Help!!

[Samantha8472]

I am trying to dispute an item I purchased on Ebay with my credit card company regarding a Tivo unit. The unit was sold to me as being eligible for lifetime service, of course I now know that is not possible. My credit card company wants a letter stating how the merchandise or services was misrepresented, from another qualified merchant on letterhead. I was hoping someone out there today would be able to help me with it.
Thank you :)

[hiker]

How about giving us some specifics of the transaction like the eBay item number?

[Samantha8472]

Sorry.
160056807548 is the item number. I've tried to resolve this for so long I never know where to start this story.

[hiker]

Did you get the TiVo rebate?
If you did not, then you have two issues with the eBay listing - no rebate and no lifetime eligibility.

Your CC company is being unreasonable in wanting a letter from another merchant as I doubt you'll find a merchant willing to go through the trouble to do that. But you might be able to call TiVo and talk to a supervisor who might be able to send you an email or letter stating that those terms were not possible (and therefore misrepresented).

[Samantha8472]

All of you know that this unit was not eligible for lifetime service. I contacted Tivo directed several times. For someone who was unfamiliar with Tivo I didn't know this until it was too late. :( Paypal has denied my claim, the seller will not let me return the unit for a refund. I was not eligible for the rebate, so the unit was not free. He was a second party seller. Found this out when you read the fine print of the rebate form.

I have contacted my credit card company, they would like a letter from a similar merchant stating that he misrepresented the merchandise on letterhead, in hopes of them forcing him to refund my money.

Thank you for any help.

[Samantha8472]

I contacted Tivo, they will not get involved. They do not want to be liable for anything. I addressed the rebate with paypal and they still insist that I received what I purchased

[Einselen]

I believe if the receipt was sent then you could get the rebate (which would be $220 as the unit is 540, a single tuner series 2). However, seeing how it is now March and the auction ended in December it is too late to file for the rebate.

Why has this taken so long to be discussed here? Have you been in a battle with your credit card company and paypal for three months?

[hiker]

If you can't find a merchant to help, tell your CC company that you tried and were unsuccessful and explain again the reasons that the terms were misrepresented. If they deny then there's small claims court or Judge Judy.

In the future, get an American Express card and use that for any purchases that you think might be problematic. AmEx is very lenient with disputes as I've found and assumes the card holder is always right.

[Samantha8472]

I was here in December to ask about the lifetime service. Thought the seller would refund my money but he wouldn't. (I think once he realized it was eligible for lifetime service, he didn't want it back) Further investgation of the rebate revealed it was eligible due to the fact that I didn't purchase it through a licensed Tivo dealer.
Took it to Paypal, they finally decided in his favor and now I am trying the credit card company as someone suggested.

[Einselen]

I was here in December to ask about the lifetime service. Thought the seller would refund my money but he wouldn't. (I think once he realized it was eligible for lifetime service, he didn't want it back) Further investigation of the rebate revealed it was eligible due to the fact that I didn't purchase it through a licensed Tivo dealer.
Took it to Paypal, they finally decided in his favor and now I am trying the credit card company as someone suggested.

Odd that it was not eligible for a rebate as I know Weaknees units are elgible and if I recall so are the Weaknees upgraded units (aka non-stock). So if the seller sent you a receipt I would assume it would be eligible (but then again my gut says on eBay it seems a little odd). Buying for the lower price should not be an issue for the rebate, I know it was not mentioned, but just talking about all the reasons why it could be rejected, as I bought my Tivo for $50 from CompUSA and then got the $150 (was the price then) rebate as well as a CompUSA rebate.

I am shocked that PayPal sided on the seller side. Do you mind telling us the exact response they gave you?

As far as the credit card goes, inform them to go to the Tivo site, the only place you can buy Tivo service and have them note lifetime is no longer available. Also call up Tivo and get a case number in which the CSR/Sup states lifetime has not been available since April 06. Then give that information to your credit card company. Also take the rejected rebate information and make copies and mail/fax it to them.

The last possibility I could think of is to contact your local consumer protection agency and have them investigate it and contact your credit card company (yes go after them if they refuse to help you) and maybe that can get you some answers. If your credit card company offers buyer protection, etc. then they should not make you jump through hoops to get your money back after you were scammed.

[steve614]

I have contacted my credit card company, they would like a letter from a similar merchant stating that he misrepresented the merchandise on letterhead, in hopes of them forcing him to refund my money.

Thank you for any help.

This sounds like your credit card company wants YOU to do THEIR "legwork".
The last time I had a CC dispute, all I did was contact a CSR, explained the situation, and told them I would NOT be paying for that charge. They took care of everything else.
What credit card did you use?
The reason I ask is because I want to avoid using a card with such crappy customer service when it comes to disputes.