I need some advice with this bad seller.

[Bighab]

A few weeks back I used Buy it now and bought a Sega Nomad Battery pack
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1488&item=3023520775
Its advertised as new. I get it and try and charge it up. After the charge cycle I get no power. I try charging it again and nothing. I open it up and take it to a friend who repairs systems and does battery replacements. He tests the batteries and finds they are totally dead. I contact the seller and tell him the problem. He tells me he asked the person he got them from that maybe the small watch battery inside is dead." Its only 79cents to replace it" I tell him that there is no watch battery or anything like it inside. I tell him it takes 6 NIHM rechargable batteries. I also tell him that its going to cost me too much to fix it so I ask him for my money back or a replacement pack(He has more up for sale) This is the reply I get tonight:
I haven't tested any of the packs, I assume, given their age, they will all
need a battery replacement. I can't give you a refund because the item is
as advertised. It is brand new and it is in its box and works perfectly,
you just have to get a new battery. I saw them on ebay for $1.99 for
4...that shouldn't be so bad? Let me know your thoughts.

He already has left me positve feedback so I don't have to worry about a retalitory feedback. I have never dealt with a seller who is this bad. How do I report him to ebay? How can I convince him to refund my money? Any advice is appreciated :-D

[Achika]

Honestly, given it's age...sure it might be advertised as new, but do you expect the batteries to last or at the least even hold a charge for 8 years? If he tested them all out, they wouldn't really be new. It sucks that you got a dead product, but I think it would be less of a hassle to grab some rechargeables and replace them. It would be a lot quicker to get them than go back and forth with a refund.

[Bighab]

I don't know anything about rechargable batteries but if they are "new" and have never had a charge then they should be fine? Shouldn't they? The guy who i deal with gave me a cost of $3Canadian for each battery($18total) and a $10 installation fee. So I have to spend $28Canadian and I don't have any gaurantee it will work. Everyone I know who has a Nomad rechargable pack has theirs working fine. personally I think the seller bought a batch of factory defects and is trying to sell them cheaply on ebay.

[Captain Wrong]

I don't know anything about rechargable batteries but if they are "new" and have never had a charge then they should be fine? Shouldn't they?

I'm not expert on rechargeables, but I believe there is a shelf life to them if they haven't been charged. I know a battery pack will last longer if it's charged peirodically rather than allowed to sit a long time without a charge. I would assume that if a pack hasn't ever been charged and is 8-10 years old, the chances of it working are pretty low. Hell, the chances of a rechargeable pack like that that's 8-10 years old if kind of iffy anyway.

I'd say chalk it up as a loss and move on. You can try to hang this guy on him listing them as working if you want, but is it really worth your time?

[bargora]

I'm just curious as to whether your friend established that the current cells installed are "totally dead" because (1) they produced no voltage or current, or (2) they won't take a charge. I ask this because if the charger or charging circuit is dead, then that would explain why the cells are also dead, and so changing the cells wouldn't do anything for you. If he checked the charger and found that it worked or he tried to charge the cells with a different charger (and they wouldn't charge), then you'd know that at least the cells need replacing.

[leonk]

I think your best bet is to either:

- resell on eBay
- change the cells

Rechargable batteries don't last that long.. think about your cell phone ... I'm on my 10th one, and the battery is always the first thing to go!

Your best bet is to get the regular battery holder (the one made for one time battery usage.. where you put in your own batts). Get that and put in NiMH rechargable batteries!

That's what I do with my Nomad, and it works great!!

[Sylentwulf]

The average unused battery (rechargeable or not) has less than a 10 year shelf life.

Just for the record.

[Savedman]

The problem with his listing is the description (as well as all the other ones that I looked at). There is none! All he says is "Thank you for your bid" and goes right into his auction rules. As the seller I would have at least listed it as "As Is" or "Untested". The guy sounds a little shady. I would have to decide if it is worth pursuing. It sounds like he doesn't want to give you your money back. I would email him again and give him the opportunity to at least give you a partial refund or I would (at least) leave neutral feed back saying that the item was not usable. To me "New" means "New". I don't know that he really deserves a neg because he didn't lie about anything but he could have been more upfront with you.

[Bighab]

I'm just curious as to whether your friend established that the current cells installed are "totally dead" because (1) they produced no voltage or current, or (2) they won't take a charge. I ask this because if the charger or charging circuit is dead, then that would explain why the cells are also dead, and so changing the cells wouldn't do anything for you. If he checked the charger and found that it worked or he tried to charge the cells with a different charger (and they wouldn't charge), then you'd know that at least the cells need replacing.

He established they were dead because of reason 1. I don't think the charging circuit would be dead because its new. Also the charge light came on and then after the charge cycle(12-15 hours) it has a built in circuit that takes no more power.
The seller offered a few Genesis games as compensation. I will have to see if there is any I need.