I had to file a paypal complaint on my Kailey doll...HELP! I need a 3rd party opinion

Kailey arrived with messed up hair (she had a thinning almost bald spot in the back) She has ink marks on her face, arms, neck, legs, and braces drawn on her teeth... She also came with a skate board that has the wheels cracked in 2 places....

She was described as in GREAT condition (caps like that too)and no flaws were noted in the auction.

I emailed the seller to let her know of the problem and she admitted that she knew of the ink marks but didnt feel the need to list them (she didnt deny the others issues but didnt address them either)
SO anyway I had to file a claim with paypal (it's been a month UGGH) Now paypal has contacted me saying that I need to have a 3rd party check out the doll (dummy me has already given up and already started trying to fix her UGH) They want an unbiased opinion and estimate on letter head...... What do I do??? WHo do I go to??? I could send them a quote from the AG hospital but what about the opinion on letter head stating that she is not in the described condition?? BTW I did photo the damamge before I started trying to fix her.


Any ideas?? I'm at a loss as to how to proceed.


Thanks!!

Do you have any doll shops in the area you could take her to?

If the auction is still available to view on ebay, print out the description and the pictures and take those with you.

Or maybe you could contact Am. Girl and see if you just sent her to the doll hospital could they write you a letter after seeing her and comparing her to the auction description/pictures.

Hope it all works out for you!

Oh, wow. Sorry, that's very sad. And dishonest sellers like that make me [img]mad.gif[/img] She knows that's not right. I guess that AG hospital is your best bet, because that's the only way she'll get fixed, but it actually doesn't sound like they are looking for repair costs, but that 3rd party opinion. . . .

The only toy shops I know of around here are KBtoys and toys r us so I dont think they'd be much help [img]frown.gif[/img]

And as for sending her to ag and getting them to send a letter.... my problem is I'm on a time crunch... Paypal says I have 10 days to fax the letter from the date the message was sent and there will be NO extensions... I didnt get the email until today since I've been having computer problems so now I only have 8 days [img]graemlins/cry_smile.gif[/img] I am just sick over this. UGH.

I am just at a loss and dont know how to proceed.

Do you have any online doll shops that you've bought from? I've bought from welovedolls.com and the lady I dealt with was very nice. Maybe you could ask someone like that to send you a letter based on your pictures???

I really don't know what else you could do. Does PayPal say the letter has to be from a doll expert? Or could it be from someone upstanding in your community...like maybe a banker, a lawyer or something?

Good Luck! [img]graemlins/rose.gif[/img]

Also--did you send her letter to Paypal (acknowledging the ink marks, but not mentioning them in her GREAT condition description).

What about a consignment or children's resale shop? I would say that they are an "expert" because they determine value/selling price/condition. I would try that first and see if it's acceptable.

Look in the yellow pages of your phone book for doll shops - toy stores would not be of any help in this situation.

Quote:

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In order to continue with the investigation of your claim, we must request
documentation to support your claim that the item is damaged or
significantly not as described. Please obtain a document (such as an
estimate or invoice) from an unbiased third-party, such as a dealer; repair
shop, appraiser, or another individual or organization that is qualified in
the area of the item in question (other than yourself), which details the
extent of the damage or clearly explains how the item received
significantly differs from the item advertised. Please do not proceed with
any repairs or alterations to the item, as doing so will limit PayPals
ability to successfully resolve your claim, and may result in the
cancellation of your dispute. If possible, the document should include a
serial number and description of the item, and the dollar amount required
to complete the repairs necessary to correct the damage. This document must
be on letterhead that includes the name, address, and phone number of the
individual, business, or organization so that PayPal may contact them if
necessary.

The documents should be faxed to PayPal at (402) 537-5760 (please note this
is a United States phone number, if you are faxing from outside the United
States, you will generally need to dial 00 1 before the number). Please
include a cover sheet with your fax that includes the email address
registered on your PayPal account and the ID number of your claim
(XX-XXX-XXX-XXX) so we may attach the document to your claim as quickly as
possible.

We must receive your fax within ten days from the date of this message in
order to proceed with the investigation of your claim. If we do not receive
your fax within ten days, your claim will be cancelled. Unfortunately, we
are unable to grant extensions to this time period. Please note that PayPal
is unable to reimburse you for any costs or fees that may be incurred in
obtaining the requested documents. Any documents you provide may also be
supplied to the seller in your dispute.

Thank you for your cooperation and patience. We apologize for any
inconvenience this request may cause. Please do not misconstrue PayPals
request as suspicion that your claim is not valid. As we are an
internet-based business, we do not have the opportunity to review the
relevant items and evidence in question. Therefore, we must rely on the
documents described in our request to continue with the investigation of
your claim.

