Tophatter, Inc.

Hello [redacted],
I reviewed your account and see that payment declines have occurred on your account as a result of our payment processor. Details of declines are not shared with us, so we have put together some tips which can hopefully help to avoid facing the same issue again with future...

purchases:Be sure your items are shipping to the credit card billing address.If you were trying to pay using a prepaid or gift card from a major credit card company, these may be accepted as long as the cards are registered online with a billing and mailing address. To learn more, visit the website on the back of the card or call the toll-free number found there, then try paying for your next order after registering the card.If you have a large number of purchases in a short period of time, we suggest waiting to bid or pay for any additional unpaid orders until tomorrow, when your next payment may be successful.Optionally, you could pay for future orders with PayPal.Unfortunately we cannot guarantee that future payments will be approved by our processor.
I reviewed your account and also found that another transaction has been completed for the CN White 1080P Sport Camera, so your item should be on its way shortly.  Thank you!
Thank you.Tell us why here...

A refund has been processed for Order #: [redacted]. This will be reflected on your e-statement within 1-2 business days. Thank you.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
Top hatter is responsible and owns the website in which the auction took place. The reason they gave for canceling the item I won was that they couldn't send to a PO Box.
My shipping address was given by [redacted] when I made payment. So yes my PO Box is listed but so is my physical address. They chose not to send it because the item is worth 
$1,500.00 and it sold for $230.00. That's the real reason why it was canceled. So no, I do not accept their reply, its their site and they are responsible. If they don't honor their word then they are fraudulently hiding behind third party sellers.Sincerely,[redacted]

Hello and thank you for contacting us.
I'm very sorry to hear that a seller failed to honor the sale for Order #: [redacted].This is not representative of a typical experience on Tophatter; however we do have measures in place to ensure sellers who don't honor a sale receive strong selling penalties...

for failing to follow our guidelines. Our system detects when this has occurred, and applies the penalty automatically as part of our quality assurance process. To look for another of these items from a different seller, you can use the search tool by clicking Browse, then clicking the magnifying glass icon in the top right and entering a few keywords to describe what you're looking for. From the full "Tophatter":[redacted] click on the magnifying glass icon at the top of any Tophatter page and enter a few keywords to describe what you're looking for, or search using the categories on the left.Look for items with a green *Buy Now for $_* button, or set a reminder for items so you don't miss them when they open for bids.
Because Tophatter is not the seller of the item, and we have no inventory, we are unable to ship a replacement when this issue occurs. Thank you.
 
Thank you.

Hello and thank you for reaching out in regards to your order. Tophatter offers Buyer Protection in the form of a 30-day Easy Return policy that will either: 1.) refund the buyer without return needed, 2.) provide the buyer with a prepaid return label, or 3.) present the buyer with the seller’s address to return the item, paying for their own return postage with valid tracking number.On our platform, refunds or prepaid return labels are provided to U.S.-based buyers until the buyer hits a threshold for free returns.For internationally located buyers, we provide some store credit to offset the cost of returning the item at their own expense until the buyer hits the threshold.The acceptable return threshold is continuously calculated as a percentage of the buyer's total purchases. Once this threshold has been met, the cost of returning the item to the seller with tracking will be at the buyer’s expense. When this happens, it is explained in the email buyers receive when they request a return, that they are responsible for the return shipping cost, and the buyer is provided with the seller’s return address to facilitate the successful return of the order.Tophatter’s return policy is in-line and considered standard among the industries’ competitors. Marketplaces, as an industry, institute thresholds for the number of free returns offered, to curb abuse.
Tophatter will always process refunds for buyers upon receiving a valid tracking number from them indicating that the order has been returned to the seller.
Our Buyer Protection FAQ ([redacted]) which details our policy and process is accessible from every page and screen of our website and mobile app for our shoppers' convenience.This customer has requested returns in excess of the threshold, and we are unable to provide free return labels at this time. Below I have included the return address of the order(s) referenced:
[redacted]Please follow up with our support team at the following link with your return tracking numbers: [redacted]Thank you.

