This sucks!

[anathema]

<rant>
eBay have just suspended my account, cancelling 37 auctions I was running in the process.

They have done this because I have not provided them with a contact phone number. I have been completely unable to hammer into their thick skulls that I do not *have* a bloody phone number to give them! And considering that eBay themselves refuse to provide a contact phone number, I think their behaviour is hypocritical to say the least.

They never used to mandate the provision of a contact number - I've been an eBay user for over six years and this is the first time there has been a problem. They're not answering my questions, so: can anybody confirm whether this is a recent change to their terms & conditions that I was unaware of, or whether it's always been there and they've just started enforcing it?

</rant>

[Fozzie Bear]

At first I thought this was going to be a thread about vaccuum cleaners. Still, I wonder, why didn't you just give them somebody else's phone number, or make a number up?? That's what I do when I write checks.

[Aaron]

is that legal

[anathema]

At first I thought this was going to be a thread about vaccuum cleaners. Still, I wonder, why didn't you just give them somebody else's phone number, or make a number up?? That's what I do when I write checks.
I did. Apparently they check. Specifically, I filled out the phone number field with zeroes, as I don't want to provide a number that might turn out to be a real one.

[Fozzie Bear]

Oh, Alex, they'll figure THAT one out!! So what if they call someone else's number--it's not like those folks know you...unless it's friends.

So, why don't you have a phone? Suppose "I" wanted to call you up?

[anathema]

Oh, Alex, they'll figure THAT one out!! So what if they call someone else's number--it's not like those folks know you...unless it's friends.

So, why don't you have a phone? Suppose "I" wanted to call you up?
Providing a fake phone number is also against the T&Cs, so as soon as eBay discovered that's what I'd done, I'd get suspended again.

I didn't say I didn't have a phone. I just don't have a phone number that I'm prepared to publish, which is what this amounts to. eBay aren't going to be ringing me - the reason they want my phone number is so that when another user requests my contact info, they get my name, address and phone number. I have an unlisted ex-directory number for a very good reason, and I have no intention of giving it to anyone other than friends and family. I use my cellphone for all business calls - it's the only point of contact my bank, credit card companies, utility companies, etc have for me - but I do not intend to give *that* to eBay either. They say that a company phone number or a voicemail number would be acceptable. Fine, except that the only voicemail service I have is on my cellphone, and I'm not authorised to give out my office's phone number for non-business purposes!

I do my business by email, period. And I absolutely do not want some US buyer who doesn't realise/doesn't think/doesn't care that 6pm on the west coast is 2am in the morning over here ringing me!

[Don'tLiveonMoon]

Ugh. Lousy luck. :( What do you sell over eBay? You must have an awful lot with 37 auctions going on right now! So will they let you back on after a while, or are you out of luck?
Erin

[anathema]

Ugh. Lousy luck. :( What do you sell over eBay? You must have an awful lot with 37 auctions going on right now! So will they let you back on after a while, or are you out of luck?
Erin
Oh various things :-) In this case, I have a pile of laserdiscs that I'm trying to get rid of before I move house...

I am appealing their frankly rather irresponsible decision. It's not just me they're inconveniencing - several of those 37 auctions had bidders who are now presumably just as narked as I am.

If eBay decide to be pricks about this, there are options open to me...

[bobhopesite]

I'm very sorry about you losing your account.

[McFraggle]

I'm sorry too. Hopefully it gets resolved in a nice manner.

[Kye]

867-5309 would probably kick back as a fake number too, however the youngins around here will have no idea what Im talking about. I have a great solution for you!! you can get a new york city voice mail for 5 bucks a month!! Its what actors use when they dont want to give out home numbers. you can find tons of ads in Backstage magazine!

[Janice & Mokey's Man]

Lol @ "8, 6, 7, - 5, 3 0 niiii-ee-yi-ine", lol! :D

Hey Alex, would an "old" American phone number work? You could use my old addy's #, or maybe even my friend's old cell #...:cool:

[anathema]

Given that I live in the UK, I think even the monkeys at eBay would realise that I'm unlikely to have a US phone number...

