$99 Airpods Cancelled by eBay (Update: eBay Responds on Twitter)

harivision on 17/07/2019 - 11:14
Last edited 17/07/2019 - 16:07 by 2 other users

Update 4: Official communication from eBay regarding this issue that got sent to OzBargain.

Update 3: eBay have responded on twitter.

https://mobile.twitter.com/ebayau/status/1151310851833397248

Update 2: They have removed the airpods from our purchase history.

https://imgur.com/download/lxUhWO5/

Update 1: eBay promoted their sale through multiple channels.

https://i.imgur.com/vTmoE7y.png

Customer Care have advised that every single one of the 800 items are affected. “The seller has claimed their account was compromised” However, this is an official eBay account.

What a joke. Make sure you contact the news outlets on twitter.

Transcript of email:

Your recent eBay transaction may be from a compromised account.

You were recently involved in a transaction for the following item:
Brand New Apple AirPods (2nd Gen) with Charging Case (MV7N2ZA/A)

We’re writing to let you know that an unauthorized third party may have accessed the seller’s account to list this item. The item has been removed from the site, and the transaction was cancelled. We ask that you take the following precautions:

THANKS EBAY!

Electrical & Electronics Apple Bluetooth Earphones

Related Stores

eBay Australia
eBay Australia
Marketplace

Comments

  • Moderatorscotty on 17/07/2019 - 12:30

    Received this from official comm from eBay:

    Thanks for taking advantage of eBay’s $99 deal on a set of Apple AirPods on Monday.

    You may have received an error message suggesting your transaction was from a compromised account. This is not the case. Please ignore this email and any associated actions. You will receive your AirPods.

    We apologise for any alarm caused and are looking into how this occurred. Should you have any questions, please contact the eBay Customer Service via www.ebay.com.au/help

    We thank you for shopping on eBay.

    • aandrew on 17/07/2019 - 12:35
      +2

      What do you if they've already processed a refund to my paypal account. I want the airpods!

      • ATangk on 17/07/2019 - 12:49
        +2

        Better contact ebay plus support and ask to cancel the refund?

      • geejay9 on 17/07/2019 - 13:07
        +4

        Just spoke to Ebay support who confirmed the paypal refund has been cancelled and I'll receive the airpods. I assume this would apply to everyone in this situation.

    • HighAndDry on 17/07/2019 - 12:39
      +4

      I wonder what they propose to do with all the people who followed the instructions in their 'wrong' email and got a refund.

  • MJ1 on 17/07/2019 - 11:15
    +11

    I got this as well. Their one big promoted sale item cancelled.

    How embarrassing!

  • Zapped on 17/07/2019 - 11:17

    I got this too! what a joke!!!

  • pgeorges on 17/07/2019 - 11:18
    +1

    I just got it too, ebay better make it right and come through with the airpods as advertised. I mean it's literally false advertising for ebay plus memberships if they just cancel it, I'm sure the ACCC would be interested in that case.

    • morgs640 on 18/07/2019 - 22:03
      +4

      The ACCC don't seem interested in eBay at all. They have been running dodgy sales for years.

  • cooluser123kappa on 17/07/2019 - 11:20

    +1, I cant believe it. Banner advertised and everything, and they dont seem to be refunding orders unless you claim back manually, which is great for everyone who paid by card to checkout quickly enough

    • pgeorges on 17/07/2019 - 11:21
      +9

      I wouldn't accept the refund, push them to send us airpods. They can't get away with false advertising like that on the front page of ebay.com.au no less!

      • cooluser123kappa on 17/07/2019 - 11:49

        Looks like its unfolding pretty quickly, I'll wait a day and see what happens

    • Zapped on 17/07/2019 - 11:22

      Can you please clarify - What do you mean by claim back manually?
      Via "contact seller" ?

      • itsmubi on 17/07/2019 - 11:25

        How can we claim back money? and how to push ebay to send the item

        • cooluser123kappa on 17/07/2019 - 11:38

          You'd have to call your bank or contact paypal

  • b3au on 17/07/2019 - 11:22

    Ugh.

    You were recently involved in a transaction for the following item:
    123831818269 - Brand New Apple AirPods (2nd Gen) with Charging Case (MV7N2ZA/A)

    We’re writing to let you know that an unauthorized third party may have accessed the seller’s account to list this item. The item has been removed from the site, and the transaction was cancelled. We ask that you take the following precautions:

    If you already paid for the item:
    - Please immediately contact the payment service used to request a refund.

