FAIR SHAKE

Hi everybody. Would like to thank Fairshake for inviting Onlineauction.com to this forum. I look forward to answering questions from buyers and sellers about our fast growing Auction Site.

I am SO happy to see you here OLA. I joined as a founding member on February 24th. While sales are slow, I understand it will take time and am pleased to see that you have an ad campaign coming out on April 25th to continue to May 7th. This is in conjuction with the OLA Rummage Sale, which I hope proves to be a big success.

Let me say thank you for responding to my concerns recently when my account was used fraudulently by a disgruntled eBay member. You quickly helped me change my user ID and removed all negative feedback. I applaud you for that.

I still have two concerns that I feel need to be addressed and my emails to Frank have received no response (as of yet).

The first issue is: Why is the member who purchased over 190.00 in items, left negative feedback, harassed me via O-Mail, allowed to continue his membership. He has even signed up with another ID. Those ID's are; gto1234 and gto12345. Obviously he is blocked on my account, but what about your other members? This does nothing to protect them, especially with the upcoming sale which is certain to bring many pro-ebayers. This same buyer has stated he will open several accounts and continue to buy and not pay. I feel this is of extreme urgent attention.

Second, your site was unavailable for several hours yesterday. For the first time in weeks I finallly had a bid and then your site was down for the several of the last hours of this auction, and I had used the featured auction on this item. It began working again about 2 hours before the auction was to end, but I could have lost potential bidders by then.

It was not my computer, every site I went to was working but yours. I even cleaned all cookies, cache, temps, restarted, and still it would not come up. Regardless of how the auction address was entered, whether by onlineauction.com, ola.com, or my store address. Could you please address what you are doing to prevent blackouts like this in the future?

Thank you.

Hello BlueRidge. Thanks for joining US and becoming part of the OLA Family.

Onlineauction can only suspend the IDs once reported and investigated. According to our Fraud Dept, that has been done already and issue was resolved. If the problem persists, please contact our Fraud Dept with any new information.


Our Down time yesterday was due to some new equipment failing and was resolved after about 4 hours.

According to your Fraud department, what exactly was done to resolve this issue? This member is still active, under not just one, but 2 ID's. This is avoiding the issue at hand. Again, I ask you, why is still a member. He is a basic member, he has 0 feedback, and he purchased 8 or 9 items from me and did not pay, nor does he intend to, as was clear from his negative feedbacks and his o-mails.

Yes, my ID was changed, although he was able to locate me because it changed the ID in the bookmarked sites and he obviously had me bookmarked. All of his o-mails clearly stated his intentions of continuing this harassment, under more ID's.

I emailed your Fraud department when he signed up with a new ID and sent me 6 more o-mails, but they did not respond. I also emailed Frank, and he did respond, but did not get back with me as he stated he would.

How many ID's will you allow him to have?

I have asked all of these questions in your chat room, but also never received a response.

With so many people talking about the quality of your customer service, and though I feel it is much better than eBay's, it is still lacking.

ourblueridgehome wrote:According to your Fraud department, what exactly was done to resolve this issue? This member is still active, under not just one, but 2 ID's. This is avoiding the issue at hand. Again, I ask you, why is still a member. He is a basic member, he has 0 feedback, and he purchased 8 or 9 items from me and did not pay, nor does he intend to, as was clear from his negative feedbacks and his o-mails.

Yes, my ID was changed, although he was able to locate me because it changed the ID in the bookmarked sites and he obviously had me bookmarked. All of his o-mails clearly stated his intentions of continuing this harassment, under more ID's.

I emailed your Fraud department when he signed up with a new ID and sent me 6 more o-mails, but they did not respond. I also emailed Frank, and he did respond, but did not get back with me as he stated he would.

How many ID's will you allow him to have?

We're sorry, a Member named gto1234 was not found.

This is an Ebay ID not OLA.

gto12345 and gto 123456 are suspended on our site now as of first week of April. It is now the 22nd of april. Just because the ID comes up in member search doesn't mean account is active. OLA has done everything in our power to deal with this issue you brought to our site from Ebay and now have dragged it out on a third chat forum 2 weeks beyond being resolved.

