John "Sour Grapes" Hanshaw bought a sewing machine from me that I had previously purchased for our office manager. She used it for a year with NO difficulty and decided it was time to upgrade to a new machine with more options/stitches. So she said sell it again on eBay.
John used "Buy It Now" to end the auction early and purchase the machine. He supposedly bought it for his mother for a present. His mother is an experienced sewer of 40 years and has another Pfaff machine. Question: Why would he be buying his mother a "beginners" machine? It is my belief that he presented it to his mother and she pooh-poohed it and now he wants his money back. I have since given the money to our office manager for the machine. I will show you the auction page and the following correspondence with PayPal after he has put a charge back hold on my PayPal account for the amount of the auction. You decide who is right and if I "lie". Enjoy....
The eBay listing:
Pfaff
"Hobby"
Model 101
This machine is in great shape, a perfect beginners model, from a well respected name in sewing machines, Pfaff. This is a well built machine with solid die cast aluminum construction.
Features include:
-Adjustable stitch length -Adjustable stitch width
-18 stitch functions
-Instant Reverse
-Free arm design
-Twin spool pins -Extension table
-Adjustable pressure foot pressure
-Snap on pressure feet
-Heavy duty denim capable
(6-8 layers!)
What you see is what you get. No manual (so simple it's not required), but comes in original box.
Don't let this great machine get away! Perfect Christmas present!
*******************************************************************************************
John's first email to me:
----- Original Message -----
From: <blinkmacbeth182@hotmail.com>
To: <swenzn>
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2003 3:30 PM
Subject: Question for seller -- Item #2353546433
> i got the machine today and it is NOT a pfaff. It was for my
mom and now
she is very anger. Pfaff is one of the best machines, and the
model we got
was the most cheapest piece of crap, if you dont refund my momey
today, i am
putting in na report of abuse to ebay.
> --------------------
>
>
> Question from:
blinkmacbeth182
> Title of item:
Pfaff Hobby Model #101 machine EXCELLENT
> Seller:
swen
> Starts:
Oct-14-03 13:55:05 PDT
> Ends:
Oct-19-03 00:30:04 PDT
> Price:
Currently $119.00
My Reply:
John:
The machine is an off brand named Hobby, BUILT by Pfaff!!!!
Check out
http://www.pfaff.com/global/12_1_5/12_1_5_index.htm
these are the current
models in the Hobby line, BY Pfaff.
The auction clearly stated: "What you see is what you get."
Your machine is
one of the first Hobby models that was introduced. If you
have a problem
sewing with it maybe you can invest in some classes for your
mother. The
previous owner of this machine sewed at least three quilts with
it without a
problem and mended numerous pairs of jeans. She wanted a
machine that had
more stitches and this IS something that this machine is short on.
READ
YOUR AUCTIONS! This machine is all that it stated and was
pictured.
Money will not be refunded.
Thanks
Doug Hatch
aka "swen"
John's Reply:
----- Original Message -----
From: "john hanshaw" <blinkmacbeth182@hotmail.com
> To: <swenzn>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2003 6:15 PM
Subject: Re: Question for seller -- Item #2353546433
>
> my mom has been sewing for 40 years you fuckin ass hole, im
going to put in
> a report to paypal.
>
He then submitted a complait to PayPal and they put a hold on my account for the amount of the funds he paid, while they decided if I fraudulently represented the item.
He said to PayPal:
Dear Doug Hatch,
Recently, PayPal received a claim from a user regarding merchandise not
received or received significantly not-as-described. The details of this
transaction are as follows:
------------------------------
Complaint Details
------------------------------
Transaction Date: Oct. 19, 2003
Transaction Amount: -$145.02 USD
Case Number: ****************
Buyer's Name: john hanshaw
Buyer's Email:
blinkmacbeth182@wmconnect.com
Buyer Note: i bought a sewing machine from ebay, it said on the auction
page that it was a pfaff sewing machine (which are only made in Germany),
and the sewing machine i recieved is some really cheap machine made in
China, he also said that it works perfect, and it could hardly sew
anything. The sewing Machine was for my mother (who has been sewing for
over 30 years, and owns a different pfaff machine, which is much better.
This was a total fraud.
Under the guidelines of our Buyer Protection Policy, we reserve the right
to place a hold on a transaction while we investigate it. ..............
I replied to PayPal with more information and disagreed with the request to refund John's money. After submitting my basic objection, (that the machine was well described, photographed, and "What you see is what you get.") I sent further information, in a separate email to PayPal, that included research regarding the manufacturer Pfaff, and John's claim that their machines were "only made in Germany".
To: PayPal
Re: Claim #***********
I spoke with your representative Kelly this evening and she
gave me this
address to add more information to the case.
Mr. Hanshaw in his complaint said, ".....it was a pfaff
sewing machine
(which are only made in Germany),"
On Pfaffs website the history reads......
"To ensure it could offer very favourably priced machines, Pfaff
co-operated from 1964 onwards with a Japanese manufacturer called
Janome.
The highlight of R&D continued in the area of optimising the
handling of
sewing threads by combination of highly sophisticated products
with classic
technology. With the take-over of the majority of Messrs. Eisele-Apparate-
und Gerätebau GmbH (attachment maker) and the Pfaff Pietzsch
Industrieroboter GmbH (industrial robots) the Company was able to
set new
standards in the design of the add-on equipment of its machines.
In 1973 the
newly introduced high-speed home ironers helped to offset the
weak sewing
machine business due to the recession. In j1978 Pfaff opened a
factory in
Curitiba, Brazil, for the production of high-speed seamers in
response to
the changing demands on the world market.
In the late seventies and early
eighties the "Tipmatic" and
"Hobbymatic" in the middle and lower price bracket were
introduced."
>>from: http://www.pfaff-industrial.de/com/insidepfaff/history/history.html<<
So we see that Pfaffs are not "only made in Germany"
I believe that the Hobby 101 was the first in the Hobbymatic line
and was
manufactured in China for Pfaff. (Like everything else is now)
Unfortunately the machine or the packaging of the machine did not
use the
Pfaff logo only the "hobby" line. This is very
clearly pictured in the
auction page.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2353546433&category=41251&rd=1
I asked the seller of this machine when I bought it (about
a year ago)and
the history of the Pfaff hobby line was explained to me.
I was satisfied
with the explanation and I bought the machine for our office
manager. And
as I said before, she used it without trouble.
If John questioned the machines authenticity why didn't he
ask? Why did he
"buy it now"?
Besides the Pfaff issue, the machine description came right off
the side of
the box, (I'll send pictures tomorrow if I still have them.), and
the
pictures on the auction, clearly show the machine. I said
"what you see is
what you get."
This dispute has really got under my skin. I have been an
avid PayPal
promoter and user with eBay for a long time now. I have
"0" negative
feedbacks in my 126. (I'm sure John "sour grapes"
Hanshaw will leave me one
now.) I hope this doesn't sour our relationship.
Anything more you need, don't hesitate to call
Thanks
Doug Hatch
aka >"swen"
PayPal responds on 11/03/03.