Laptop ebay purchase – any chance/advice on getting money back

Spent c£300 on a second hand laptop for my son and it’s basically knackered.

Bought it two months ago but he has only been using for one month and it just keeps refusing to even turn on. Taken it to repair shop and they cant fix and suggested only option is to send to specialist and will be a min cost of £180.

It was bought off a private seller.

Anyone have any idea if I have any route to getting a refund in these circumstances or am I just going to have to accept it’s a risk I took buying on ebay?

Try contacting seller first of all – you never know they may offer to take it back and fix it…

You have 30 days to open a case through eBay so you are getting into goodwill territory. You can ask the seller but not much you can do if they are unwilling to help.

Buying on eBay you are generally well covered if things arrive faulty but you don’t get a full warranty.

Does it work when plugged in? Dodgy battery would by my first thought, and that’s usually easy to swap, but I’d hope a repair shop would’ve already looked at that possibility

I’ve sent message to seller but don’t hold much hope.

I thought (hoped) it might just be battery but sadly not. Repairer says he can get it to turn on about 20% of time.

Frustrating as now out of 30 days but expect first hint of a problem was within that (but just put it down to it not turning on an occasional problem).

I don’t have any helpful advice, but was it always dodgy, or did it develop? I’d kinda say that if it developed, that’s just one of the risks with buying second hand, seller might have sold it in good faith, and only has your word for it that you didn’t do something to break it.

Private sales, then not much come back.

You’re relying on good will.

Presumably you bought off eBay as you thought you were getting a bargain. Now that hasn’t worked out, you want a warranty.

If I’d sold it in good faith and 2mths later you contacted me, I’d just say sorry, working fine when posted and ignore any further communication.

Definitely not something your son has done/spilt on it?

Bought it two months ago

If I sold it to you as a private seller and you came asking for a refund after two months, I wouldn’t even think about giving you your money back. Sorry. Caveat emptor etc – eBay has decent buyer protection but you would have needed to raise an issue promptly.

As with all of the above – I assume it was working when you first received it (otherwise you would have contacted the seller straight away). I don’t see why it should be their problem two months later. Sorry.

A used laptop is a risk, that’s why they’re often cheap. Was the seller offering a warranty? If not then I don’t see how you think it’s their problem.

Did you really buy a 2nd hand laptop from eBay and then not use it for a month?! I don’t think eBay can/would do anything once their window to raise a claim has closed. Doubt the seller will help as either a) they’re trying to scam you with a junk laptop or b) they’ll think you’re trying to scam them. If you paid via PayPal though I think you have much longer (180 days?)

I’m sure the repair shop would have tried this, but have you tried powering it on with the battery removed? (and plugged into the mains)

I think you’re out of luck either way but out of curiosity once you started using it did it have the symptoms right away or develop after a few uses? (if the former I’d see if I could leave bad feedback for the seller, if the latter it’s possibly just bad luck and they sold it to you in good faith)

Yep, seller has said it was working when he sold it so not willing to offer refund… which is what you (and I) expected.

Son hasnt done anything to it and was using it for last 2 months but just occasionally it would turn off and then sometimes not turn back on for a while. Didn’t really think it was a big issue but last time it just wouldn’t turn on at all. Apparently computer guy can get it to turn on in Diagnostic mode but only turns on 20% time in normal mode????

Guess I will never know if Seller knew or if it is bad luck (seems a bit of a coincidence to a sceptic like me). Ebay returns within 30 days so ot an option so might look at paypal option suggested above. Inevitably just looks like it’s going to cost me the £300 + cost of a new laptop for my son.

Guess I will never know if Seller knew or if it is bad luck (seems a bit of a coincidence to a sceptic like me).

Most likely bad luck imo.

Inevitably just looks like it’s going to cost me the £300 + cost of a new laptop for my son.

It’s really just costing you the £300 (or the replacement cost, depending on which way you look at it), if that makes it any easier to stomach.