Sincerely,
XXXXXXXXXX
Protection Services Department
PayPal, an eBay Company

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That is the letter I received from them .... not sure if that would help anyone to affer advice or not.

What about justmagicmaria.????. I know she has a doll house, she has a website I would say with her expertise that she would qualify to write you a letter?? If that is all they are asking for is an opinion, I think hers would be fine??? Who better to ask then someone with all those dolls!!!

Yes I forwarded her admittance letter to paypal .. UGH... she also said ""I never claimed she was *pefect*"" UGH


I looked for doll shops in the phone book and cant find any...

Hmmm a resale shop.... we have some of those... I might go tomorrow and see if one of those would do it for me.

Quote:

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What about justmagicmaria.????. I know she has a doll house, she has a website I would say with her expertise that she would qualify to write you a letter?? If that is all they are asking for is an opinion, I think hers would be fine??? Who better to ask then someone with all those dolls!!!

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I would gladly work with anyone here... but the letter has to be written on letter head...

Quote:

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What about justmagicmaria.????. I know she has a doll house, she has a website I would say with her expertise that she would qualify to write you a letter?? If that is all they are asking for is an opinion, I think hers would be fine??? Who better to ask then someone with all those dolls!!!

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I would gladly work with anyone here... but the letter has to be written on letter head...

I hope you figure this one out. You've really been having a bad stroke of ebay luck lately!

By the way...I emailed you...I wanted you to know I sent the info that you needed from me....

Anyone can make up a letterhead in Wordperfect or any program like that. I think as long as it has the persons name, address, phone number in a letterhead format it should be acceptable.

PM Gilly Girl... she has her own business and technically she would be qualified in this field.

IF worse comes to worse find a toy museum, or an ebay place that list your stuff. Also look in the phone book for restoration services.

As far as cost just attach the hospital form from the AG catalogue... all you need now is someone to say that yes this was damaged and this and this will need to be repaired and the AG price list should work as an invoice.

I am not sure where in Georgia you are but I did find this:

http://www.superpages.com/yellowpage...-GA/T-Atlanta/

Can't you post pictures, etc. here and have one (or more) people on the HB serve as your 3rd party? Certainly, many people on here are qualified to speak to the doll's condition.

Most doll manufacturers readily disclose that ink doesn't come off vinyl. Would a print-out e-mail from American Girl suffice? It's definitely at worth writing them and asking them and seeing if they will help you this way.

My Life of Faith doll came with a warning not to get ink on her. Hopefully AG would also be open about this.

PayPal is supposedly tough to deal with in asking for a refund, so stick to your guns and don't back down!

Also if you win those claims, you normally will have to send the item back to the seller. If you've already fixed it, she can use that fact to negate your claim when she gets it back.

Was there a picture in the item description?

Any toy store will work. The store needs on letter head to state that the doll has faults that were not listed in the auction which lowers the value of the doll. I would go to the nears toy store and talk to the manager and ask that person to give their opinion of the condition of the doll and if it would be able to be resold. Paypal does not want much just to know what you are saying it the truth. Be sure to get all the paperwork into them within the 10 days.

Good luck. If it helps at all I won the dispute I had going with the Addy I got on ebay that had a spot on her nose.

[img]graemlins/smarty.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/smarty.gif[/img]

What about a pawn shop or one of the auction drop places? Wouldn't they be able to verify what sort of "sellable" condition the doll is in? Perhaps an auction house?

Do you have a personal shopper at American Girl or could you just call American Girl customer service and see what they suggest in terms of getting an estimate to fix her?

I'm not sure but if you win and they make you send the doll back you'll probably have to send everything back that came with it. It seems like I remember you winning a Kailey lot for $100 or so? I don't remember what came with it but maybe she'll decide to work out some kind of deal so you can get a partial refund and still keep the stuff you are happy with? I hope it works out. I got a smelly Kailey doll last month and she had ink on her arm as well, still does. I didn't realize it would'nt come out but I'm still in love with her and after fixing her up the best I could I can't wait to give her to my daughter for her birthday next week and telling her just how much love went into her new girl. Good Luck to you, I can't imagine the stress you must be experiencing right now! Try to find a bright side, if you can!

Yeah, I wasn't going to bring that up, but since someone else did.....$100 for a Kailey doll is unbelievably cheap. In fact, I'm sure several people on the HB would be glad to take her off your hands for that price.

I understand why you are upset with the seller, but if I were you, I would just give Kailey the TLC she needs and welcome her to the family. Then if you find one in better condition down the line, buy that one and sell this one -- I'm sure you will make your $100 back and then some.

Sorry I didnt get back sooner but my computer was out of service again (the laptop is still out for repair and now my desk top lol....)


Yes Kaily was in a lot for $100 .... Yes she was photographed... No none of the flaws were listed in the auction.

