At Bob Shop, we believe that our users should transact in an absolutely safe, secure and transparent environment. We have put processes in place to ensure that you trade without any worries and with complete peace of mind.
The ratings system
A rating is a comment that users leave about other users. These comments are a reflection of the actual experiences people have had while buying and selling on the site and Bob Shop encourages its users to rate each other. There are three types of ratings: positive, negative and neutral.
The rating score for a user, shown next to his or her name, is calculated by adding the positive and negative ratings together. For example, if a user has a rating of 46 positive, 3 neutral and 1 negative, then the overall rating is + 46 - 1 = 45. The rating score is visually represented with stars (icons) and the percentage of positive ratings.
Before buying and selling, you can view the ratings of other users and make an informed decision about certain users. This way, Bob Shop guards against buyers and sellers who have a bad transaction history. By providing an open platform such as ratings, Bob Shop promotes the basic value of honesty.
Money back guarantee and warranties
Many products sold on Bob Shop come with sellers’ money-back guarantee and/or warranty. Simply put, a money-back guarantee ensures that in the event that you are not satisfied with the item you receive, you can return it to the seller and receive a refund.
The seller may deduct certain amounts, such as the cost incurred in shipping the item to you, and refund the remaining amount of your payment. All you need to do is contact the seller and claim a refund within the time frame specified in the listing, and also ensure that the item is in its original condition and packaging.
Sellers can offer warranties such as replacement warranty, dealer warranty and a manufacturer’s warranty, which means that if you purchase a faulty item, you can return it to the seller who will have it repaired or replaced under the warranty.
The Bob Shop Community Watch programme enables members to alert Bob Shop about potentially suspicious behaviour from either buyers or sellers.
Registered members can alert the Bob Shop team about suspicious buyers, sellers or item-related problems via the report a problem link located in every listing. Once the alert is submitted, Bob Shop reviews the item and takes the appropriate action. Alternatively, you can write to communitywatch@bobshop.co.za or call us on 010 005 6200.
Buyer Protection Programme
The Bob Shop Buyer Protection Programme is a service designed to offer peace of mind to buyers and protect them in the unlikely event of a transaction not running according to the sale's terms and conditions. This is a service offered free of charge and covers all auctions and buy now sales as specified in the Bob Shop Buyer Protection Programme terms and conditions.
Even though the vast majority of Bob Shop transactions are trouble-free, if fraud is committed, this service provides an additional measure of safety to our users, covering buyers who have not received the goods, or have received goods that are significantly different to what was initially listed.
Seller monitoring
The Bob Shop team performs random checks and seller accounts can be temporarily suspended, limiting their ability to sell on the site, until they have verified all their details with us. Suspicious sellers can also be reported directly to us (please see Community Watch section above), so that we can investigate and confirm their details. Please note that, even though we do our best to monitor sellers, we cannot provide any guarantees that they will be legitimate or will conclude the deal.