A full copy of the conversation that went will follow below, here's just a quick summary for those who care:
1) Customer buys a Vizo EEPROM from us on eBay.
2) Customer contacts us saying replacing the EEPROM changed nothing - the TV still blinks - to which we respond that all our EEPROMs for Vizio are tested and it only makes sense that if two EEPROMs cause the TV to just blink that the problem is simply elsewhere.
3) Customer sends the board to us for repair.
4) We test, service test and return the board to the customer (problem not in the EEPROM, as expected).
5) Customer complains that board does not have image on their end and we tell them to send it back so we make a video, the logic being that something else may be bad in the TV or that they may have mishandled it and we want to prove it works.
We explain we don't do videos unless we have to because 99% of the time we don't have to and that's a huge performance cost not included in the flat rate.
6) Customer sends the board back
7) We find the problem with the board - either mishandling/shorting LDVS cable or bad T-CON blowing a fuse - and post a video proof of the working board before sending back; we package and print shipping label for the board.
8) Customer comes back and says the video is not sufficient and he wanted to see the board responding to remote and wheel.
9) We decide to fulfill customer's request, but to charge him $15 for the extra effort. We report that to customer and proceed to making and publishing the video, invoicing them first.
10) While we make the video customer comes back saying he did not ask for extra video and this is bull.
11) We tell customer we refund his original payment and the $15 invoice on PayPal and require them to send a check or money order for the amount of original payment plus $15 for the requested video and give him 3 weeks to receive the check.
12) Customer goes ballistic, calls us thieves, promises lawsuit and even details a close friend already interested in the case.
13) We tell customer we've had enough of this and he is free to do what he wants, but has 3 more weeks to pay and get their working board back. We say we'll only send message when we have something important to say such as time lapse or a tracking number if we receive payment.
14) Customer comes back asking for another chance to pay with PayPal
15) Customer leaves negative feedback falsely stating they received empty/defective IC.
In conclusion:
1) If anyone doubts that we sell empty EEPROMs we'd be glad to make them a dedicated video showing how we test, mark, package and send a working EEPROM. It'll be $15 more.
2) People who get carried away tend to lose more than those who think calmly and reasonably.
3) eBay's feedback forum is a great place for finding out stuff, but just as any other feedback place can also be misleading. Do not believe everything you read, do more research!
4) We are not as user friendly as people want us to be; we are aware of that, but do not try to "improve" the way they want us to. We believe that each party has rights and responsibilities and making excessive demands and accusations, let alone flat out lies is not something that has place in a business.
I'll update this post with the full conversation directly from the service thread as soon as I get it in some form appropriate for pasting here. Modern HTML, while more pleasing to the eye, can be a whole lot harder to move around.
For now I'll just enclose a screenshot from the thread as we have it:
