EBay item not as described

[-Ju-]

Ok so I'm looking for some opinions here.
When I sold my S3 back in December, I wanted to retain my recently retrimmed Alcantara steering wheel.
I found a steering wheel on eBay and went ahead and purchased it.
Now this steering wheel literally turned up a week later but just in the nick of time, However when I unpacked it, it was for a manual and not an auto. Now this is where it gets a little tricky. The listing never said it was for an auto, in fact the listing didn't say anything apart from a title, the item description was just a run through of the sellers terms and conditions.
This is a picture of the item

And this is what I received

Do you think I should be entitled to a refund?

 

[desertstorm]

I would say so. They may use a generic photo that is not of the item you get but it should be the same condition and have the same functionality. The photo clearly shows an automatic wheel with the paddles and the item you received does not have these.
So I would reject the item on the grounds that it does not meet with the description.
I Can't see how they could argue against it.

 

[-Ju-]

I Can't see how they could argue against it.

I'm glad someone actually agrees with me!
I couldn't initiate a claim through eBay because at the time of payment the seller hadn't confirmed his paypal account. This led to the payment not being tracked and as such I was unable to open a dispute.
I started a claim through paypal which went straight to review without requesting any information and they sided with the seller. I subsequently appealed the decision with supporting photo evidence and they still sided with the seller.
It's now at review but I get the impression it's head against brick wall time and I'm starting to think it's me who's wrong!
If they come back with the same result, which I fully expect, then I'm stuffed and will have to sell it on.
I'm a man of principle and don't see how the seller should be allowed to get away with it

 

[desertstorm]

That's unusual because in my experience they usually side with the buyer.

 

[-Ju-]

Yeah that's my experience too but its usually through eBay.

 

[kcpism]

So, by the seller being purposefully vague they are exempt from all responsibility? That doesn’t seem fair!

However the picture cleary indicates auto and the supplied wheel is manual, I can’t see how PayPal cannot side with the buyer here and authorise a refund (with you shipping back to the seller). Tried ebay support? Paid by credit card - chargeback?

 

[-Ju-]

So, by the seller being purposefully vague they are exempt from all responsibility? That doesn’t seem fair!

However the picture cleary indicates auto and the supplied wheel is manual, I can’t see how PayPal cannot side with the buyer here and authorise a refund (with you shipping back to the seller). Tried ebay support? Paid by credit card - chargeback?

I didn't use a credit card unfortunately.so no recourse there.
EBay were unable to help as the payment didn't track on their platform and they couldn't manually fix it, they told me to go through paypal.
To say I was surprised when my claim was rejected was an understatement but they have me over a barrel and I thought I was going mad.
It's nice to see it's not just me.
The seller wouldn't even respond to my messages once I'd received it.
Luckily I had my new car and the old one overnight so I swapped the steering wheels otherwise I'd be more than £175 out

 

[kcpism]

^ The whole transaction seems like a royal **** up by the sounds of it...it does happen occasionally but usually PayPal comes through in the end. At least you got partially sorted.

 

[-Ju-]

I have a bit of an update on this.
After getting nowhere with paypal who simply wouldn't budge on their decision, I phoned eBay one last time to ask there opinion.
They agreed with me and did say they had seen some strange decisions recently by paypal and there was nothing they could do now regarding the original payment.
However as a gesture of goodwill and because they advised me to claim through paypal originally, they are refunding me for the transaction.
So although I would have liked the seller to be reprimanded in some way, I have got a resolution and an ornament to stick in the garage!

 

[desertstorm]

Well at least you aren't out of pocket. Drop it back on Ebay the next time you get a chance to list for £1 max cost and get some money back.
I pay for pretty much everything I buy on Ebay through my credit card. It does give you another level of protection.