Problems with eBay's Dispute-Resolution Processes: Part 2

My dispute over an inadequately described product and negative feedback has been resolved. I left negative feedback for a difficult seller on eBay over a product I returned to him or her. Pay Pal gave me a refund upon confirmation of the return of the product. However, I had a negative feedback that I had to go through the process of getting withdrawn. I initially expected this to be easy and simple since my payment records are in Pay Pal and the feedback is an obvious lie about my payment history. This expectation proved to be totally false. It is not easy even though Pay Pal and eBay are connected companies.

After Square Trade closed the case, I wrote them and explained my understanding of the feedback rules to be that feedback is removed if no response is given from the other party or I should receive a refund of my service fee. They decided to reopen the case and begin communications between the seller and me again. I felt relieved that they reopened the case and I did not have to go to court over this situation. Yet, the seller asked for a mutual withdrawal of negative feedback that I did not agree to do unless the seller reimbursed me for the cost of the Square Trade service fee. This took time and a few communications back and forth between me, the mediator and the seller. In the mean time, I found out that the seller is not required to cover the costs of the return postage or the mediation service fees according to the dispute resolution rules. This disappointed me quite a bit and I agreed to a mutual negative feedback withdrawal. I sent a complaint to the mediator that the perspective of mutuality in this circumstance is inaccurate; since, I had become the victim of bad customer service from the seller and an outright lie bordering on slander in the feedback forum. They did remove the negative feedback the seller left on my record and a negative feedback on the seller's record. They removed a different feedback from the seller's record than the one I had left for the transaction. The case is resolved.

Sadly, I paid for the dispute resolution process and the return postage on the item. The only reimbursement I received is for the sales price of the product and the postage. It has been a disillusioning experience to discover how easy it is for people to lie and slander on feedback. Since the resolution of my case, eBay changed the feedback rules. Now, sellers are restricted from leaving negative feedback about purchasers, and the length of time for feedback responses is shorter. Although this solves a few of the problems involved in feedback on eBay, it is hardly freedom of speech and completely stops the sellers from having any true voice about difficult customers. The shortened time periods are better, in my opinion, for preventing a few revenge comments. Yet, one of the main issues of the costs incurred by the victims of revenge or slander is completely ignored. Call me old fashioned if you like but being slandered on a national and or international platform this easily is not acceptable to me. Another complication in this scenario is that a person's account must be kept open and include a record of feedback for the lifetime of the account due to eBay's rule that once an account is closed the same account is not to be reopened again. This is stricter than the criminal justice system in the United States. Even people that have criminal records are able to have their records expunged if they go through the court processes for it. In my perspective, the dispute resolution processes and the new rules for feedback are still inadequate and fail to achieve their intended goals.