Wallstreet...With a Problem

[heebiejeebies]

I recently bought a Wallstreet from eBay. Beautiful machine – nicest laptop I’ve ever used. I was all set to go and ready to take it out and show it off to the world when it abruptly lost power. The seller told me it had a working battery and it doesn’t. It lasts about 5 minutes if you’re lucky. She also neglected to mention the noticeable scratching on the tuxedo. Lastly, it had 160 megs ram in it instead of the advertised 56. That would normally be a plus but I had just gone out and bought an extra 128 megs for it. On the plus side it also had a larger hard disk than advertised.

I’m not going to make a fuss about the scratching, but the sole reason I bought this machine was to use it when I’m out and about. Has anyone else had a problem like this, and do eBay or Paypal give a toss about items that were delivered but not as described?

This is the last time I ever buy a computer from a woman. They have no idea what they're talking about. Honestly, it’s like buying a necklace from a bikie. No offence to the lovely ladies on this forum.

 

[MultiFinder]

I say torch their house.

 

[The Macster]

Has anyone else had a problem like this, and do eBay or Paypal give a toss about items that were delivered but not as described?

This should answer your question. Though it's probably best to contact the seller directly first and see if that gets you anywhere.

This is the last time I ever buy a computer from a woman. They have no idea what they're talking about.

You're lucky there's not many women round here to attack you for that!

 

[heebiejeebies]

Thanks for the link Macster. This is what I'll do - I'll contact her first, then when she tells me to go hang, I will start a dispute. eBay will use one of the 200 exclusions on that page to tell me I can't make a claim; then I will resell it. Which isn't so bad as I think if it's listed with its correct specs I may end up making a profit out of it.

This is the last time I ever buy a computer from a woman. They have no idea what they're talking about.

You're lucky there's not many women round here to attack you for that!

Only a hardline bra burner would deny that most women aren't interested in computers.

 

[Orion]

If she told you it had a working battery and it holds a charge, even for a few minutes, then she was right. Unless she stated the amount of time it lasted and was inaccurate, then you are SOL.

 

[heebiejeebies]

She told me the battery was replaced a while ago and is still "really good". But yes, you are right, the lack of a definite length of charge will probably get her off the hook.

 

[Patrickool93]

You could "make" the battery not work because, well, quite frankly she pulled over a dirty trick on you.

 

[heebiejeebies]

Yeah, but then she would say it got damaged in transit, which isn't covered by eBay. I don't think she did it deliberately anyway - the power meter in the control strip says over 2 hours, so she probably assumed it was accurate.

 

[Maniacintosh]

Wow. When I bought my 3400c from Ebay, the battery completely died a week later (not even recognized). I notified the seller and he promptly bought me a *brand new* battery from Ebay.

 

[heebiejeebies]

Lucky you! I'm guessing this chap would have been a powerseller or something though... The seller I bought from was more likely a housewife clearing out her cupboards I think.

 

[FunnymanSE30]

Have you tried Battery Reset, there might be just a problem with the PMU,

if battery reset doesnt work scroll down to post 21 and follow the procedure http://www.maclife.com/forums/topic/51129/1

 

[Bunsen]

Your comments are getting progressively more sexist and repulsive heebies.

Meanwhile - so you got a dud battery, but more than 3 times the advertised RAM and a larger hard drive? Meh. Call it even, suck it up and go buy a battery, or have that one recelled.

 

[IPNixon]

That sucks, man

I bought a pair of shoes once on eBay from some seller, because I can't really find shoes of size 16 in stores for a good price

Anyway, they were stated as 'worn once, excellent condition'. When they got here, they were COMPLETELY scuffed up, the white was all rubbed off, the rubber on the bottom was worn down, and he had stepped in dog crap and gum before shipping them.

He's the only person who messed up my 100% feedback rating on eBay, and after he left that, I lost all means of contact with him.

 

[jkoci]

I bought my Wallstreet from an ebay auction back in March for $81 shipped. It is much better than I expected. It has more ram and a larger hard drive than advertised as well as a battery that lasts well over two hours. I guess I was lucky. BTW - It is nice to be back at 68k.

 

[heebiejeebies]

Have you tried Battery Reset, there might be just a problem with the PMU, if battery reset doesnt work scroll down to post 21 and follow the procedure http://www.maclife.com/forums/topic/51129/1

What's Battery Reset? If it doesn't work then I'll try the open firmware thing. Thank you, sir!

 

[heebiejeebies]

Your comments are getting progressively more sexist and repulsive heebies.

Smile mate, it can't hurt!

Meanwhile - so you got a dud battery, but more than 3 times the advertised RAM and a larger hard drive? Meh. Call it even, suck it up and go buy a battery, or have that one recelled.

It doesn't work out even for me though because I'd already bought the new ram, and besides that, I already have an Intel and a G4 so this thing will sit there unused if I can't take it on the road. As far as I'm concerned, it's not as described and doesn't do the job I bought it for. But yes, if I have to resell it then the bonuses might make it even out, though maybe not with eBay's fees the way they are.

 

[heebiejeebies]

That sucks, man
I bought a pair of shoes once on eBay from some seller, because I can't really find shoes of size 16 in stores for a good price

Anyway, they were stated as 'worn once, excellent condition'. When they got here, they were COMPLETELY scuffed up, the white was all rubbed off, the rubber on the bottom was worn down, and he had stepped in dog crap and gum before shipping them.

He's the only person who messed up my 100% feedback rating on eBay, and after he left that, I lost all means of contact with him.

What a bummer! There are some dodge balls out there that's for sure, but mostly my experiences on eBay have been good. I generally don't leave negative feedback because I don't want my 100% approval being tarnished.

 

[Quadraman]

None of the above. You got some pluses and some minuses with this purchase. I say they balance out. You should really never expect that a laptop battery in a machine that old will have any sort of reasonable life expectancy left. Always assume the battery will be DOA and lower your bid accordingly. If you are technically inclined, and the cells are still available, it may be possible to rebuild the battery. There are articles posted all over the internet about how to rebuild a laptop battery, so I won't go into detail about it, but it's not really that difficult and is the only way to bring some older machines back from the dead.

 

[heebiejeebies]

She told me it was still very good - so why would I assume it's dead? And, as stated above, it's of no use to me unless I can move it around so it really doesn't even out.

Anyway, with a bit of luck the battery reset thing might work.