serviced by a known tech and then figure out the problem. I told him that it was 100% working fine for me when I shipped it, but I wanted to make it right and we would discuss the resolution after getting the tech's assessment. Long story short, there was a cracked circuit board that was replaceable to the tune of about $200. This was a $2500 eBay item. The buyer agreed to split the repair bill with me and that was the end of it. We actually became closer friends over the phone, talking about music, gear, family, etc. It worked out much better than I had expected. I did up front offer for him to just send it back (as someone has suggested to you), but given the effort involved, it worked out better to do what we did. Good luck and keep us posted. Regards,Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fierywater Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 Take the item back for a refund, especially if you were paid via PayPal. If he raises a dispute, PayPal will side with him and you'll lose the money either way. If you take PayPal, you effectively -can't- declare that you're selling items as-is, as PayPal will still side with the buyer if he/she claims the item isn't as described. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members droolmaster0 Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 I think that ultimately if you don't trust people, you'll win some and you'll lose some, and if you do trust people, you'll win some and you'll lose some - but if you do trust them, you come out better in the end. I'd say get as much evidence as you can, talk to him on the phone, etc, but unless his story just doesn't hold together, I think that you should take it back. This is one reason why I don't sell stuff on Ebay. Too afraid of having to deal with stuff like this. If I sell something here to a known party, and they tell me that there is a problem, I believe them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members crazycarl Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 I wouldn't trust this either. I would make sure he isn't swapping it out with another defective unit too. Also, maybe ask him to record the audio and send you an mp3 of the patches changing and the filter issues. Although, I suppose this could be mimicked manually, but I dunno. Personally I'd be very nervous about taking the synth back. The virus C is a pretty solid synth. - J. This is what I thought - and as the other poster said the 'refund half my money' line is also incredibly shady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 35miles Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 I recently sold a Mesa Boogie amp via eBay. A week after the guy received it, I get an email stating that there were some problems with one of the channels. Needless to say, it turned into a nightmare. I had him take it to a local authorized repair center and they essentially could not find the problem. The amp always worked flawlessly for me. It went on and on. I eventually refunded some money to him as a settlement. If I was to do it again, I would eat the shipping and take the amp back. Do yourself a favor, get the keyboard back and go from there. To this day, I'm certain the guy was jacking me, but I was trapped after not taking it back immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Enigmatic Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 Ouch. Thats a bummer. This is most likely a user issue. If i sell something on Ebay, i make it final, unless the item is damaged or anything. Ask him whether he has a web cam, so you can remote assist him to make sure this is not a user error. if the item is damaged, it could be because due to shipping & handling. If you have it insured, you should be eligible for a refund. good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stikygum Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 Definitely eat the shipping and get it back. Unless you believe him and really do think there is something faulty. Either way, I'd actually take it back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Numina Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 By the way, a phone call is an excellent idea. I actually e-mailed an eBay seller of an Andromeda he was auctioning (which I ultimately bought from) and asked for his phone # since he had 0 feedback. I wanted to verify this wasn't a scammer... it was still VERY risky of me (and I admit I probably shouldn't have risked it but thankfully it turned out OK), but I called and spoke to the guy, he sent photos of himself and the A6, provided references, etc. I got a warm fuzzy feeling and the GAS for the A6 only got worse... Anyway, the point is, as someone mentioned, a phone call with an actual voice discussion could really clear things up - maybe the guy doesn't know WTF he's doing OR maybe there really is something wrong with the C. I think if you take the effort to call the guy you're, in a way, "calling" him out a bit and he'd have to really be able to explain things to you on the fly opposed to an e-mail. - J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Delicious Lamprey Problem Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 I don't see any Virus C sales from first-time sellers on eBay. Was just curious to look at the feedback of the buyer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mysteron Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 I'd say that this person is probably trying to take advantage of your lack of Ebay experience. DO NOT send him half the amount to get it repaired. THAT is a scam for sure. As has been suggested get him to make a video and upload it to YouTube of the problem so you have proof that he's not trying to scam you (make sure he shows you the serial number in the video so you know it was yours). DON'T eat the shipping and get it back unless he can prove to you YOUR Virus is broken. He might own one himself that's busted with this problem and he'll try and send that one back to you claiming its yours and keep your good one, leaving you out of pocket and with a busted Virus. I've seen that one pulled before as well, it's fairly common with stuff that has no serial number and its the reason why dealers online say they always track their serial numbers when they sell you things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LePera Posted January 18, 2009 Members Share Posted January 18, 2009 He also could have switched out defective parts.A board or chip or ?JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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