[URGENT] Steelbook damage - need help in a PayPal dispute

[roach_rch]

Hello everyone,

recently I purchased German MediaMarkt John Rambo, but because of the insufficient packaging it arrived heavily damaged. You can see the detailed photos attached - the dent is the size of a golf ball. Although I wanted to keep this Steel sealed, I opened it to try to push this dent back, but it is too deep. It would have to be repaired with a rubber hammer, but I am a bit affraid that the paint will chip off... so I guess this Steelbook is wasted.

I opened a PayPal dispute to get my money back, but since the seller is very stubborn, I recieved a following e-mail from some PayPal employee, that handles my dispute:

Was brauchen wir von Ihnen?

Wenn Sie einen Antrag auf Käuferschutz für Ware stellen, die erheblich von
der Artikelbeschreibung abweicht, bitten wir Sie um eine schriftliche
Bestätigung eines unabhängigen Dritten. Der Grund: Wir wissen nicht, was
Sie sehen, wenn Sie Ihr Paket geöffnet in den Händen halten. Deshalb sind
wir auf die Aussage einer unabhängigen dritten Partei angewiesen. Zum
Beispiel die eines Händlers, Sachverständigen oder einer anderen
anerkannten Organisation.

Und so geht es jetzt auf Ihrer Seite weiter:

1. Bitte wenden Sie sich an einen Händler, Sachverständigen, Gutachter oder
eine andere anerkannte Organisation Ihres Vertrauens.
2. Lassen Sie sich bitte schriftlich das Ausmaß des Schadens bestätigen.
Eine Warenbeschreibung, Seriennummer sowie geschätzte Reparaturkosten
helfen uns ebenfalls bei der Prüfung Ihres Falls.
3. Und das kommt auch noch auf die schriftliche Bestätigung: Der Briefkopf
mit dem Namen, der Adresse sowie der Telefonnummer (so können wir bei
Rückfragen Kontakt aufnehmen). Ausstellungsdatum, Stempel und Unterschrift
des Händlers/Sachverständigen bitte auch nicht vergessen.

Die Bestätigung dann an uns faxen oder oder direkt in Ihrem PayPal-Konto

Wichtig: Es ist wichtig, dass wir die schriftliche Bestätigung innerhalb
der nächsten zehn Tage erhalten, weil wir anderenfalls Ihren Antrag auf
Käuferschutz schließen. Es gibt leider auch keine Möglichkeit, diesen
Zeitraum zu verlängern. Und: Nehmen Sie bitte keine Reparaturen oder
Veränderungen vor. Ansonsten sind wir leider nicht in der Lage, diesen
Antrag zu Ihren Gunsten zu entscheiden, denn uns fehlt der
Vorher-Vergleich.

I don't speak German, so I had to use Google Translator:

What we need from you?

If you submit an application for protection for purchasers of goods, which greatly from
the item description is different, we ask for a written
Confirmation by an independent third party. The reason: We do not know what
You see, if you hold your package open in my hands. Therefore
We rely on the testimony of an independent third party. For
Example of a dealer, expert or other
recognized organization.

And so do we go to your page:

1. Please contact a dealer, expert reviewers or
other recognized organization you trust.
2. Do please confirm in writing the extent of the damage.
A product description, serial number and estimated repair costs
also help us in assessing your case.
3. And that is still on the written confirmation: The letterhead
with the name, address and phone number (so we can at
Inquiries) to contact. Issue date, stamp and signature
the dealer / expert please do not forget.

Confirmation then return to us or send a fax or directly into your PayPal account

Important: It is important that we have the written confirmation within
get the next ten days, because we otherwise your application for
Buyer protection close. Unfortunately, there is no possibility of these
To extend the period. And please do not make any repairs or
Changes before. Otherwise, we are unfortunately not in a position to operate this
Request to decide in your favor, because we lack the
Before comparison.

What I understood from it I need some kind of written testimony from a dealer or expert reviewers, that the damage done to this Steel, caused by the insufficient packaging, is irreversible, unsealing it removed half of the value, any tries to repair it may cause with the paint damage, etc. Dealer is not an option, because I have no contact with German MediaMarkt whatsoever, so I came up with an idea to get a testimony from a Steelbook expert, experienced collector, reseller, etc., hence I created this thread. To be honest, I thought particularly about howwon and jwbbud for the occupation reasons (SB forums admins), I don't know if testimonies from just expert collectors like crashkelly or tiger_qc will be considered reliable enough by PayPal, but I'm willing to take my chances.

