Fair Warning: Luthiers/Repair Guy Reviews

[aceonbass]

Collin.....To be honest, I don't know if a "correct" harness was requested, but they must be called Winfield Restorations for a reason. I know it wasn't offered though because the customer seemed surprised that there was a difference and opted for the upcharge for a correct harness.Besides that, it was wired incorrectly, and didn't work.

[walker]

Update: So it's pretty clear by now that Chip Little has no intention of refunding my money. Stupid, stupid man. The bad lip-service has no doubt cost him way more than a measly $175.

[aceonbass]

Mark, if you paid via credit card, you can dispute the charges, and maybe even get them removed.

[walker]

Good advice. I paid via Paypal, but definitely worth looking into.

[aceonbass]

PayPal's pretty good at refunding money in disputes. I've gotten them to kick me back money a few times in cases like this. You don't even need to call them. Go to your transactions page, find the payment, and file a claim. If the seller doesn't respond at all, PayPal will just give you your money back. If he does, he'll have to defend his charge, and your word will carry more weight with PP than the service provider. That's just the way they work.

[Grey]

You only have 45 days after the money was sent to file a dispute, after that time PayPal will do nothing.

[walker]

Both good to know.

[walker]

Well, I gave it my beset effort, but this is the auto-response from Paypal:

"Thank you for registering your complaint about this transaction. Unfortunately, this type of transaction is not eligible for PayPal dispute resolution..."

"this type of transaction" ??? Maybe because it wasn't an eBay purchase?

[Grey]

You didn't send the money as a "gift" or "personal" transaction to avoid PayPal fees, did you?

[jingle_jangle]

You may have been turned down because you paid for a service rather than tangible goods, if you didn't "gift" him.

[walker]

Hard to say since they didn't specify the reason, but now that transaction ID has already been associated with that dispute, so TSOL.

[aceonbass]

That it wasn't Ebay has nothing to do with it. You could try calling too and explaining the situation, but if the guy requested the money as a "Personal" payment, you lost your PP protection. I do that all the time with my customers, but then again, I also care about my reputation here and elsewhere.

[Grey]

You may have been turned down because you paid for a service rather than tangible goods, if you didn't "gift" him.

It would still be covered, any PayPal transaction for any amount is covered as long as you specify Goods/Services and pay the fees. I refuse to send money to anyone who requests a "gift" payment just to avoid a 4-5$ fee for this reason.

[aceonbass]

It would still be covered, any PayPal transaction for any amount is covered as long as you specify Goods/Services and pay the fees. I refuse to send money to anyone who requests a "gift" payment just to avoid a 4-5$ fee for this reason.

I run things pretty close for the services I provide, so when I request PP payment via that method, it's so I don't have to raise my prices on things. Only one person I've dealt with scoffed at the "personal" payment method, and he was a lurker on this Forum who disappeared anyway. I've been on this forum for over 10 years, so I think I can request payments in this manner without raising anyone's ire. Besides, the fee isn't 4-5$, it's 3.5%. More if there are international monetary exchange fees. That's $70.00 on a bass worth $2,000.00. Eric, would you mind paying $70.00 more, or would you rather trust a Forum member?

[Grey]

I run things pretty close for the services I provide, so when I request PP payment via that method, it's so I don't have to raise my prices on things. Only one person I've dealt with scoffed at the "personal" payment method, and he was a lurker on this Forum who disappeared anyway. I've been on this forum for over 10 years, so I think I can request payments in this manner without raising anyone's ire. Besides, the fee isn't 4-5$, it's 3.5%. More if there are international monetary exchange fees. That's $70.00 on a bass worth $2,000.00. Eric, would you mind paying $70.00 more, or would you rather trust a Forum member?

I meant to type 4-5%. Honestly if I had 2,000$ to spend, 70$ for peace of mind is basically a drop in the bucket, and if i'm absorbing the fee it should be of no consequence to you. Let's not forget, Chip Little had an impressive rep too.

Paul is currently working on a project for me and I used a Personal payment because his rep speaks for itself, so I do make exceptions based on the individual, however I avoid it as a general rule in all but certain circumstances.