[Muppetsdownunder]

That is so annoying, I really hope ebay sort out their problem. I'm beginning to really dislike the way ebay is run because I was borrowing my Dads credit card, I now have another one to use and they still deduct money out of his automatically so I've emailed them and im not selling anything til they fix it.

I hope ebay refund the listing fees that were wasted due to their incompetence.

If they dont fix the problem and refund lost listing fees just take them to court!

[JaniceFerSure]

867-5309/Jenny,my gosh,I remember when that played(was 13 at the time).


I can't stand selling through Ebay.Mostly due to the fact,you're still charged a selling fee,even if the item doesn't sell,especially if you try to sell the item,until someone buys it.The they charge you interest to use Pay Pal,which I've never used,because of that reason.I've sold & bought a lot of book,videos,dolls off of Ebay; personally never had a problem.

I hope all gets worked out with yourself & Ebay anathema.:smirk:

[anathema]

Neither eBay nor PayPal charge interest. PayPal may charge you a fee for receiving money; it depends on the type of account you have.

Anyway, I have a suspicion I can get them under the UK's Data Protection Act. By preventing me from gaining access to the personal data they hold on me, they are breaking the law...

[Muppetsdownunder]

Get them and get them good! I couldnt think of a more honest person for them to pick on and they've picked on the wrong person. I would be willing to put that in writing or stand up in court!

[anathema]

Now this is interesting...

I received an email from eBay this evening thanking me for settling my invoice, and informing me that my account had been reinstated.

The last invoice on which I owed them money was in June, and it was paid in July - I can see the payment on my credit card statement. My account was suspended because of the phone number dispute.

What on earth are they smoking?!


It's interesting to note that for the last week or so I have been trying to tell them that I do not have a contact phone number, and each time I have received a standard 'form' email, probably issued by a robot rather than a human - until this morning, when I snapped and warned them that they were in breach of the Data Protection Act. This evening, my account is accessible again...

[Fozzie Bear]

Similarly: Kodak has a digital camera that I own which worked good for a while, now the memory card or internal memory won't transfer to the computer, and the software which was downloaded to my computer will not work anymore. I have sent them email after email, and they've sent me full circle all their stock responses and nothing is working. So, I wrote back and told them I may as well go back to having my pictures taken with a disposable Fuji camera at Walgreens on Fuji Film and Paper.

[McFraggle]

It's interesting to note that for the last week or so I have been trying to tell them that I do not have a contact phone number, and each time I have received a standard 'form' email, probably issued by a robot rather than a human - until this morning, when I snapped and warned them that they were in breach of the Data Protection Act. This evening, my account is accessible again...

It's amazing how quickly things get resolved when you threaten legal action. :) Glad to hear you got reinstated though.

[sarah_yzma]

big corporations are just a necessary evil of the world...and E-bay happens to be one of them

[JaniceFerSure]

Glad it worked out for you Anathema.:smirk:

[Muppetsdownunder]

Glad it worked out for you Anathema! We're your items still listed? if they werent did they refund you the listing fees?

[anathema]

Glad it worked out for you Anathema! We're your items still listed? if they werent did they refund you the listing fees?
No, they killed the auctions off last Friday, and refunded the fees. I shall have to relist them :-(

[sarah_yzma]

well, at least eBay knows not to mess with you now!

[Muppetsdownunder]

No, they killed the auctions off last Friday, and refunded the fees. I shall have to relist them :-(
Atleast they refunded the fees!

[anathema]

They're now claiming that Tuesday's reinstatement was issued in error, and have suspended my account again.

There's gonna be trouble...

[sarah_yzma]

get 'em, Alex.....get 'em

[Muppetsdownunder]

They're now claiming that Tuesday's reinstatement was issued in error, and have suspended my account again.

There's gonna be trouble...
What idiots, they seem to be digging their grave deeper and deeper!

[Beauregard]

Why not put a telephone box number?

[Beauregard]

What idiots, they seem to be digging their grave deeper and deeper!
Fer sure...

*evil laughter*

[anathema]

Why not put a telephone box number?
Because they'll check it.

[Muppetsdownunder]

Because they'll check it.
you could just make sure your at the phonebox when they check it! :)