So guys, could I ask any of you to prepare such a testimony (preferably with a hand-written signature), scan it, and e-mail it to me, so I could fax it to PayPal and recieve my money back? It is very important for me to fax such testimonies within max 10 days from today, so I'd really appreciate a straight yes/no answer. Of course no hard feelings if you would mind, but I would be really grateful for this kind of help. I guess the best way to talk about it would be via PMs, but I wanted to spread the word out, because maybe any other forum member could help in any way - write his own testimony or maybe assist in a way I didn't think or know about.

Thanks a lot in advance.

[Arkitect76]

WOW, this is interesting to see....hope you get this issue resolved because no one wants to receive something like this....

Im no steelbook expert, but THIS SUX!!!!

[Horhay]

Wow! that sucks roach! hopefully you can positively resolve this. Good luck!

[American Baron]

Hey Roach,

yea, that steel is definitely toasted. I don't think Jeremy will be able to help you here, as PayPal will require a Testimony from a recognized organization or Retail Store and I doubt that a forum Moderator would fit. It doesn't need to be a Media Markt! It just needs to be a local store that deals with this type of merchandise (Steelbooks).

However, I think you may have screwed yourself by opening the Steel. You most definitely should have left it sealed.

Good Luck!!

AB

[xage]

Dude, Youre Screwed! You bought it not from a retailer but a reseller ..

what the heck is the testimony about? Thats funny - Its A DAMAGED SHIPMENT - No relevance or help having a testimony coming from another individual (who is similar to you as an end-consumer)

those were written on the interpreted information you made with google.


Go call Paypal directly and ask assistance/calrification

1-402-935-7733 or 1-402-935-2057

[Wreck]

you shouldnt have opened it. They'll play the "I'd take it back had it not been opened" card. On the other hand, a German native might be able to give you a better translation. Good luck. Perhaps the Scanavo contact can simply send an email stating that the product is indeed damaged goods.

[xage]

Ooops.. looks like youre in Poland

Poland PayPal phone number: 00 353 1 436 9001

[American Baron]

Originally Posted by Wreck

you shouldnt have opened it. They'll play the "I'd take it back had it not been opened" card. On the other hand, a German native might be able to give you a better translation. Good luck.

Google actually translated it pretty well! Roach definitely got the Jist of what was said. But, as stated opening the Steel pretty much ruined his chances...

[apsmith21]

Hmmm. This is indeed interesting. I'm not sure about rules in other countries, but if I send something or buy something from another country paypal will not cover as "not as described claim".

IE - I buy something from Canada and it arrives damaged - unless the seller does something, paypal won't cover it.

Or - someone from Canada buys something from me and it arrives damaged, they are not covered.

[roach_rch]

Originally Posted by Wreck

you shouldnt have opened it. They'll play the "I'd take it back had it not been opened" card. On the other hand, a German native might be able to give you a better translation. Good luck.

Actually I don't think it has to necessarily be so, because it was the seller who encouraged me to open it and to try to fix it. I really wouldn't mind if the dent just popped out when pushed back from the inside. If I knew that this damage is SO deep, I wouldn't have opened it...

Originally Posted by apsmith21

Hmmm. This is indeed interesting. I'm not sure about rules in other countries, but if I send something or buy something from another country paypal will not cover as "not as described claim".

IE - I buy something from Canada and it arrives damaged - unless the seller does something, paypal won't cover it.

Or - someone from Canada buys something from me and it arrives damaged, they are not covered.

I had some situations before when I recieved a damaged item or I didn't get it at all - when I opened a PayPal dispute and the seller didn't respond at all, PayPal forced the refund (I don't know if he charged his PayPal Funds account or the credit card) and I got all the money back.

[xage]

Originally Posted by Wreck

Perhaps the Scanavo contact can simply send an email stating that the product is indeed damaged goods.

legally speaking, it was purchased not from an official retailer/client of Scanavo. There are implication as the source of purchase is just a plain ordinary reseller.