If problem persists I would suggest local law enforcement.

"gto12345 and gto 123456 are suspended on our site now as of first week of April. It is now the 22nd of april. Just because the ID comes up in member search doesn't mean account is active. OLA has done everything in our power to deal with this issue you brought to our site from Ebay and now have dragged it out on a third chat forum 2 weeks beyond being resolved.

If problem persists I would suggest local law enforcement. "

I think your response is uncalled for. Yes, I did make a typo on this man's ID and your are correct in stating his OLA ID's. However, when I called Frank and when I check the ID's they DO show him as a member (as of last week) how would I possibly know that he has been suspended if his ID comes up as being a member?

If you are not prepared for tough questions, why are you here? You are in essence blaming me for your own lack of security and for an irate member following me to OLA from eBay.

Do you honestly think I am the only one that this has or will happen to? And, if you don't want eBay members, why don't you just come out and say so? How can I possibly be responsible for an eBay member following me to OLA. I was promoting OLA as have hundreds of others.

I have tried to just let others know the facts surrounding this incident to allow them to protect themselves. Much more than what you are doing.

I would like to know your name. Are you the owner or a manager? Because you are clearly out of line in your statements to me. This almost reeks of the same eBay mentality.

I came to this forum, because you failed to respond in your own. You are being viewed by many here and cannot just bury the difficult questions and answer only those that agree with you or praise you.

Onlineauction.com wrote:

ourblueridgehome wrote:
OLA has done everything in our power to deal with this issue you brought to our site from Ebay and now have dragged it out on a third chat forum 2 weeks beyond being resolved.

If problem persists I would suggest local law enforcement.

This is a typical eBay response, to a tough question. It is beyond being uncalled for. As a founding member, I would have expected better treatment, and feel I deserve it. Blaming me for a bad member, how gauche.

If you are not prepared for tough questions, why are you here? You are in essence blaming me for your own lack of security and for an irate member following me to OLA from eBay.

I answered your question twice and you are not happy with knowing the abuser was suspended the first week of April. PER OUR FRAUD DEPT, which is different than CUSTOMER SUPPORT DEPT.

And OLA didn't tell an Ebay user to follow you to our site to further harass you. It appears you want OLA to deal with your tough situation created on a venue that OLA has no control over.

Do you honestly think I am the only one that this has or will happen to?

No. In fact it has happened before. But the OLA users didn't bring up two weeks after it was resolved.

I have tried to just let others know the facts surrounding this incident to allow them to protect themselves. Much more than what you are doing.

OLA resolved your issue 2 weeks ago, what more do you want us to do??

I came to this forum, because you failed to respond in your own. You are being viewed by many here and cannot just bury the difficult questions and answer only those that agree with you or praise you.

Onlineauction has a whole webpage devoted to customer support/contact. Chat forums is not one of them.

http://www.onlineauction.com/index.php? ... er_support

And for all those reading this forum, can see for themselves also at the above link.

Because you are clearly out of line in your statements to me. This almost reeks of the same eBay mentality.

No canned responses, and OLA suspended the abuser where Ebay would mostly likely, NOT. Just exactly what kind of Ebay mentality are you suggesting??

Hello Onlineauction!

I have not signed up yet, but am preparing for the May 1 sale. I do not have a stalker, but I do have some concerns.

If a Buyer is suspended by the Fraud Department, can they sign up under a different ID?

Why did BlueRidge have to change his ID? My ID will be closely linked to my husband’s small, retail store. He has spent about 20 years building his business at an out-of-the-way location almost completely through word-of-mouth. Changing my ID would not be a happy option for me if I have a problem.

Reading [font=Arial Black]If problem persists I would suggest local law enforcement[/font] does not make me feel warm and fuzzy about joining. Is this really the type of response you intended to give?

Onlineauction.com wrote:

If you are not prepared for tough questions, why are you here? You are in essence blaming me for your own lack of security and for an irate member following me to OLA from eBay.

