Missing in action

General Chit Chat about Sinclair Computers and their Clones
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questarian
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Missing in action

Post by questarian »

Sorry, but I though I'd pass this by the Community for some guidance. I purchased a ZX1541 from Sebastian Kotek/tdididit on SellMyRetro.com back in March, I was able to get a response from him a couple weeks later to ask if he shipped it, but it's been 2 1/2 months, it hasn't arrived, there's no tracking info, and I haven't been able to get him to respond... It's coming for Hungry to the US, and I was expecting delivery delays, but everything else I purchased since the pandemic began from Europe, and China, was slow to arrive a week or two, but in another couple it'll be 3 months... anyone know if Sebastian got ill?
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mrtinb
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Re: Missing in action

Post by mrtinb »

I don’t know about Sebastian.

I know that I miss packages from March from both US, Canada and China. Even if they have tracking, the tracking stopped.

So I assume a lot of packages lies in warehouses somewhere, and the postal system has difficulty to catch up.

Yes, it’s a sad and irritating situation. But nothing much to do about it.
Martin
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ZX81, Lambda 8300, Commodore 64, Mac G4 Cube
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1024MAK
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Re: Missing in action

Post by 1024MAK »

I bought a ZX1541 board on the 23 January, it arrived on the 5th of February.

However later in January I bought some items for use with an Acorn BBC machine (different seller). Those have not yet arrived, they appear to be stuck in U.K. customs :(

Mark
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questarian
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Re: Missing in action

Post by questarian »

It's not the delay I'm finding as concerning, that was expected, as is that I haven't been able to get ahold of the gent since the beginning of April. Under normal circumstances, if I haven't gotten tracking after 30 days I have to file a non-receipt of goods claim with PayPal. PayPal is extending their purchase protections because of COVID-19, so the window is larger and I don't have anything set to trigger in less then 90 days at this point, but even then I think waiting 11 weaks with no indication that it shipped, if it has where in transit it's sitting, and without response from the seller does justify some concern.

This is a lousy situation for everyone, and I was hoping someone might be familiar with Sebastian, his situation, and if he might have taken I'll, as I want to be as understanding as I can if that's the case.
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1024MAK
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Re: Missing in action

Post by 1024MAK »

Have you tried sending him a PM?
I think this is him on this forum.

Mark
ZX81 Variations
ZX81 Chip Pin-outs
ZX81 Video Transistor Buffer Amp

:!: Standby alert :!:
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questarian
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Re: Missing in action

Post by questarian »

1024MAK wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 10:07 am Have you tried sending him a PM?
I think this is him on this forum.

Mark
Yes, I've messaged him through both sellmyretro.com and directly to his contact email from PayPal. If that's Sebastian's account here, apparently he hasn't logged in here since Febuary, but I'll try that too.
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questarian
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Re: Missing in action

Post by questarian »

3 month mark passed, tried messaging couple more times, and still no response. Really hated to do it, but with no word, had to put in a non‐receipt of goods claim with PayPal Friday which he appear to have agreed to refund today. Hope all is well with the gent.
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Re: Missing in action

Post by RWAP »

I have sent Sebastian an email - I hope he is keeping OK.

Unfortunately, this Covoid-19 situation has severely impacted postal systems and customs offices. I seem to get buyers asking every day where their orders are (makes me cringe when they have paid £4 postage for an item to go to the USA and want a tracking number - I guess that is the impact of buying stuff from China where the post seems to be free even with tracking!)

I think the worst culprit at the moment appears to be the USA where they continue to play down the impact of the pandemic, despite there being over 2m confirmed (measured) cases and over 100,000 dead.

All I can do is ask people to be patient - things may well get returned to the seller eventually, but if you do end up claiming for goods not received at least be honest with the seller and ensure that you pay them if the goods do eventually arrive.
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questarian
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Re: Missing in action

Post by questarian »

I will certainly resend Sebastian the €40 if it ever shows up; I have had a fantastic experience with Sell My Retro and people selling on it, and I greatly appreciate everyone's efforts. I very much regret and feel really bad about having to do it, and hope Sebastian is well, but unfortunately I didn't see any other option.

The majority of Americans understand and are not playing down the seriousness of the pandemic, that's just the political BS of a narcissistic and desperately incompetent president trying to look good during his re-election bid. It is immensely troubling and an embarrassment to all of us here with more than two brain cells to rub together, so I sincerely apologize to the rest of the world for him and the idiots that follow his bad example.

I fully understand the situation with the pandemic and that everything is going to be seriously delayed. During all this I have had numerous deliveries from Ireland, Britain, Germany, Poland, and they've all experienced significant and expected delays, and I have a PCB comming from Australia that should take 7-8 weeks to get here. I sympathize with sellers having to deal with impatient buyer's, and as Americans often have a reputation for being rather loud and pushy to begin with, I always try, and encourage others, to be more reserved and respectful when broaching concerns. As well, I think it's also incumbent upon sellers during these trying times to be as understanding and communicative as they can with buyers in dealing with their issues and concerns. Pandemic delays aside, I've had more then one international shipment drop off the face of the planet, be miss addressed, held by customs services, and/or circle back to the sender, so it behooves everyone to be forthright and honest about the situation.

In my case, 3 weeks post purchase and with no indication that the item had been shipped on SellMyRetro.com, I contacted Sebastian to ask if he'd shipped it and if he had any tracking. He responded that it had, that he would give me the tracking when it came up in the system, and that at that point it he expected it would likely take about 2 weeks to arrive. About month later I hadn't heard or seen anything, asked again and recieved no response, waited another month, then tried again with the same results. Unfortunately, because of previous experiences and the time limits my banking services put on credit protection, at their recommendations I have to file non‐receipt claims after a certain time. Typically, under normal circumstances, if I have not received an item or tracking information within 30 days of the purchase date I have to file. This is largely a "just in case" action, which gets rescinded once the seller and I have worked out what is happening, and which luckly I've only had to have enforced a handful of times. I forewarned Sebastian several times about the pending action in hopes that he would have a chance to respond before I was forced to proceed.

Again, I do so hope Sebastian is well and that in the end it all works out.
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