2017-05-29 M-6013 Capacitor ESR Meter -Not

Several weeks ago I purchased a “M-6013 Capacitor Meter ESR Meter” from a Chinese seller on eBay.  It cost about $27, and I think shipping was 99 cents.  I received it two weeks ago and read all the instructions and tried all the buttons and functions, but I found nothing having the ESR test.

I put the meter back in the box and shipping bag, thinking that I would have to return it for a refund.  It was very clear to me that the seller was falsely advertising the meter’s capabilities, and something must be done to prevent this seller from taking advantage of other customers in the future.

I started an eBay resolution complaint, which sent the message to the seller.  After a few days, they sent a reply saying they were sorry, and offered me $8.00 refund.  I thought it was a fair offer, but the seller would still not be prevented from taking advantage of other customers.  So I replied that I couldn’t use the meter without the ESR capability.  I was hoping that the seller would offer a full refund.  Also, eBay requires that the buyer wait several days until he/she can take the next step if they are not satisfied with the seller’s offer.

The seller then asked for pictures or video to explain the problem.  I thought that the seller was trying to make it more difficult for me to resolve this complaint.  The seller didn’t want to issue the full refund, and the number of days had passed, which now allowed me to escalate the complaint to the next level by sending the message to the eBay mediators.

So I sent the message to mediation, saying that seller advertised the meter as an ESR meter but I couldn’t find anything in the instructions or any function on the meter for ESR.  I said that the seller had asked for pictures, but that I can’t take a picture of something that the meter doesn’t have.  I sent it off, hoping for the best, but expecting more excuses from the seller.

A few days later I received a notification.  It said that the seller had refunded my $27 and shipping, and I was relieved that I had received my money back.  But I am still concerned about how many other buyers will be deceived into buying this meter that doesn’t do what it’s advertised.  How many other customers will start a complaint resolution, and be satisfied with the $8 offer, and be stuck with a meter that can’t do what they bought it for?  How many more meters will the seller sell before the buyers’ complaints make him quit falsely advertising?

I got my money back, but the price I paid was getting the complaint resolved without giving the seller a negative feedback rating.  There was no feedback to warn future customers that the seller was falsely advertising this meter. 

I want to make a comparison between this complaint and the problem I had last month with an Amazon seller.  I bought a drill and an accessory, a chuck and chuck key.  When I received the package, it wasn’t opened, but it was obvious that something had gone through the shipping tape.  I found that the chuck and key had been attached to the display card by zip ties, and the chuck had slipped out of the zip tie and was not in the package.  So I started Amazon’s complaint resolution process.  I went through the menues, and they didn’t have a choice that described the missing part, so I had to choose one for broken.  Also, the description allowed me to type only a few lines of text, not enough to give a comprehensive description.

Then the procedure required me to pack the item in a package for return.  The app issued me a return code, like a bar code, and told me that I had to take the package to a UPS store and show them the code on my cell phone and they would put a sticker on the package and ship it back to Amazon.

I did all this, and in a week or so I received a replacement chuck and key.  But it cost me the money for the package and time to wrap it and take it to UPS.  And it cost Amazon the return shipping costs and processing costs.  But what I liked was that Amazon and seller both got feedback on what the problem was, and how to prevent it in the future.  This feedback is very important because it will help avoid the problem for both the customer and Amazon in the future.

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