|
In an ongoing effort to improve security and protect against fraud on Yahoo! Auctions, we are pleased to add the Yahoo! Buyer Protection Program to our list of services. Most items on Yahoo! Auctions are covered by this Buyer Protection Program. We offer this program to our buyers free of charge. Although the vast majority of Yahoo! Auctions transactions are trouble-free, in the event of fraud the Yahoo! Buyer Protection Program provides an additional measure of safety.
Fraud is defined as:
- Paying for an item that is not received; or
- Receiving an item that is materially different than what is described.
What is the Yahoo! Buyer Protection Program?
The Yahoo! Buyer Protection Program covers
auction items (excluding real estate auctions) which close at prices above
$25 and below $10,000. The program covers auctions launched on the U.S. site
(http://auctions.yahoo.com); auctions on Yahoo!'s international sites are not covered. Sellers with a negative rating at the time of auction close are not covered. Winning bidders are protected for up to $200 minus a $25 deduction. Please note that the Yahoo! Buyer Protection Program only covers buyers.
The period for filing a claim with cynoSure Financial, our claims administrator, extends until 60 days after close of auction. There is a lifetime limit of two claims per user.
How does it work?
If you are a buyer with an auction complaint and feel that you need to use our Buyer Protection Program, here are the steps you should follow:
- First, make sure that you've allowed enough time for your auction item to arrive in the mail. Sometimes, it takes up to 14 days for an item to arrive after a seller has shipped it. During this period of time, you might find that an effective solution is try
to communicate directly with the seller. Many problems are simple misunderstandings. You'll find the seller's email address on your closed item page.
- If you are unable to resolve the matter with the seller, and at least 25 days have passed since the close of auction date, you may file a complaint with Yahoo!'s complaint system. After submitting a complaint, you can access it by going to My Auctions, clicking on the "Won" tab, and then selecting the closed item page for the auction at issue. Please note, in order to have sufficient time to escalate your complaint to a claim, you will need to file your complaint within 55 days of the close of auction.
- Once the complaint has been submitted, the seller is notified of your complaint by e-mail. At that point, you should try to resolve the dispute with the seller directly. Buyers have incentive to resolve the dispute in order to avoid using one of their limited claims (only two (2) claims per buyer during their lifetime). Sellers have incentive to resolve the issue in order to protect, or even improve, their rating.
- There will be a five-day period after you have filed a complaint in which you should communicate with the seller in an attempt to resolve the dispute. If after five days, the issue is not resolved, you will have access to a link that takes you to a blank claim form which you can print.
- After printing a blank claim, handwrite or type all of the relevant claim information and mail it to our claims administrator, cynoSure Financial, along with copies of all supporting documents, such as email communications with the seller, proof of payment, photographs of the item, etc. Any illegible or incomplete claim forms will be rejected. Always save copies of receipts and correspondence. Your claim must be postmarked within 60 days after the close of the disputed auction.
- Once you've filed your claim, the claims administrator at cynoSure will investigate the auction to determine whether fraud has occurred. The administrator will contact you with their decision within 45 days after receipt of your claim and all relevant documents. If you are involved in a claim, Yahoo! may share certain transactional information and personal information with cynoSure Financial in order to help facilitate the investigation and resolution of the claim. cynoSure Financial may only use this information only to process claims and may not use this information for any other purpose.
File a complaint
|
|
| Protection Highlights |
- Protection is available to winning bidders only
- Sellers with a negative rating at the time of the auction close are not covered.
- The program does not cover the payment if any part of the payment was sent by wire transfer or sent to a post office box or sent to any international
location.
- $25 will be deducted from the claim.
- Maximum protection is $200 per auction.
|
| Frequently Asked
Questions |
|
| | |