    If you have not paid for your item:
    - Consider this transaction canceled and do not send payment.

    At eBay, we take a number of steps to help ensure the security of your account. Learn more about protecting your account at:
    http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/account/protecting.html

    Regards,
    eBay

  • itsmubi on 17/07/2019 - 11:22
    +7

    Same here…. it was advertised on ebay banner… thenhow come ebay say that it was from compromised account.

  • Chewiebacca on 17/07/2019 - 11:28
    +15

    Make sure to cancel your eBay Plus..

    • cruiseronroad on 17/07/2019 - 11:35

      I have done so.

    • FareEvader on 18/07/2019 - 09:22
      +1

      I signed up for their 3-month free trial, forgot to cancel, copped the fee for 12-month membership :(
      I've cancelled it now though!

  • christosauros1 on 17/07/2019 - 11:33
    +5

    The eBay AU twitter account even shared a news article about the sale:
    https://twitter.com/eBayAU/status/1150585970397290496

    • harivision on 17/07/2019 - 11:35
      +2

      Great work fireawesome. Be sure to screenshot this when we send into the ACCC.

    • HighAndDry on 17/07/2019 - 11:38
      +3

      Oooohhh that's gonna come back to bite them. Especially in one of their replies:

      "Hi Vasavi, we are dropping 100 pairs every hour until 5pm today. Next drop is at 2PM!"

      Not "the seller is…" but "we are dropping 100 pairs…".

    • Wilkshake on 17/07/2019 - 12:19

      Looks like eBay have replied to that to say that the compromised message was in error.

      • lostn on 17/07/2019 - 22:03
        +2

        So the account used for announcing compromises was compromised?

  • ldawg on 17/07/2019 - 11:33
    +7

    FYI everyone don't start any refund procedures or anything at this time - check out the comments on the original thread, someone has gotten this out of them on live chat:

    "We will have this raised to our Product team to further investigate. For now, just leave the transaction as is . Don't take any actions or file any request or claim."

    • harivision on 17/07/2019 - 11:36
      +2

      Agreed, don’t start any refund process until eBay Plus team confirm it if you have created a case with them. They know they are in hot shit right now, especially once the news jumps on.

    • gc9 on 17/07/2019 - 11:37

      yep this was me - they also said they'll get back within 24-48 hours, but I'd advise people to hold off on refunding it yet… hopefully they can get back to us with good news.

      • itsmubi on 17/07/2019 - 11:48

        Just wondering… should i just ask them about the issue and not agree on refund? or just don't even contact them?

        • gc9 on 17/07/2019 - 11:50

          It sounds like they're fixing the account and it was only removed due to the coupon code still being active or something… Some people have been told on chat they'll still get the AirPods on Monday like promised in the listing, so best to wait and see. They're telling people on chat to not refund anyways.

          • [Deactivated] on 17/07/2019 - 11:56
            +1

            @gc9: I just got off the phone with them and they said that "You were one of the successful buyers of the AirPods and will still be receiving the item. The notification was sent out in error and ebay is working on a plan to resolve this issue."

    • theredblur on 17/07/2019 - 11:39

      Fingers crossed they find another seller to honour this deal.

    • Catbyte on 17/07/2019 - 11:50

      I've been on the phone with ebay and have been given the same advice regarding this email; "Take no action - You can ignore the email for now and we will update you within 24hours - Don't request refund".

      I recommend people raise a case with ebay before going ahead to ignore this email. It's also a good idea you request a call reference number for your call to ebay.

  • ballislife on 17/07/2019 - 11:34

    If they don't step up and honour their deal, I'm cancelling my eBay. Between Amazon, Kogan, and AliExpress I don't need them anymore

    • bmerigan on 17/07/2019 - 13:47
      +13

      I am 100% sure you wouldn't. But it is amusing to see you stamp your feet

      • ballislife on 17/07/2019 - 14:07
        +3

        Most of my ebay purchases are from little chinese shops so it'd be pretty easy to part ways

  • TestIgnoreMe on 17/07/2019 - 11:35
    +1

    Just sent it to 7News.
    They’re looking into it as well.

    • graceyym on 17/07/2019 - 11:41
      +1

      I sent it to them as well, same with news.com.au

  • iMacca on 17/07/2019 - 11:36

    I just got this as well, what the hell

  • tlattouf on 17/07/2019 - 11:36

    Let us know what we need to do they wont get away with this!

