fishfin Posted July 10, 2010 Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 I was in the market for an Aqua One 980. It's a 215 litre, bow front. It was going to cost almost $1000 for the tank and stand, brand new. I really had trouble spending that kind of money, especially as I am just starting out and I still have so much to learn. Then I headed to Ebay and picked up the same tank, 2nd hand. It came with a heap of extras and was $300. I was just going to get my husband to build a cabinet but he is away overseas for a while. I got impatient and bought the proper stand for the tank as they are sold separately. I go the stand for $260. So, for both the 2nd hand tank, brand new stand cost me $560, instead of $1000. I was pretty excited and bought the tank home last night. 1st thing I notice is that the tank is 'well used'. The hood is full of scratches. The heater is broken, smashed inside the heater cover. The 'extras' that were included are now in the rubbish bin. The testing kits that came with the tank are expired/out of date. One of the lights (there are 3 with this tank) does not work at all. Even after buying 3 new globes. The filter that was part of the original set up has been replaced by another type. The parts don't see to want to fit with the existing system. The tank has been resealed.....BADLY though. It is such a shocking job. There is sealant everywhere. The tank has scratches on the inside of the glass. To tell you the truth, the tank is still sitting in my car as I can't lift it out on my own. I have to wait for my son to help me lift it. Therefore, i don't even know if it will leak. I am so upset. I am the type of person who really looks after her belongings. Now I have this lovely new cabinet with this well used tank to go on top of it. Today I bought a new heater, filter pads, 3 x lights and there is still other stuff to buy once I figure the pump. I have learnt a huge lesson though. I feel like I have been taken as a fool with this purchase. i did not expect the tank be be in as new condition, but this tank has really been abused. I don't understand how! So, my bargain will probably cost me money now. * sigh * Leonie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delyall Posted July 10, 2010 Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 Did the ebay listing note the damage? If they didnt you can dispute it.. they should have told you about the poor condition its in Good luck with it though :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted July 10, 2010 Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 Hi there, I had a simillar problem with a six foot tank. The silicone was so bodgy it was about three inches in places. The guy assured me it did not leak and against my better judgement I took it home. It also came with "extras" ... three filters, some big rocks, chemicals and two heaters. Needless to say it DID leak, one of the heaters doesn't work and the other is to tall to fit in the tank. I only tried one filter, and it was dead ... the rest are sitting out in a box with the other outdated chemicals as I can't bring myself to check them out. The guy refused to refund so I opened a dispute on eBay and came to a compramise refund (to cover re-siliconing). The tank is now in my lounge and all the old silicone has been removed and I am confident I can do a good job on the new stuff. Take heart, maybe you can get it fixed or get a refund? Cheers, Bec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishfin Posted July 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 My husband took it upon himself ( even though my husband hasn't seen the tank, only going by my description) to email the seller letting him know that we are disappointed. The tank was listed as 'very good condition'. He has a photo of the tank straight from the manufacturers website. That should have rang alarm bells for me. The seller has offered to refund the tank if I take it back to him which is a drive that takes 2 hours each way! Oh yeah, less his Ebay listing fees. He stands by the fact that the tank is in very good condition. He tells me that the tank belonged to his sister and she then gave it to him but he has no interest in using it. He decided to sell it. He said that the scratches on the hood are from storing food on it. The 'additional' silicone was put there by his sister as she had rocks in the tank and used the additional silicone to protect the glass. What ever. I now have the fun task of trying to remove it. If it has to be resealed, I will have to wait for my husband to return and he can do it. He works with silicone all the time in his business and has a steady hand. To say I am disappointed and angry at myself for not asking enough questions is an understatement. I have to live with it now as I have already put enough time, effort and money into it. I don't want to do another 4 hour return trip to get a refund. I guess I am just letting off steam at my stupidity and the dishonesty of the seller. Anyway, as soon as I can get the tank out of the car, I will begin taking photos and I will share them with you guys. Thanks for understanding. And Bec, as much as it sucks, I'm glad I'm not the only one! Leonie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhong89 Posted July 10, 2010 Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 lol, if it was me I would take the drive for a 4 hours round trip just to **** the guy off. I also I had three instances where I wasn't happy with my purchases on ebay. But thank god none of them are fish products... yet The first one is the item, didn't arrive and there is a dispute period of 45 days for paypal. I was suspicious at around 20 days, the seller promised to send the product again since it was something small, but by 42 days I still hasn't received it I was asking the seller what is wrong. He said I should wait a couple more days, if in a week it doesn't arrive contact him again! needless to say I didn't know about the 45 days dispute period rule, but as I was browsing around researching if I ever needed to open a dispute I found the 45 days rule. I contact the person immediately saying I will not wait since the 45 days period is almost over. He reluctantly refunded my money and said to me if I ever received the items, he hopes I found it in the goodness of my heart to pay him. It's being around a year since the purchase. I still haven't received the items. The second is a violin tuner, it didn't work! Spend $20 on the damn thing and it didn't work. I wrote to the seller, he said all I have to do is send it back to china and he will check it through and refund my money if it indeed didn't work and it's not due to physical damage. But I have to pay the original postage and the postage of send it to china! Which means I would have to spend more money for a refund of less than $10. I left him a negative feedback and didn't bother to dispute the item. The third instance and buying a laptop charger. The ones in shops are about 100, I saw this one for $15 (generic), I thought you get what you paid for. I was hoping this would work for a couple of months since it was an old laptop I didn't think I need it anymore than that. When I received it, it was working but less than a week later it stopped working. I e-mailed the seller and he said he will refund my money straight away and hopes I leave him a positive feedback. No questions asked, nothing. It seems like it happens