Hi, and thank you for leaving your review.
Tophatter will always process refunds for buyers upon receiving a valid tracking number from them indicating that the order has been returned to the original seller.Tophatter offers Buyer Protection in the form of a 30-day easy return policy that will...

either: 1.) refund the buyer without return needed, 2.) provide the buyer with a prepaid return label, or 3.) present the buyer with the seller’s address to return the item, paying their own return postage using a valid tracking number.On our platform, refunds or prepaid return labels are provided to U.S.-based buyers until the buyer hits a threshold for free returns.For internationally located buyers, we are unable to provide return shipping labels. Instead we provide some store credit for use on a future purchase, to offset the cost of returning the item at their own expense until the buyer hits a threshold.The acceptable return threshold is continuously calculated as a percentage of the buyer's total purchases. Once this threshold has been met, the cost of returning the item to the seller with tracking will be at the buyer’s expense. When this happens, in the email buyers receive when they request a return, it is explained that they are responsible for the return shipping cost, and the buyer is provided with the seller’s return address to facilitate the successful return of the order.Marketplaces, as an industry, institute thresholds for the number of free returns offered, to curb abuse. Tophatter’s return policy is in-line and considered standard among the industries’ competitors.Our Buyer Protection FAQ [redacted]) detailing our policy and process is accessible from every page and screen of our website and mobile app for our shoppers' convenience.Because you have requested returns in excess of the threshold, we are unable to provide free returns at this time. Below I have included the return address of the order(s) referenced:
[redacted] [redacted]
Please follow up with our support team at the following link with your return tracking numbers: [redacted]Thank you.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because because this is the first time I ever used their site and I bid on several items the day I purchased this item.  They were willing to credit me for 2 smaller less expensive items that were misrepresented on their site, but refused to do so for the most expensive item I purchased.  I don't think it is fair for them to pick and choose which ones they will credit you for based on price and I believe this is what is happening here.  Since they were all purchased on the same day, I think I should be refunded for any items that were defective or misrepresented.  The less expensive items (a $2 item and a $10 item) came first so, of course I complained about them first.  Had the more expensive item ($45) come first and I complained about that first, would they have refunded my money for it.  This is a very shady way of doing business.
Sincerely,[redacted]

Hi, and thank you for reaching out. We want to make it clear that Tophatter is not the seller of items; we are a technology services and platform provider and not a retailer. This item has a 'delivered' scan for the address you selected upon checkout. For this reason, we cannot refund this item. 
Unfortunately the issue is outside of Tophatter's involvement with the packages. These items were shipped with valid tracking, and each tracking number shows a valid delivery scan to the buyer's address. Our Buyer Protection covers orders up until the point of delivery.The next step is to contact the postal service and report the missing packages, providing them with the tracking numbers. This can be escalated to the postal inspector if you believe the issue may be postal theft. Here is a link to begin the reporting process: [redacted]Thank you.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because: Canned response. they say I had to many refunds in 30 days, one was for an item that I did not receive, another was for an item that was used, filthy, dirty. the other was for an item received was not what was described.
This is a item that is broken, does not work and it will cost more for me to return it instead of keeping it. It is a broken useless product that does not work, is not what I bought and I am expected to pay more in shipping than I paid for the item.
Top Hat uses a lot of sellers that are unethical, many times I have received what I did not order. I did order about 100 items before Christmas, my refunds were all justifiable, products not received, not what I ordered, nor what
was on the description or just plain fake (jewelry and makeup). I just want a return paid shipping label sent to me.
 
I have read their refund policy and it does not say what they keep saying, how can you go over your limit when the item is not what you ordered, not what was bought and does not work and is broken? Sincerely,[redacted]

We want to make it clear that Tophatter is not the seller of items; we are a technology services and platform provider and not a retailer. We own the entire customer support aspect of our platform. You are able to contact support through every window while navigating Tophatter.com or the Tophatter...

app. 
You can read more about our easy return policy here: [redacted].
The order was not delivered to you according to tracking. Because we are not the seller of the item, we offer _Buyer Protection_ which guarantees buyers will receive either the item they paid for or a full refund if for some reason the item you purchased is not delivered to the address provided at the time of payment. We are happy to be able to provide this service to you.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:This is the first item I have needed to return, and as I said before, it woulds cost me more than 4 times what I paid for the item to ship it back.  How is that fair and who in their right mind would do that.  I feel that the company owes me a refund for the product and that they should pay the return shipping.
Sincerely,[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because: I talked to our local post master I happen to know him very well and he told me nothing came in February 10th 2018 that is why I never got a small card inside my box he told me to have this company check out to see if they are truthful and I seen lots of complaints against you all from other people been done dirty like my self you all cancel there orders after they already paid for the stuff they won then you all failed to refund there money back after they asked you all for it back you said there's nothing you can do so that shows me you all cheated me out my laser pointer and now your going to pay me what it's worth $300 dollars if not I will turn this over to my attorney and he will suit you all for fraud the post master already said you all have to make it right it's not the post offices fault it's your fault
Sincerely,[redacted]

There is only one purchase on the account associated Order #: [redacted].
Unfortunately it is not possible to investigate this issue further with the information that has been provided.
If chargebacks have been initiated, your bank will be able to fully assist with any unrecognized charges. Your bank can contact us at [redacted] if they have questions or require additional information from us. Thank you.