I emailed the seller to let her know of the damge to Kailey (ink marks, thin \/bald spot)and to the items in the lot (the skate board's front AND back wheels were broken) and asked for a partial refund since none of this was listed in the auction (yes I paid 100 BUT that was the price SHE wanted kwim) She emailed me back and said that she KNEW there was ink on the doll but didnt feel the need to mention it ... and that she never said she was *perfect* .... UGH

Yes I got a good deal however the seller is being so rude about it and I truly do feel that I am entitled to a partial refund which is what I asked her for and after she wouldnt respond to emails I asked paypal for.

This has been such a pain UGH.

I'm going to give a doll house mimiture store a shot as well as an ebay sellers store to see if I could get a letter from them.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Homemommie:
...(yes I paid 100 BUT that was the price SHE wanted kwim) She emailed me back and said that she KNEW there was ink on the doll but didnt feel the need to mention it ... and that she never said she was *perfect* .... UGH

Yes I got a good deal however the seller is being so rude about it and I truly do feel that I am entitled to a partial refund which is what I asked her for and after she wouldnt respond to emails I asked paypal for.

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I agree with you, Homemommie. Just because $100 is cheap for a Kailey, she was in BAD condition! Dry, thinning hair, marks on body, and the things she came with were not in described condition, and you could not see ANY of the flaws in the photos (I know, I saw the auction). I think the Homemommie should get a partial refund. Just because $100 is really cheap for a Kailey, doesn't mean that she should just settle for a doll in much less-than-described condition! The seller obviously made sure that the major flaws Kailey had were not mentioned, so she could make a quick sale. Homemommie, I hope you get your partial refund [img]graemlins/rose.gif[/img] .

Homemommie, did you ever get this situation resolved?

God, what an eBay nightmare! I hope things worked it out!

Yes - Please update us. This doesn't give me much faith in Paypal, but I supposed they have to check things out before just issuing refunds and reprimand sellers.

Paypal found for Starla, but the seller refuses to respond to any emails about sending the doll back or helping pay for a new head, so she may keep the dolls because she is afraid she won't get her money back even if she returns her. . . Starla can give more details.

What a pain! I agree, you should have gotten a partial refund. I didn't read this thread when my name was mentioned for help, but if you or anyone else needs something like this in the future, just e-mail or PM me pictures! I'll be happy to throw my logo at the top of a word document and write it my "professional opinion" LOL!

MissMooMoo is right, Paypal did find in my favor...

The problem now is that I am to send the doll back to the seller for a refund AFTER the seller examines and concurs the condition of the doll! Oh and I would be out shipping.... The seller has already proven herself to be dishonest so I would NOT trust her to issue me a refund if I *did* send the doll back to her UGH... All I wanted was a partial refund to help with the cost of getting a new head for Kailey [img]graemlins/thinking.gif[/img] but PayPal doesnt do that and the seller has refused to answer any of my emails.

So at this time I have decided to keep the doll and attempt to restore her as well as pay for a new head via AG, oh and NOT buy a used doll off of ebay again [img]confused.gif[/img] this has been to much of an ordeal. [img]graemlins/thinking.gif[/img]


Thanks for asking!

Quote:

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Originally posted by Homemommie:


So at this time I have decided to keep the doll and attempt to restore her as well as pay for a new head via AG

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Good idea! I wouldn't send the doll back either under those circumstances! Maybe if you put so much more into making her all pretty again, she might be even more special to you!
That was a real mess! Ebay can be a scary place... [img]eek.gif[/img]

That is too bad Homemommie!!! Paypal didn't really do anything to help, it doesn't seem fair the way it turned out for you. She should have listed the ink marks and braces and let people decide if they still want to buy her. [img]frown.gif[/img]

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The saddest part of it all is that the seller didn't mention the flaws in the auction... MANY people would have been THRILLED with a flawed one for $100....Instead you have two unhappy people (sigh).

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That's it exactly! HAd it been listed then that would be one thing ... but she represented it as something it wasnt and even admitted that in email [img]graemlins/hmmm.gif[/img]

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She should have listed the ink marks and braces and let people decide if they still want to buy her

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I agree. If the flaws had been listed then this wouldnt have been a big deal. The fact that she willfully hid the flaws is what I have an issue with.

*sigh* I'm afraid no one is happy with the outcome of this.
[img]graemlins/thinking.gif[/img]

You are so right about listing the flaws on e-Bay. I have purchased flawed things and used them for parts. I have sold flawed things and had happy buyers. You never know what people want to do with the items they bid on. The important thing is to be honest.

The saddest part of it all is that the seller didn't mention the flaws in the auction. Since MIB Kaileys are going for $200-$250 now... MANY people would have been THRILLED with a flawed one for $100. They would have thought "$100 plus $38 for a new head... hey.. this is GREAT!"

Instead you have two unhappy people (sigh).

Mary Kate