a lot and they know it's faulty straight away and still sent it. I don't understand why people do this kind of things and I understand online shopping is great and everything. But I guess the lesson is to be careful, careful and more careful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted July 10, 2010 Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 (edited) Over time it evens out ... I have found that if you balance the bargains (most are good buys) with the bad (IME only a rare few) you still come out ahead. A week after I bought the dodgy six footer I snagged eight 90 litre tanks that fit in two big pine stands for $200 and the guy gave me eight big plastic water barrels for aging water for free (they are normally around $30 each at bunnings) So dont loose heart Bec Edited July 10, 2010 by Bec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishfin Posted July 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2010 I'm taking the tank back for a refund from the seller. I will never be happy with this tank, it's a mess. I'm going to go out and buy a brand new one. I don't have the money but bugger it. My tax refund cheque is now spent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishfin Posted July 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 Well the tank story takes another twist. Seller now refuses to refund my money. Tells me to 'go get a lawyer'. I'm really fed up. I have now bought a brand new tank. I'll post photos in another thread shortly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracey6565 Posted July 14, 2010 Report Share Posted July 14, 2010 Open a dispute on ebay fishfin. The tank was not as described and you are therefore entitled to a refund. You probably won't ever get it but you can leave negative feedback and warn future buyers that this seller is not to be dealt with. You might be able to re-sell the tank on ebay too, even if it's not in great condition there may be interest in it for something other than a display tank...? Good luck with it all. Tracey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted July 14, 2010 Report Share Posted July 14, 2010 Did the seller send any email saying he would refund? If he did, use this in your ebay dispute. DEFINITLY go to dispute ... if nothing else others need to be aware of this shonky seller! I don't suppose you paid with PayPal ... if you did, you can open a dispute there as well, Bec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishfin Posted July 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2010 Yes, he did say he would refund it via email. I have kept all evidence. I will defiantly be following this through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bewarebrunette Posted July 15, 2010 Report Share Posted July 15, 2010 I definitely reckon to go through with it! Do you mind me asking why you didn't tell the seller it's not what you wanted at the time? As tracey said I would consider re-selling it. Sometimes I pickup not so great tanks for breeding in. Goodluck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gulp Posted July 15, 2010 Report Share Posted July 15, 2010 I am really sorry to hear this story. It has happened to me just recently also. My 2 foot tank wasnt as described and was missing a plastic strip and has excess silicon and some scratches etc... I have had many positive experiences with ebay, but I must say I will be more careful with the home sellers selling second hand goods, as I purchased a 2 foot light which was only 50cm when I picked it up, very annoying but I didnt want to bother to dispute it as I needed it etc. Goodluck with your tank, I really hope you can get a refund. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishfin Posted July 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2010 I definitely reckon to go through with it! Do you mind me asking why you didn't tell the seller it's not what you wanted at the time? As tracey said I would consider re-selling it. Sometimes I pickup not so great tanks for breeding in. Goodluck!! It wasn't until I got it home and really went over the tank that I noticed that it was not as he described. The heater was broken, which I didn't notice as his wife carried it to my car and it was also in a plastic cage keeper. One of the lights won't work at all, even after I went and bought new globes. Parts were missing from the pump once I tried to assmeble it. Just the fact that he listed it as 'very good condition' really is misleading. I did notice a few things when I collected it, like the excess silicone but I thought I might be able to remove some it and make it look neater. The more things I found wrong with it, the more I felt ripped off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted July 16, 2010 Report Share Posted July 16, 2010 In my experience eBay and PayPal nearly always side with the buyer. You should open disputes with both. Paypal can take the money off him. Don't leave it much longer though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girlz0r Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 dispute it. don't let the bugger get away with his funny business. hate it how people are so greedy and willing to be so dishonest just to make some money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted July 18, 2010 Report Share Posted July 18, 2010 He may not have necessarily intended to be dishonest. People have different ideas about what constitutes "very good" condition. But if you're not happy and you want to return it. Then you need to take the necessary steps to dispute it and also be willing to return the item to the seller. If he gives you a refund as a result of the item being disputed then eBay shouldn't charge him the selling fees. There's one thing I don't understand though. If the item was in that bad a condition why did you take it home with you? I would have told the guy straight away that the item was not as described and that I wanted my money back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishfin Posted July 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2010 Like I mentioned on the previous page, many of the faults were not evident until I got home and started to go over the tank. The heater was broken. One of the lights won't work. The pump is missing parts. The ornaments were so britle that they fell apart in my hands. The tank hood was scrathed, badly The silicone is a mess. I could go on and on. This is not an item that is in very good condition. I have learnt a big lesson. I doubt I will get my money back but I will report it to Ebay. Now I will have to resell the tank, but I will be HONEST about the condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brettc777 Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 Hope it works out for you. Its a shame that some ebay sellers are like this. Im with Bettarazzi though. Got to check carefully when buying tanks. Telling him at the start your not going to buy the tank would have made it easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishfin Posted July 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 I have followed up with Ebay and it does not look as if I will get my money back even though he had offered a refund at one point. I'll just have to clean the tank up and re sell it. I have left him negative feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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