I answered your question twice and you are not happy with knowing the abuser was suspended the first week of April. PER OUR FRAUD DEPT, which is different than CUSTOMER SUPPORT DEPT.

And OLA didn't tell an Ebay user to follow you to our site to further harass you. It appears you want OLA to deal with your tough situation created on a venue that OLA has no control over.

Do you honestly think I am the only one that this has or will happen to?

No. In fact it has happened before. But the OLA users didn't bring up two weeks after it was resolved.

I have tried to just let others know the facts surrounding this incident to allow them to protect themselves. Much more than what you are doing.

OLA resolved your issue 2 weeks ago, what more do you want us to do??

I came to this forum, because you failed to respond in your own. You are being viewed by many here and cannot just bury the difficult questions and answer only those that agree with you or praise you.

Onlineauction has a whole webpage devoted to customer support/contact. Chat forums is not one of them.

http://www.onlineauction.com/index.php? ... er_support

And for all those reading this forum, can see for themselves also at the above link.

Because you are clearly out of line in your statements to me. This almost reeks of the same eBay mentality.

No canned responses, and OLA suspended the abuser where Ebay would mostly likely, NOT. Just exactly what kind of Ebay mentality are you suggesting??

Your response to me is unbelievable and very unprofessional. Once again, you blame me for an eBay member following, when I was only trying to promote your site on the eBay forums and in my own auctions. I did not BLAME you, I merely asked you how it was to be resolved.

You state it was resolved and the member was suspended. Once again I ask you, how was I to know that? I was never informed of his suspension and he STILL comes up on a member search. As he had stated to me that he would continue to buy from me and I would never know when, and I still could find him as a member, why would I think he was NOT a member? If I had been called or emailed, none of this conversation would even be necessary. If your search did not show him as a member, none of this conversation would be necessary.

I am flabberghasted at the unprofessionalism you have taken. This while you are trying to recruit and woo former eBay members. I did contact OLA through their customer support and FRAUD and again, never received a response, other than the one phone call from your FRAUD and one from FRANK, and the negative feedback was removed. I also thanked you for that repeatedly.

Your answer was similar to eBay's in that you attempt to place the blame where it does not lie, instead of placing it where it does, with a BAD BUYER! Instead you insult a seller and a founding member no less.

I repeat again THEERE WAS NO POSSIBLE WAY I COULD KNOW HE HAD BEEN SUSPENDED WHEN HE STILL COMES UP ON MEMBER SEARCH AND I WAS NEVER INFORMED OF HIS SUSPENSION.

I see you are not equipped or prepared to handle tough questions or situations. Perhaps a full refund of membership is in order.

Dawns Posting,

Let me just say that I too find the responses not very friendly or welcoming. As I have already joined as a founding member, I would suggest that you may want to try it out first before doing that.

This is early in the game on OLA and their responses most likely will not get better with time. As they grow, customer service may in all probability decrease. Also, note they do say, I am NOT the only one this has happened to.

In re-reading OLA's posts, I would like to say in response as to "What I would have them do". Well, I would have liked a professional response with facts. There was a much better way to handle my questions and concerns. This is more like the response that COULD have been given.

<i>I have spoken with our Fraud and Customer Service Department with regard to the incident you were involved in. They inform me that the buyer you were having problems with has been suspended and will not be allowed to sign up with another ID. His ID may still appear active and show him as a member, but rest assured, this is not the case. We apologize for any misunderstanding and lack of communication and are pleased to have you as an OLA founding member.</i>

That would have prevented this entire conversation.

I would like to step in here with a comment or two.

First of all, I want to say how delighted I am that OnlineAuction has decided to join us here at Fair Shake. After having waited five days for a response from eBay and having received none, it is refreshing to have a representative from a very busy auction site take the time to join us here.