    • tlattouf on 17/07/2019 - 11:45
      +2

      can confirm chat also said "I agree on you XXXX. The notification has been sent in error and we can confirm you'll receive your item. For now, please be assured that are one of the successful buyers of this the Airpod item.

  • givemeadiscount on 17/07/2019 - 11:37

    We want our Airpods or more than a refund.

  • soycandles on 17/07/2019 - 11:38

    I have also received this email. I'm very interested in what they do next.

  • Konkon22 on 17/07/2019 - 11:39

    I spent my whole day trying to get them and then they pull this elaborate scheme…

  • R1ngSt1nger on 17/07/2019 - 11:39
    +5

    Just FYI, on chat I complained about this and the rep came back with the following:

    Erika
    11:27 AM
    Yes, this promotion is an eBay offer and not the seller. Rest assured that we're working on it. Just ignore the email for now.

  • BarginKing on 17/07/2019 - 11:40

    Same problem, Where to from here?

    • CyberMurning on 17/07/2019 - 11:41
      +2

      Just ignore the email for now

  • Master Bates on 17/07/2019 - 11:40

    Who was the seller? The same seller that was legitimately selling them?

    This is not going to be a great advertisement for eBay's platform.

    • bargain-smith on 17/07/2019 - 12:02

      The seller was titan_gear which has now been renamed slimsgroup, I contacted support about the change but they're unable to disclose details.

  • jlee023 on 17/07/2019 - 11:40
    +6

    I just received this response when chatting to the ebay chat

    Erika
    11:38 AM
    This was sent in error and we can assure you that you will still receive the Airpods as promised based on the estimated delivery date.

  • graceyym on 17/07/2019 - 11:42
    +1

    EBAY PLUS CANCELLED! Seeing as I was charged the $10 for postage on the Airpods & only received a voucher code WITH an August expiry date by the way! No refund at all.

  • SR9 on 17/07/2019 - 11:43

    They removed the item from my purchase history.

    • harivision on 17/07/2019 - 11:56

      Can confirm and have updated the thread :(

    • SR9 on 17/07/2019 - 12:16

      They put the airpod back to my purchase history.

  • ballislife on 17/07/2019 - 11:44
    +1

    Just got off the phone to eBay Plus support they said the listing was cancelled because it was still showing the promo code in the listing but all sales will be honoured.

  • Lordsina on 17/07/2019 - 11:44

    I got the email too but the order is still in my purchase list with estimated delivery 22 July :))

  • junoxu9083 on 17/07/2019 - 11:44
    +1

    I opened a dispute case on this item on my purhcase history page and here is the response email i received:

    'Good news! We issued you a full refund of AU $259.00 on 17 Jul, 2019. The refund includes the purchase price plus original postage and has been credited to your PayPal account. Please log in to PayPal and view the History page if you don't see it in your PayPal balance.'

    WTH? I made the purchase through mastercard not paypal, and of course nothing is showing up on paypal and now its showing Case Resolved!!!

    • HighAndDry on 17/07/2019 - 11:49
      +1

      JFC what the hell is going on with eBay?

      • zaqwsx3 on 17/07/2019 - 11:52
        +5

        Maybe eBay is the entity which has been compromised

        • HighAndDry on 17/07/2019 - 11:57
          +2

          Its HQ is literally being physically invaded and eBay staff are frantically trying to get out a HELP! message by any way possible…

    • geejay9 on 17/07/2019 - 12:01

      I have the same issue - I used AMEX to pay. The live chat person said a temporary PayPal account was set up so I can be credited the refund and they gave me a number + transaction ID to quote…

    • rompastompa on 17/07/2019 - 12:02
      +1

      Hah, you should keep on them about that! Free $160 > $99 Airpods!! :D

  • ragrum on 17/07/2019 - 11:46
    +5

    To give them the benefit of the doubt, I wonder if they have some sort of automatic review system which flags "too-good-to-be-true" deals on popular items like AirPods, and it accidentally applied to their own loss-leader sale.

    • HighAndDry on 17/07/2019 - 11:56
      +3

      Yup. Or someone noticed the code was still live (long) after the promo had ended, and mis-clicked the reason for cancelling the listing because they were rushing (e.g. "Compromised account" as opposed to just "Cancel listing") and the emails were sent automatically by eBay's backend whenever a listing is removed for that reason.

  • ballislife on 17/07/2019 - 11:52
    +4

    Another update my order was just marked as sent on ebay

    • BOGLOAD on 17/07/2019 - 11:58
      +1

      My purchase history shows as item removed - was yours like this?