I'm sorry to hear that your experience didn't meet expectations. I looked into the issue you described and can confirm again that unfortunately, some payments were not approved by our processor.
As explained, these declines are not  from your bank, but from our payment processor. 
When this happens, the order is immediately canceled and the payment is void. Because we are not provided with details regarding the reason for declines, we have put together these tips which can hopefully help to avoid facing the same issue again with future purchases:* If you have a large number of purchases in a short period of time, we suggest waiting to bid or pay for any additional unpaid orders until tomorrow, when your next payment may be successful.* Be sure your items are shipping to the credit card billing address.* If you were trying to pay using a prepaid or gift card from a major credit card company, these may be accepted as long as the cards are registered online with a billing and mailing address. To learn more, visit the website on the back of the card or call the toll-free number found there, then try paying for your next order after registering the card. * Optionally, you could pay for future orders with [redacted]
We cannot guarantee that future payments will accepted by our processor. Thank you.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:Sincerely,[redacted]
THESE 3 items were all watches and were refused and sent back to place of origin  which was CHINA.TOP HATTER refused to email a pre paid label and told us we would need to pay for any shipping to china which was 12.00-15.00 per item.THEY were scanned with the original shipping number on the shipping label.I provided all 8 items that I returned but not sure which scan goes with which item.
item  [redacted]
item [redacted] [redacted]

Hello and thank you for reaching out. 
I'm sorry to hear that your orders didn't work out for you and I'm happy to explain options and next steps.  You are also welcome to reach out to us by tapping 'My Orders', selecting the item you want to return, and tapping 'Return Item'.
You can...

request to return any item for up to 30 days from the delivery date by following these steps:# Click the menu then *My Orders* and click on the item# Click *Return This Item*After following the steps, you will receive a separate email with more details pertaining to your return request. In some instances the cost of return shipping is provided for free, and in others the cost of return is up to the buyer.For more information, see our FAQ _How do I return an item?_You can also rate any purchase once it has been delivered, although rating items is not required. Providing a rating helps in 2 ways:# Items rated consistently low will stop becoming scheduled for sale.# Buyers can check out the average rating on an item before purchasing it to help inform their decision.

Hi [redacted],I was able to locate your account with us under the email address [redacted]. I see you have been in touch with our customer support team on several occasions, and our agents explained our return policy to you, most recently on July 27, 2017. Our policy is, if for any reason you’re not completely satisfied, you can request to return an item for up to 30 days from the date of delivery. The order in question, Order #: [redacted], [redacted], was delivered on June 10, 2017 which was outside of our return window when you contacted us. You may read more about our return policy in the following FAQ: [redacted]I see that you mentioned the problem with this item was the instructions were not in English. We have located a video guide for using this item at the following link: [redacted]. In the future, if there is a problem with an order and you need to return it, please be sure to request a return as quickly as possible to ensure the order qualifies for our Buyer Protection and can still be returned under our 30-day easy return policy. Thank you, and enjoy your day!

Unfortunately the issue is outside of Tophatter's involvement with the packages. These items were shipped with valid tracking, and each tracking number shows a valid delivery scan to the buyer's address. Our Buyer Protection covers orders up until the point of delivery.The next step is to contact...

the postal service and report the missing packages, providing them with the tracking numbers. This can be escalated to the postal inspector if you believe the issue may be postal theft. Here is a link to begin the reporting process: [redacted]Thank you.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
They have totally ignored that when an over seas or seller from another country sends broken or damaged items it makes no sense to return something you paid $10 for and shipping it back would cost you $20.my complaint is that they know this and are not taken responsibility for the folks that sell on their site.yes they do refund and have for me but must of had to many,8 out of 10 items bought were damaged.I bought and paid for good undamaged items,not my fault they send damaged items. they do not hold the sellers accountable on their site.Sincerely,[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
I will NOT spend my money to return the crap back to dishonest sellers that you do NOT regulate and you do NOT hold accountable.
If you want me to return back their crap/garbage, you pay for the return shipping. Provide me with prepaid return shipping labels to return to your crooked sellers their garbage.
If I do not get refunded my money I will contact the California Attorney General and file a complaint for FRAUD.
Also I will see what protection senior consumers have from predator companies like yours.
And also what are my options for class action because I am sure you defraud consumers every day.Sincerely,[redacted]