unionrepair.com responded to my PP case
don't fall over, man. keep fighting.
lol obviously they want you to do that because the shipping is expensive, and they don't want to pay it. further, they probably think that there is a fair chance you will abandon the claim if you think you have to pay to send it back.
i suggest explaining that the item is "significantly not as described" which is a PP term.
this would be my message:
hello, to re-iterate, i ordered a 240V unit but received a 120V unit that i cannot use because the voltage is incorrect. i.e. the item i received is significantly not as described. the item is expensive for me to ship back to you since i do not have access to commercial shipping rates – i was quoted over $165 to return it. since this is your error, can you please provide me with an insured, prepaid label to return it to you?then i would see what happens. the reason why i suggest documenting the $165 thing is to make it clear to the PP agent reviewing the dispute. i'm hypothesizing that the agent may realize that this is significant compared to the cost of the item and be more likely to say you don't have to return it or make the seller pay for return shipping.
so maybe the seller will just offer to pay, maybe not. maybe paypal – even if they side with you – will tell you that you have to pay to return it, maybe not.
https://www.paypal.com/us/legalhub/buyer-protectionIMPORTANT: You may be required to return the item to the seller or other party we specify as part of the settlement of your claim. PayPal’s Purchase Protection program does not entitle you to coverage for the return shipping costs that you may incur.
...
Step 4: Comply with PayPal’s shipping requests in a timely manner, if you’re filing a Significantly Not as Described claim. PayPal may require you, at your expense, to ship the item back to the seller, to PayPal or to a third party (which will be specified by PayPal) and to provide proof of delivery.
so yeah, actually, i take back what i said about PP's policy being reasonable. it's shit. imagine how a foreign vendor can abuse this policy to scam customers if the return shipping is prohibitively expensive, lol...
if things are not looking good, i would call paypal and then ask them to escalate it to a supervisor or whatever. just from googling, i've heard that this can yield good results, but the tier 0 peons usually can't help. gotta escalate. also, remember that the sticking point is you received the incorrect voltage and cannot use the item.
did you pay with a CC?i would consider doing a chargeback if the PP dispute ends up not helping you resolve this to your satisfaction.
in addition, in the future, i would not use PP at all
as i explained a couple of posts ago. pay with a CC for normal online shopping. if there is a problem, talk to the seller. if the seller doesn't fix it, explain that you will initiate a chargeback if they do not resolve it to your satisfaction. if that fails, then follow through on the threat.
if the seller accepts PP as their only payment method, i would just check out as a guest (paying with CC) and not sign into your paypal account. if there's an issue the seller won't fix, i wouldn't involve PP at all. i'd call my CC and do a chargeback.
a CC (especially a good one) offers
way stronger buyer protections and less hassle.