  • DoaAn on 17/07/2019 - 11:54
    +1

    I'm on with Glen Ian on ebay chat right now. His response when I asked if the deal is being honoured is:

    For now.No.
    Glen Ian
    If you want, I will open a case for you to have a refund.

    Edit: Ok. Got my confirmation that they're being sent out.

  • SquareEnix on 17/07/2019 - 11:55
    +1

    Seat taken for future dramas.

  • b3au on 17/07/2019 - 12:01
    +7

    eBay just tweeted

    Thanks for taking advantage of our AirPod deal. You may have received an error message suggesting your transaction was from a compromised account. This is not the case. You will receive your AirPods.

    We apologise for any alarm caused. Visit (link: http://ebay.com.au/help) ebay.com.au/help for any q's.
    12:00 PM · Jul 17, 2019 · Twitter Web Client

    https://twitter.com/eBayAU/status/1151310560505421825

    • lostn on 17/07/2019 - 22:07

      PLOT TWIST: The twitter account that tweeted this was compromised also and this retraction was posted in error! You will be getting a refund after all.

  • leeroyjenko on 17/07/2019 - 12:01
    +1

    ebay have confirmed via twitter it was an error, Airpods will still be shipped

  • qwerty on 17/07/2019 - 12:03
    +1

    Their twitter is saying the deal will be honored

    https://twitter.com/eBayAU/status/1151310851833397248

    • lostn on 17/07/2019 - 22:06

      the account used to notify that the seller's account was compromised.. was also compromised, thus sending the notification in error.

      Now question is whether the twitter account announcing the compromisation was also compromised.

  • MrsJones on 17/07/2019 - 12:10
    +3

    I just got told 30 seconds ago that I’m not getting them and he had the audacity to tell me that deals like this happen on the eBay platform all the time so I shouldn’t be upset.

    Goodness they need customer service training!

    • resisting the urge on 17/07/2019 - 15:22

      I think he meant to "deals like this happen on the eBay platform" because the regulatory bodies (ACCC, DFT, etc.) know so little about how eBay's various sponsored advertising, marketing and sales scams work, that they are incapable of proving so many deceptive advertising, price jacking and other dodgy trade practices are actually taking place.

      Unable to comprehend what constitutes key aspects such as context, obligation, impact, advertising, intent and extent, the authorities simply can't see where laws and regulations are violated. These things are so different in online guise to the non-virtual trading world, that basic things like removing the evidence (Eg. taking ads offline) as each scam can achieve their aim). In this case, eBay are even erasing transactions from user accounts- and no doubt, PayPal too.

      What better way to avoid getting caught than to delete the evidence, deny everything, say it didn't happen, it's all in your imagination. [The old Jedi mind trick will work on those dumb customers; there were no airpods, there was no transaction, move along…]

      So really, this is why we "shouldn’t be upset", and why the CSO can continue to go on doing such a great job (minimising the cost of business and compliance for the world's richest fatcats)

  • unknownhitler on 17/07/2019 - 12:14
    +2

    So they asked people to contact payment service for refund immediately, people who cancelled won't be getting it.
    So they will honour less airpods not all 800

    • harivision on 17/07/2019 - 12:29
      +3

      Interesting way to save a few dollars - They encouraged users to voluntarily opt out. whoops

    • saltysalt on 17/07/2019 - 12:56

      Yep they'll try anything!

  • yleet on 17/07/2019 - 12:15
    +3

    My eBay item no longer says as removed. It's been reinstated!

    Got worried for a sec 🤣

  • Hardly Normal on 17/07/2019 - 12:15

    Just got told I was getting them over the phone and a note was made on my account.

  • letthiswork1 on 17/07/2019 - 12:17

    Looks like they doulbe dungoofed.

    On twitter they are saying they will still be sent

    "Thanks for taking advantage of our AirPod deal. You may have received an error message suggesting your transaction was from a compromised account. This is not the case. You will receive your AirPods.

    We apologise for any alarm caused. Visit http://ebay.com.au/help for any q's."

  • itsfree on 17/07/2019 - 12:17

    The item page is back up and it's still showing me "You bought this item | View order details"

    • MrsJones on 17/07/2019 - 12:23
      +8

      The whole “shop with confidence” advertising underneath is quite ironic.

