Oh, man...I feel like a total shitbag.

[karlrschneider]

I bought a welder on Ebay last week, sent payment immediately by Paypal (last Wednesday) and never got any reply from the seller. So I've sent several emails asking about shipping & delivery, no response. Then a bit ago, I poked around looking for contact information and discovered he's from Orange, Texas...smack in the middle of Rita's path! Most of his town (from what I've been able to Google) is a wreck.

I feel like a dick. Is there any way to erase emails that have been sent?...I doubt it. The guy is probably evacuated and might not even have a house. Dammit. Dammit. I just sent him another email & said
Don't even WORRY about this! Just try to get your life back together, I don't give a damn about the $200.

Just, well, crap.

[SeattleGirl]

1. Hey, you didn't know initially where he lived.

And in the absence of information, we humans often tend to fill in the blanks. Don't be so hard on yourself. You followed up with another email, so I'll bet he'll understand.

[karlrschneider]

9. Thanks. I semi-recalled seeing "Orange, TX" but I didn't know where it

was. I probably should have thought more carefully before I sent off those emails asking if he was trying to shaft me. Well I don't feel quite so bad now, hopefully he will understand.

[Trevelyan]

20. It is a very good thing for you to care about the man and posting this.

I hope he is okay and reads your apology first.

Again, it is a good thing to post this and I am impressed more than ever by the compassion of so many DUers.

Don't beat up on yourself (we get enough of that from the FReeper) just know you tried your best to make it right.

:grouphug: :yourock: O8) :thumbsup:

[skooooo]

2. dup

[skooooo]

3. But it's not you feel, it's how you LOOK

...and you look mahvelous!

[cynatnite]

4. Did you check his history and rating?

Normally, that's a sign of what kind of person you are dealing with. If you think the guy is on the up and up, give it some time. He'll contact you and square it away...at the very least, you'll get a nice thank you.

[benburch]

5. How could you have known?

And there are cheats on Ebay that will rip you off like that.

[cynatnite]

7. I was ripped off once and got my money back n/t

[karlrschneider]

18. I'm not worried about it however it turns out. Here's the auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7546397172&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1

He has very good feedback, I've been fortunate, never had any serious problems on Ebay.
And it was actually only $180 not $200 he probably needs it a lot more than I do. :-)

[TomInTib]

6. Youch! You did at least acknowledge

can you afford to let him have the $200? An unemployed welder in Orange could really use that.

[karlrschneider]

12. Yes I can afford a couple hundred bucks. He's probably out thousands.

...

[incapsulated]

8. Don't beat yourself up

You didn't know. I'm sure it's the least of his worries right now. You sent him a nice email and that will be the first he sees from you.

[BlueJazz]

10. Your're a Good Man...karlrschneider ...

[Radio_Lady]

11. Well, I think you can contact both Ebay and PayPal customer service.

Under the circumstances, they might be able to help you. Unless you really want to give him a gift. Wow! What a story!

The companies may even have representatives to discuss this with this evening. Try:

http://livechat.ebay.com

(Oops, looks like you have to start at ebay.com first. I'm not a member so I would need to register to get help.)

Also: Help from paypal:

http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_contact_us

You're a great guy, Karl!

In peace,

Radio Lady

[Catherine Vincent]

13. You bought a welder for $200?

Was he tall, dark and handsome?:P

[benburch]

14. Bad girl!

And you can only RENT that sort of welder!

[Radio_Lady]

23. Well, Ben, you COULD marry him, if you both were available!

[karlrschneider]

16. Hey, there was no picture, he might BE!

:D

You actually made me LOL...thanks!

[Catherine Vincent]

22. No problem.

That was a nice thing that you did.

[bettyellen]

15. ids your email program "outlook" ? they have a recall message feature

that you might be able to use.

[tularetom]

17. You know what?

He probably had to haul ass out of there before he even got the first e-mail. Anyway it doesn't sound like you got personal or made threats so you shouldn't feel bad. And at the end

You Done Good!!!

[RoyGBiv]

19. Something like this ...

Something like this happened to my mother once, from the seller's perspective. She was selling several things on EBay and had several auctions ending about the time a massive tornado hit OKC a few years ago. She had no power for days, and discovered the computer was fried after it did come back. Took her two weeks to gather all the info she needed to send out the items, and some of the e-mail she had received in the mean time was quite hostile.

She understood this, completely, and apologized to everyone. But, there was one person she'd sold a doll dress to who lived in Japan. That person had realized she lived in OKC, had heard of the problems, and sent her the kindest, most thoughtful e-mail one could possibly hope to receive. She told her basically the same thing. "Don't even worry about the money," which she had transferred via PayPal, "just be safe." It made my mother's year.

There are a lot of cheats on EBay. Legitimate sellers understand nasty e-mails they get when things are delayed, and a simply act of kindness, just a few words like you sent, can make everything so much better.

You did good, so don't worry.

[SlowDownFast]

21. It'll work itself out, it just might take awhile.

Contact Paypal and tell them the situation. They'll open up a case and try to contact the seller. Either you'll have to wait longer than anticipated to get your welder, or you'll get your money back - one of the two.