I particularly appreciate OLA accepting my invitation, as representation from prominent auction sites has been a goal since starting this forum just over a month ago. I have been watching this company carefully, and see them as being very promising as being a major part of the future of online marketing. Just as all of us were caught off guard by the massive changes eBay has made, I am sure that OLA has been caught off guard by the recent influx of new members. I have seen a lot of efforts at restructuring and improving their website to accommodate ex-eBay sellers who are undoubtedly frustrated by all that is going on and the changes they are having to make to their business structure. The news of the extensive advertising OLA will be doing to coincide with their Rummage sale is encouraging, as well. I see a lot of interesting developments at OLA, and while it will undoubtedly take them some time to "get all the bugs out", I've also seen many exceptional reports of quality customer service.

That said, I have to add that my primary reason for working so hard to get representation by OLA here was to start a positive dialog on how we can work together to shape the future of online marketing in a way that it will be a more positive experience for everyone. Adjustments will need to be made by all, and I think we need to try hard to work together in positive ways. Undoubtedly there are bound to be some growing pains, but I hope that we can all try to exercise some patience and be willing to voice our requests in polite and professional ways.

While I understand your concerns and frustration, blueridge, I do not understand your interpretation of the responses you received from OLA in this thread. I hope you will not blame OLA for a possible back-log of frustration you may have with eBay. I found OLA responses here to be prompt and professional, and there was very little difference between what you suggested he might have said and what he actually HAD said.

I can't help but cringe a bit at your timing in addressing these issues, blue, as he had JUST signed up with us here at Fair Shake. You mentioned that HIS responses were not very friendly or welcoming, but I feel that the responsibility for being welcoming and friendly lies on OUR shoulders, since this is a new member of Fair Shake, and you are posting as someone who was a member long before he was--so this is "our turf"--not his. He is our guest here, and I hope that many Fair Shake members will try to make him feel welcome.

This quote in particular I find troubling: "This is early in the game on OLA and their responses most likely will not get better with time". I personally do not feel this is a fair comment, as our dialog on this forum has not even had a chance to begin, and how it was started is most certainly not conducive to a positive exchange. It seems you have a personal issue with this company, and from all appearances here, they have resolved the issue. If you need to discuss it further with them, it seems that a phone call might be more appropriate. I was just communicating with this OLA rep about what contact information we could post when you started posting here, so I never got to it. Here is some information:


OnlineAuction.com
120 SW 'J' Street
Grants Pass, Oregon 97526

Phone: (541) 479-3840
Toll-Free: (800) 900-2828


Again, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Online Auction. We appreciate you taking the time with us, and we have many members who are looking forward to learning about your company and working with you to build it in positive ways. I understand that in the next few weeks you will most likely become busier than ever, so I am hoping that our dialog can be professional, to the point, and productive. Thank you for joining us.

Laurel

Laurel,

I see you have decided to be an OLA cheerleader, as others are a cheerleader for eBay.

My question to the rep was direct and to the point, and his reply was evasive to say the least. Yes, he stated the bad buyer was suspended, but he also scolded me for bringing it up.

I will state again, had I just been informed of this, and if this buyer did not continue to show on their member search, none of this conversation would even be taking place. I am not a mind-reader. So when I checked, after the rep said he was suspended, and he still was on the member list, I came to the conclusion, he was still a member. I stand by statement that had he said what I quoted above, it would have been the end of it.

I feel my dialogue was every bit as professional as you seem to think yours is. FS has stated that no member will ever be blocked and no posts removed. Let's see if this statement is backed up. You apparently feel you are able to post your sentiments, but I am not. Seems rather one-sided to me.

I have received several emails and comments from others, and they too feel the response from the OLA rep was unprofessional as well as unfriendly.

I personally had no problem with OLA, and am a founding member, but I think their lack of communication is disheartening, because as I stated, if I had known the member was suspended, this would not have taken place. Avoidance to a question is not answering it. That is truly exactly what eBay does.

You cannot have a forum where you openly allow discussion, and then insist it be one-sided. Why you are blind to this is beyond me.

If people are to make informed decisions on whether or not to join any community, then ALL sides should be voiced.

I feel at the very least (and I am not alone in this thinking) that OLA owes me an apology for making unjust accusations.

You may be entitled to your opinion, but I am also.

Karen