      • Clear on 17/07/2019 - 12:36
        +1

        Confidence that they will resolve the issue* and they did :)

  • toblerone21 on 17/07/2019 - 12:43
    +1

    calling bullshit that it was a pricing error, promoted it on their home page to make people sign up to ebay plus, then all of a sudden after they've sold over 840 units they find out that the price was wrong? Didn't even manage to get one, but that's crap if they are cancelling orders

  • Catbyte on 17/07/2019 - 12:44
    +2

    just received email this from eBay;

    Ref: Your Apple AirPods purchase

    Thanks for taking advantage of eBay’s $99 deal on a set of Apple AirPods on Monday.

    You may have received a message in error suggesting your transaction was from a compromised account and cancelled. This is not the case. You will receive your AirPods.

    Please ignore the earlier email and its suggested actions.

    We apologise for any confusion caused and are investigating how this occurred. Should you have any questions, please contact the eBay Customer Service via www.ebay.com.au/help

    We thank you for shopping on eBay.

    • unco on 17/07/2019 - 12:45

      Yep same, back to work now I guess!

    • lostn on 17/07/2019 - 22:08
      -1

      Sorry, but the email account that this message was written on was also compromised. Please disregard that message. Your order has been canceled.

      We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

      Thank you for shopping with eBay Plus.

  • mini2 on 17/07/2019 - 12:48

    I wonder will eBay reinstate the sale to those requested and obtained a refund.

  • MoBeigi on 17/07/2019 - 12:48

    Just got this email:

    Thanks for taking advantage of eBay’s $99 deal on a set of Apple AirPods on Monday.

    You may have received a message in error suggesting your transaction was from a compromised account and cancelled.. This is not the case. You will receive your AirPods.

    Please ignore the earlier email and its suggested actions.

    We apologise for any confusion caused and are investigating how this occurred. Should you have any questions, please contact the eBay Customer Service via www.ebay.com.au/help

    We thank you for shopping on eBay.

  • saltysalt on 17/07/2019 - 12:55
    +2

    Make sure you chat to ebay help and clarify.
    A friend and I both won a pair and I reached out to customer support and got a clarification email of the error. My friend did not get that email until they also reached out to customer support. I bet ebay are hoping that some people just take the refund and save them $150 each time.

    We have to hold these shady corporations accountable because they seem to be willing to try every trick in the book!

  • minniethemoocher on 17/07/2019 - 13:09

    I imagine it’s a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. Someone probably complained about the promotion being a scam and an eBay employee looked at the listing and thought it was suss. They probably were in another country and had no idea about the promotion and assumed it was a compromised account.

  • tessel on 17/07/2019 - 13:13
    -3

    First world problems. I didn't get my shiny toy.

    • sitdowndisco on 17/07/2019 - 13:55

      Agree. A bit of perspective wouldn’t go astray.

  • plmko on 17/07/2019 - 13:13
    +1

    LMAO I knew Ebay facilitated a culture of scammers but this in a humorous way proves it.

  • giventofly on 17/07/2019 - 13:15

    Got an email from eBay saying I will receive the AirPods (as above from Scotty), but by god, eBay is such a joke.

  • mthwstwrt on 17/07/2019 - 13:19

    They've also charged my account $249 even though my PODAIR code was used… amongst the cancellation email & the overcharging eBay support have been unable to help.

    Quoting "only the first 100 people qualify" I was transaction number 153..

    Went into the bank to dispute the charge, their response "the amount is still pending & still in limbo, only way to dispute is to wait and cancel your bank card after"

    What a major pain in the ass this has all been

    Usually I would use PayPal but wanted the transaction to be quicker.

    Anyone have some better advice?

    • minniethemoocher on 17/07/2019 - 13:37

      That doesn’t make sense. How did you pay for the airpods?

      • mthwstwrt on 17/07/2019 - 14:04

        MasterCard, Ebay have informed me due to a system issue at the time my PODAIR code was applied then removed upon refresh on their end..

        And they can't/won't honour the code even though I was buyer 153, they've instructed me to contact the seller for a refund.

        Absolute shit show at this stage

    • saltysalt on 17/07/2019 - 17:28
      -1

      I think someone forgot to actually use the code in the click frezy!

  • giventofly on 17/07/2019 - 13:25

    it's weird that the eBay cancellation email came from [email protected] instead of a .com.au domain

    But then the email to say, "Nope, disregard the order cancellation" came from a .com.au account.

    Wonder if this AirPods promotion was run in the US as well to combat Prime Day over there?

    Or maybe it's an automated fraud detection system and the process to get the airpods (swathes of folks trying to use the same code each hour) triggered an alert.

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