[Blahblehblah]

Originally Posted by American Baron

Hey Roach,

yea, that steel is definitely toasted. I don't think Jeremy will be able to help you here, as PayPal will require a Testimony from a recognized organization or Retail Store and I doubt that a forum Moderator would fit. It doesn't need to be a Media Markt! It just needs to be a local store that deals with this type of merchandise (Steelbooks).

However, I think you may have screwed yourself by opening the Steel. You most definitely should have left it sealed.

Good Luck!!

AB

Im with the above sadly, chances of you getting a return on this is slim to none. I was in a similar situation recently with my mastercard for an issue i had with a contractor and basically they give you a hard time to get a refund unless you have like written proof from a professional within the industry. In this case, im not even sure where you can even obtain that to be truthful.

I don't mean to sidetrack but do you by chance have the name of the person that sold it to you so we can avoid that person or dealing with that person going forward? Thanks

[Wreck]

Originally Posted by xage

legally speaking, it was purchased not from an official retailer/client of Scanavo. There are implication as the source of purchase is just a plain ordinary reseller.

Im speaking in regards that he is an "expert" in the matter and can be taken more serious than any mod/admin of a forum by stating that its damaged. Although anyone with a set of eyes can tell that.

[LeAnn]

I suppose you will need to provide proof of the conversation in which the seller told you to open the steel. You may also want to show images of the poor packaging to get it to you. Is it at all possible for you to make a claim through the postal services if the paypal falls through?

[xage]

Originally Posted by LeAnn

I suppose you will need to provide proof of the conversation in which the seller told you to open the steel. You may also want to show images of the poor packaging to get it to you. Is it at all possible for you to make a claim through the postal services if the paypal falls through?

We are in USA this dude is in Polland (if thats the case on his location) .. Paypal might have different rules there.

[roach_rch]

Originally Posted by Blahblehblah

I don't mean to sidetrack but do you by chance have the name of the person that sold it to you so we can avoid that person or dealing with that person going forward? Thanks

I do have the name and eBay nickname, but I wouldn't like to publish it. This person seems real nice, and definitely had good deeds - he sells a lot of SBs, collects them, and packed the item well - into 2 coats of bubble foil, which would be sufficient in most of the cases, but in this particular one it didn't. It was mostly bad luck, but it wouldn't happen if the Steel was packed not into bubble foil, but into a cardboard box. And that's my case here.

Originally Posted by LeAnn

I suppose you will need to provide proof of the conversation in which the seller told you to open the steel. You may also want to show images of the poor packaging to get it to you. Is it at all possible for you to make a claim through the postal services if the paypal falls through?

I do have a proof of the conversation, because it was all done by the eBay/PayPal e-mail service. I will not get a refund from the postal service, because the package was neither insured nor tracked...

[apsmith21]

Originally Posted by roach_rch

I had some situations before when I recieved a damaged item or I didn't get it at all - when I opened a PayPal dispute and the seller didn't respond at all, PayPal forced the refund (I don't know if he charged his PayPal Funds account or the credit card) and I got all the money back.

Wow, if it worked that way in the States, I'd be sitting on a pile of
instead of a pile of

[American Baron]

Originally Posted by xage

We are in USA this dude is in Polland (if thats the case on his location) .. Paypal might have different rules there.

He's bound to the PayPal Rules in Germany, as that s where he purchased it from. They obviously require written confirmation from a 3rd party organization. But, that confirmation will no longer be valid as the Steelbook has been opened.

[roach_rch]

Originally Posted by American Baron

He's bound to the PayPal Rules in Germany, as that s where he purchased it from. They obviously require written confirmation from a 3rd party organization. But, that confirmation will no longer be valid as the Steelbook has been opened.

Are you sure? What if, for example, the disc has been heavily scratched? I wouldn't know it until I opened it.

[American Baron]

Originally Posted by roach_rch

Are you sure? What if, for example, the disc has been heavily scratched? I wouldn't know it until I opened it.

Then your Dispute would be about the Disk, right? Opening the Steel would have been justified. Your Dispute is for the "Shell" with outer Damage. There was absolutely no reason to open it, sorry.