Silk Road forums

Discussion => Silk Road discussion => Topic started by: deep987 on March 05, 2013, 06:15 pm

Title: Vendor's Terms vs. SR Resolution Staff
Post by: deep987 on March 05, 2013, 06:15 pm
Does anyone know how closely the SR resolution team follows vendor's "terms"? The reason I ask is I've seen some very strange terms in vendor's profiles and I'm wondering if your order goes into resolution, if the SR Staff follow the terms the vendor has set for themselves or make the call on their own?

Example: One vendor I saw that you can pay an additional 10% for "insurance" and if you don't get your product you'll be allowed a 100% refund. Ahem, ESCROW IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE INSURANCE.
Also, so long as the typical "DCN shows delivered, fake name, invalid address, etc. are not true
Buyer under 10 transactions. 0% Refund
-my note: This effectively is the the same as requiring FE. If you are unable to get any escrow back, why use escrow?
Buyer with 11-25 transactions. 15% refund.
Buyer with 26-50 transactions. 20% refund.
Buyer with over 50 transactions. 30% refund.
That is just completely unreasonable. Of course you can just not use a vendor with terms you don't like, but I'm curious as to what SR's resolution policy is.
Title: Re: Vendor's Terms vs. SR Resolution Staff
Post by: deep987 on March 05, 2013, 06:32 pm
SR's FAQs say:
If you cannot agree on a resolution, a Silk Road admin with review your case and choose a fair resolution. The reviewer carefully weighs the evidence and statements provided and the relative reputations of the parties involved.

IMO that can be read two ways:
1) SR staff looks at the situation and chooses something that is fair regardless of terms a vendor has set for themselves.
2) SR staff uses the vendor's terms as "weight" and just follows them.
I would hope they do it the first way. Otherwise SR's escrow isn't providing much of a service.
Title: Re: Vendor's Terms vs. SR Resolution Staff
Post by: MDUK on March 05, 2013, 07:53 pm
SR's FAQs say:
If you cannot agree on a resolution, a Silk Road admin with review your case and choose a fair resolution. The reviewer carefully weighs the evidence and statements provided and the relative reputations of the parties involved.

IMO that can be read two ways:
1) SR staff looks at the situation and chooses something that is fair regardless of terms a vendor has set for themselves.
2) SR staff uses the vendor's terms as "weight" and just follows them.
I would hope they do it the first way. Otherwise SR's escrow isn't providing much of a service.
If support decides that a sellers terms are unreasonable they may offer you a better resolution.
However, they will give those terms weight, since you agreed to them after all.

I can understand where you're coming from, those terms do seem a bit unreasonable. I'm in the process of setting up my own vendor account now and the terms I'm looking at are:

-Item Seized (Requires customs letter to verify) = 100% refund or 120% reship.
-Item Lost, User has more than 10 transactions and less than 5% refund rate = 50% refund or 100% reship.
-Item Lost, User has less than 10 transactions or more than 5% refund rate = 30% refund or 60% reship.

I can maybe see the case for sellers selling particularly low-margin items having tougher terms than that though...
Title: Re: Vendor's Terms vs. SR Resolution Staff
Post by: fractalglobal on March 05, 2013, 11:10 pm
The problem is, vendor accounts cost about $500, so the SR staff inevitably will have an incentive to side with vendors. I realise that the $500 is refundable, but vendors can always use this as an argument for why resolution should go in their favour.
Title: Re: Vendor's Terms vs. SR Resolution Staff
Post by: XXXotica on March 06, 2013, 03:48 pm
The problem is, vendor accounts cost about $500, so the SR staff inevitably will have an incentive to side with vendors. I realise that the $500 is refundable, but vendors can always use this as an argument for why resolution should go in their favour.

Not even close. Surprisingly SR resolution is pretty unbiased. OP is missing the real concern, why would you even consider ordering from a vendor and planning on what would happen "if" resolution were to occur. Why would SR resolution side with a buyer who read a vendors stipulations and STILL ORDERED FROM THEM. If youre uncertain of the terms find another vendor, simple.