eBay shopper 'refused refund' after being sold 'stolen' bike

An eBay shopper has been left gutted after being sold a stolen bike - and not receiving a refund. The customer wrote into the Guardian newspaper and its consumer affairs section over the crushing blow amid the Cost of Living crisis.

The customer wrote: "I bought a used electric cargo bike on eBay for £3,300 but, when it arrived, I discovered a cut in the frame. I put the frame number into the national BikeRegister database, which confirmed it had been stolen.

"The seller did not reply when I contacted them, so I phoned the police and the bike was seized. I was given crime reference and property log numbers. As I had paid by bank transfer, I contacted my bank, First Direct, to try to get a refund. It asked for evidence that the bike had been seized, which I provided.

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"I also reported the matter to eBay but because I paid the seller directly via bank transfer rather than through the site, it has no responsibility. I have now heard back from the bank and it has rejected my claim because it is an e-bike. I do not see why this makes a difference. It is still fraud.

The customer's bank First Direct told the newspaper after it approached it, saying: “Protecting customers from fraud is really important to us, and we are sorry FL was the victim of a scam. After reviewing this case, we have provided a full refund of £3,300.”

It went on: “As this case highlights, fraudsters are devious criminals who use a range of techniques to steal money from people. We want to remind all customers to exercise caution when purchasing goods on online marketplaces and to never carry out purchases outside recognised payment platforms.

"Customers can also protect themselves further by paying attention to fraud warnings when making payments, and reading up on common scams and techniques used by scammers.”