Ebay problem, furling sail

[Croak]

I have bought a furling head sail from ebay.

The bolt rope is very thin and won't stay in the grove in my furling gear.

Am I justified in complaining that it is unfit for purpose?

The seller says buyer beware, bad luck.

 

[sailorman]

I have bought a furling head sail from ebay.

The bolt rope is very thin and won't stay in the grove in my furling gear.

Am I justified in complaining that it is unfit for purpose?

The seller says buyer beware, bad luck.

you should have asked what size luff tape it had prior to buying, best either ebay it, or have the tape changed

 

[Cloven]

+1.

I spent a long time following up eBay furling headsails for just this reason. Eventually got a good one but it took months to find one of the correct length, luff groove size etc.

caveat emptor

 

[sarabande]

if the ad said "an 8mm bolt rope", or "for a Plastimo 99 furler" and the sail didn't fit, then you might have a case for misdescription.


Short of selling back on ebay, or refitting with a larger bolt rope, there's not much you can do. I guess it's really about you being satisfied with the rest of the sail.

 

[ProDave]

Open a dispute via the ebay resolution centre. They ALWAYS find in favour of the buyer. Just tell them it's "not as described" You will be asked to return it for a refund. you will lose out on the return postage but should get your original postage refunded as well as the purchase price.

This policy is unfair on sellers but it's ebay trying to appear to be an on line retailer with "proper" customer service, rather than just staying as an on line auction site.

 

[Colvic Watson]

Open a dispute via the ebay resolution centre. They ALWAYS find in favour of the buyer. Just tell them it's "not as described" You will be asked to return it for a refund. you will lose out on the return postage but should get your original postage refunded as well as the purchase price.

This policy is unfair on sellers but it's ebay trying to appear to be an on line retailer with "proper" customer service, rather than just staying as an on line auction site.

That is exactly what will happen. If you explain that it doesn't fit roller reefing gear and particularly with the copy of his email. But in any case, eBay will find in your favour as long as it was described as "used" and not "for parts or not working".

 

[Poignard]

if the ad said "an 8mm bolt rope", or "for a Plastimo 99 furler" and the sail didn't fit, then you might have a case for misdescription.


Short of selling back on ebay, or refitting with a larger bolt rope, there's not much you can do. I guess it's really about you being satisfied with the rest of the sail.

+1

 

[bedouin]

Open a dispute via the ebay resolution centre. They ALWAYS find in favour of the buyer. Just tell them it's "not as described" You will be asked to return it for a refund. you will lose out on the return postage but should get your original postage refunded as well as the purchase price.

This policy is unfair on sellers but it's ebay trying to appear to be an on line retailer with "proper" customer service, rather than just staying as an on line auction site.

That is fine if the item was incorrectly described - otherwise it is immoral and probably fraud.

 

[sailorman]

Open a dispute via the ebay resolution centre. They ALWAYS find in favour of the buyer. Just tell them it's "not as described" You will be asked to return it for a refund. you will lose out on the return postage but should get your original postage refunded as well as the purchase price.

This policy is unfair on sellers but it's ebay trying to appear to be an on line retailer with "proper" customer service, rather than just staying as an on line auction site.

In this case that is quite unfair, take it on the chin & either have it altered or resell it. Its down to not asking the right questions. i have bought stuff here only to find that i have cocked up, thats my stupid fault & i accept it.

 

[nigelmercier]

That is fine if the item was incorrectly described - otherwise it is immoral and probably fraud.

I quite agree. And they don't always side with the buyer.

 

[Croak]

Is a 5mm diameter luff tape unusual?

 

[ProDave]

That is exactly what will happen. If you explain that it doesn't fit roller reefing gear and particularly with the copy of his email. But in any case, eBay will find in your favour as long as it was described as "used" and not "for parts or not working".

Even IF it was described as "for parts or not working" you will win the case as they ALWAYS find in favour of the buyer.

I sold a faulty non working lcd television on ebay recently. Clearly described as faulty, with the fault described, under the "for parts or not working category". the buyer complained it was faulty and "not as described" and ebay found in his favour so he returned it and got a refund. I am out of pocket for the original postage due to a dumb buyer who cannot read that it was being sold as faulty.

I have appealed the ebay decision but it's just sitting there saying "we need more time to make a decision" My guess is they are just ignoring it and will do nothing.

This is why now I am not selling on ebay.

 

[bedouin]

Is a 5mm diameter luff tape unusual?

I think mine are 5mm - they are not uncommon but a little thinner than many

 

[Biggles Wader]

Is a 5mm diameter luff tape unusual?

No.Describe the sail (size/material/condition)and say how much you want for it and where you are.You might just get lucky on here.

 

[Tranona]

Is a 5mm diameter luff tape unusual?

Not if you have a foil with a luff groove to take a 5mm tape.

 

[bitbaltic]

No- it's the sort of size a sailmaker would use when building for the smaller foil sizes which tend to have groove IDs in the 6-7mm range (IIRC both Facnor and Furlex's smaller foils have a 3mm slot and a 5mm tape will suit either). These sorts of foil sizes are for boats up to around 30 ft or so. But foil sections designed for larger boats- and/or perhaps older foil designs- are going to have bigger grooves with wider slots and I guess this is where your problem lies.

Cheers

 

[Nigel-in-Oxford]

My Facnor has a 4mm luff tape, it should not cost much to have a new tape put on to fit your system.

 

[Jamesuk]

I have bought a furling head sail from ebay.

The bolt rope is very thin and won't stay in the grove in my furling gear.

Am I justified in complaining that it is unfit for purpose?

The seller says buyer beware, bad luck.

Take it to a sail maker and get it sorted.

If you have the email saying IT WILL FIT and it clearly doesnt then you can start the fight. I bought a VW Polo off of this forum and I asked the seller at the time "is it full of oil" (As he had driven to collect me) "Yes I just checked it, no worries" I then drive home and after a few days get round to checking the oil level and it is BELOW minimum!!!

So whether the chap just didnt check the oil, checked it and thought "min line was full or what ever. Should I go back to the seller and say. "You said it was FULL and it wasnt even close and it was actually below the line, I subsequently had a knocking and £373 later I had a repaired car. In a court of law Im sure I would be in the right and be able to perhaps claim damages as the garage said "it is very unusual to replace thee camshaft on a car with 40k miles".

Buyer Beware, In the search to save money additional costs needed to be added. I set a £5,000 budget for a car and bought it for £600. That was almost 2 years ago. Since then I have spent £1000 on it. Hopefully I will have it for at least another 30,000 miles without too many problems if any.

 

[Pete7]

Cost me £80 to have a hank on sail converted to bolt rope a couple of years ago. If the rest of the sail is good, just drop it in to your local sail maker and then can fit it in between big jobs.

Pete

 

[savageseadog]

It's not the sellers fault, definitely yours, they may not even know about such things. What you do now is down to morals and reasonableness. If it was cheap you may make a profit on it if you keep and resell.