Thursday, April 15, 2010

Negative eBay Feedback Triggers Lawsuit

Herald Sun (Australia)
An online shopper is being sued for more than $15,000 for posting negative comments on eBay about a man who sold him a broken clock.


Michael Steadman accused Elliot Miller of having the "ethic of a car salesman" after the $US44 clock arrived in pieces, Florida Today reported.

Mr Miller, a lawyer, claims the negative feedback has ruined his "100 per cent" eBay rating and commericial reputation and is suing for damages.

Mr Steadman said that the case had so far cost him $US7000 in legal fees.

"It's not safe to say anything online," he told Florida Today. "Because I don't have the money to fight, I'm losing. It's not right."

Mr Steadman was looking for a clock that would time stamp his employees cards for his welding business in Cape Canaveral.

He spotted one on Mr Miller's eBay page, which sells electrical components and hardware, and sent off the $44.

However, the clock arrived in three shipments and the parts appeared to be from different models and were incompatible, he said.

He filed a complaint with eBay and got his money back, but said he wanted to leave the negative feedback to warn other potential buyers.

Mr Miller says in his lawsuit that the clock was "plainly offered for sale with the following language: 'We cannot give you any guarantees and must offer it on an as-is, where-is basis only'."

No comments:

Post a Comment