Just a few moments ago I was fed up with a dispute I was having with a seller regarding some expensive software I purchased ($147). The company behind the software is fairly big and appeared quite reputable, so I had no hesitation buying. After purchase I installed the software on my server, however it was not functioning properly. I sent a support request, got a reply, sent a reply back, got another reply that I wasn't happy with. I told them they have 5 days to resolve this before I request a refund through paypal. No response so 5 days later I decide to launch a claim in paypal, and immediatley I got brushed off with the following email //////////////////////////////////// // Start email /////////////////////////////////// Dear Hamish Durkin, You have chosen to escalate your dispute to a PayPal claim. By ending communication with the seller, you are asking PayPal to investigate the case and decide the outcome. As part of our investigation, PayPal reviewed any communication you may have had in the Resolution Centre. Our investigation into the following transaction is complete. As stated in our User Agreement, the claims process only applies to the delivery of goods. It does not apply to complaints about the attributes or quality of goods received. Therefore, we are unable to reverse this transaction or issue a refund. ----------------------------------- Transaction Details ----------------------------------- CENSORED ----------------------------------- What to Do Next ----------------------------------- ----------------------------------- Due Dates ----------------------------------- None. //////////////////////////////////////// // End email /////////////////////////////////////// I did not alter the what to do next or due dates box, they were blank and 'none' respectively. I did everything right, the seller even had an 8 week money back guarantee. Is there anything I can do to get my money back?
Chances are that there is nothing that you can do, unless you paid with a credit card or eCheck. It was probably not a good idea to give the seller an ultimatum. If it's a reputable company, they may have a support phone # available, and if you're reasonable, I'm sure that they will help you fix the issue or provide a refund.
I would continue trying to resolve with them. Otherwise you probably have a 50/50 of getting your money back unless you paid with a credit or debit card.
Maybe it wasn't good to give the seller the threat of going to paypal however they had been screwing me around for a while. I am annoyed more at paypal however as instantly when I disputed the claim they closed the dispute and claim altogether. I am going to keep contacting the seller, however they brushed me off before so my hopes are not high.
Try to have the complaint re-heard, and make sure you make paypal aware of the company's claims regarding money back guarantees etc. If you really can't get either the company or paypal to take you seriously, take it to a few big webmaster forums and see if some bad publicity makes the company take you a little more seriously.
The trouble with Paypal is that it provides no protections to both seller and buyer when it comes to non-physical items which I am sure you know about. As such, any such disputes should be done between the customer and the merchant involved. Talked to the head of the company and remind them of their money back guarantee. If possible, produce screenshots to show that the program is not working on your computer and you did everything in accordance to their instructions and help file.