Apparently computer guy can get it to turn on in Diagnostic mode but only turns on 20% time in normal mode

Might I suggest you try another computer guy?

Have they explained what they mean by diagnostic mode? Is this windows safe mode or is it a BIOS diagnostic mode?

Do you know if the machine has an SSD? (What laptop is it?).

When you say won’t power on, exactly what happens?

I am zeroing in on these because if it is having issues intermittently, but starts up in whatever diagnostic mode they are using, there is a chance it’s not a critical component. Hard drive is the first culprit I would be testing followed closely by memory.

Might I suggest you try another computer guy?

Have they explained what they mean by diagnostic mode? Is this windows safe mode or is it a BIOS diagnostic mode?

Do you know if the machine has an SSD? (What laptop is it?).

When you say won’t power on, exactly what happens?

I am zeroing in on these because if it is having issues intermittently, but starts up in whatever diagnostic mode they are using, there is a chance it’s not a critical component. Hard drive is the first culprit I would be testing followed closely by memory.

sadly relying on 18 year boy to communicate this issues to me and neither have a clue!

I’ll get it back and maybe take it somewhere else

Elsewhere on the forum: “I sold a laptop on ebay, 2 months later the cheeky bastard came back to me wanting a refund because it stopped working! WWSTWD?”

Where are you and what is it? What’s the environment, is it mostly used on a desk or on a carpet full of pet hair? If you can get it to me in East Lancashire I’ll give it a once-over for you in exchange for a charity donation.

@cougar2 That’s a nice thing to do. A+.

If you can get it to me in East Lancashire I’ll give it a once-over for you in exchange for a charity donation.

Is Cougar offering to fix the laptop, or beat up your son?!

DrP

Either or. 🙂

£180 just to look at something with no guarantee of a fix is a pisstake. I often think “I’m in the wrong job” – I’m dealing with vets currently and I’m already £800 down on investigative work alone – but here I think I’m in the right job, I’m just not enough of a mercenary bastard.

Top offer from Cougar – though what will you charge the OPs son to keep his browsing history private?

That’ll pay for itself in good leads.

£180 just to look at something with no guarantee of a fix is a pisstake.

Too right! Local compoota repairers had a look at my son’s Uni laptop he’d spilt drink over, wasn’t booting up… Said it needed a new motherboard, so I said no ta and took it away. Cost was nothing.

at my son’s Uni laptop he’d spilt drink over, wasn’t booting up… Said it needed a new motherboard

FWIW I had that happen to me back in the 90s when I was in a place with zero computer shops.  Opened it up and cleaned all the coffee out by pouring distilled water over the motherboard and cleaning it with a toothbrush.  Needs must sometimes and distilled water isn’t conductive

It is corrosive though.

Use pure alcohol… Or isopropyl alcohol..

It evaporates fast and doesn’t make rust like water will.

I’ve heard tell of someone who successfully ran a motherboard through a dishwasher. Gotta say though, it wouldn’t be my first option…

I’ve heard tell of someone who successfully ran a motherboard through a dishwasher. Gotta say though, it wouldn’t be my first option…

We used to do that with keyboards back in the bad old days. Some manky individual moved on somewhere and the next post holder was expected to just use their minging desktop kit, sticky keys and all. We weren’t allowed to lavish the £10 or so on a new keyboard* so we did what we could. It usually worked afterwards.

I’m not sure I’d have tried it on a motherboard, there’s a lot on there that’s not waterproof, usually including the board itself.

*Got to love government IT!

I’ve heard tell of someone who successfully ran a motherboard through a dishwasher.

It will work… it’s not the washing that’s the probelm, it’s the making sure it’s fully dry afterward as any lingering dampness will cause corrosion and all sorts of gremlins afterward.

I’ve heard tell of someone who successfully ran a motherboard through a dishwasher.

That would either fix it or Finish it