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Banned by a seller for asking ordinary questions?
Hello everyone, newish user here (been in the hobby for many years and had an account for a long time, just haven't done any transactions up until now) and I'm [I]really[/I] baffled over something that just happened. Found a seller about 2.5hr away from me auctioning a gorgeous mated pair of the fish I was looking for, but I had a few seemingly routine/straightforward questions for him and sent him a message to ask them: (leaving out specific name/item details for now because I don't want to say anything improper while asking for advice)
[QUOTE]Good afternoon _____, four questions for you:
1 Are the two fish pictured the actual pair being sold or is the picture only representative?
2 What would the shipping cost be to zip #####? [auction specifically said to contact him for shipping prices]
3 As an alternative, would you consider in-person pickup?
4 Your "guarantee" page is worded in a very confusing way: asking for a picture within an hour of delivery implies some sort of guarantee exists, but you also say there's no shipping refund and no guarantee on the livestock, so what exactly *is* covered if the fish don't arrive alive?
Thanks! -Shawn[/QUOTE]
For clarity, here's the text of the seller's Just Me page that implies some sort of guarantee exists, but also expressly says neither shipping nor livestock are guaranteed:
[QUOTE]In case of any dead on Arrival I would like pictures of the dead fish in the unopened bags , with in one hour of arrival time ,which USPS will provide ! There is NO refund on shipping cost .Next I do not make any guarantee that my fish will do well for you , It is all about your fish keeping skill. Those are live fish, so when they are out of my hands and in to the hands of delivery people , weather, or you my costumer anything could happen to the fish there are NO GUARANTEES ! All sales are final. I will not be responsible for any lost or damage to your shipment do to weather, or shipping services { USPS }, your State/Federal laws or you mishandling and once the fish are in your tank ,the fish are yours to take care of now , If you have any question or don't understand my policies, please ask before you place any bids , just send me one email with your question .Thank you for your interest in my fish and good luck bidding ,fish pal _____[/QUOTE]
A couple of hours later I received this reply:
[QUOTE]Thank you for your interest ,if you look at most sellers /// just me //// page we all ask for the same thing about picture in unopened shipping bag with in one hour of delivery time .have a great day .[/QUOTE]
Still being greatly confused (he didn't actually answer any of the questions!), I decided to send a follow-up focusing on my first and third questions (actual vs example pictures and potential for in-person pickup because I live fairly close and it'd eliminate shipping concerns). After writing the message, I hit "send" and immediately found myself facing an AquaBid page informing me that I couldn't message ______ seller because he'd banned me from bidding on any of his items.
?????
What you see here is the [I]entirety[/I] of our interactions, he's the only seller offering this particular kind of fish on the site, and I was really excited about the possibility of buying these fish, so I'm just totally baffled! Is this typical behavior for AquaBid sellers? Did I commit some sort of faux pas by asking?
Thanks for any input you can offer!
[QUOTE]Good afternoon _____, four questions for you:
1 Are the two fish pictured the actual pair being sold or is the picture only representative?
2 What would the shipping cost be to zip #####? [auction specifically said to contact him for shipping prices]
3 As an alternative, would you consider in-person pickup?
4 Your "guarantee" page is worded in a very confusing way: asking for a picture within an hour of delivery implies some sort of guarantee exists, but you also say there's no shipping refund and no guarantee on the livestock, so what exactly *is* covered if the fish don't arrive alive?
Thanks! -Shawn[/QUOTE]
For clarity, here's the text of the seller's Just Me page that implies some sort of guarantee exists, but also expressly says neither shipping nor livestock are guaranteed:
[QUOTE]In case of any dead on Arrival I would like pictures of the dead fish in the unopened bags , with in one hour of arrival time ,which USPS will provide ! There is NO refund on shipping cost .Next I do not make any guarantee that my fish will do well for you , It is all about your fish keeping skill. Those are live fish, so when they are out of my hands and in to the hands of delivery people , weather, or you my costumer anything could happen to the fish there are NO GUARANTEES ! All sales are final. I will not be responsible for any lost or damage to your shipment do to weather, or shipping services { USPS }, your State/Federal laws or you mishandling and once the fish are in your tank ,the fish are yours to take care of now , If you have any question or don't understand my policies, please ask before you place any bids , just send me one email with your question .Thank you for your interest in my fish and good luck bidding ,fish pal _____[/QUOTE]
A couple of hours later I received this reply:
[QUOTE]Thank you for your interest ,if you look at most sellers /// just me //// page we all ask for the same thing about picture in unopened shipping bag with in one hour of delivery time .have a great day .[/QUOTE]
Still being greatly confused (he didn't actually answer any of the questions!), I decided to send a follow-up focusing on my first and third questions (actual vs example pictures and potential for in-person pickup because I live fairly close and it'd eliminate shipping concerns). After writing the message, I hit "send" and immediately found myself facing an AquaBid page informing me that I couldn't message ______ seller because he'd banned me from bidding on any of his items.
?????
What you see here is the [I]entirety[/I] of our interactions, he's the only seller offering this particular kind of fish on the site, and I was really excited about the possibility of buying these fish, so I'm just totally baffled! Is this typical behavior for AquaBid sellers? Did I commit some sort of faux pas by asking?
Thanks for any input you can offer!
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