Rodney Hide: Here's feedback: You're useless

Trademe has added immeasurably to our country's wealth and happiness.

I am a huge Trade Me fan. It has added immeasurably to our country's wealth and happiness but some advice: don't provide negative feedback and don't tangle with customer support. Life is too short.

I recently sold a big-ticket item. I put it up for a dollar, no reserve. The auction was fast and furious. The bidding closed but I heard nothing from the buyer.

I emailed him. He replied with spurious concerns. He worried about this. He worried about that. He offered a much lower price, below the last dozen bids. At no stage did he bother to inspect the item.

I refused to negotiate. The auction failed.

It's my only bad Trade Me experience. I waited a week to calm down. I read Trade Me's feedback policy. I thought I should provide fair and reasonable feedback as a service to others.

My feedback was calm and factual. The buyer instantly retaliated with a grossly defamatory attack. I complained to Trade Me as its policy prescribes.

That was my second mistake. It took a week and two dozen emails to sort.

I dealt with three people. We were on a first-name basis. They thanked me "a million" for getting in touch and "felt" for me. They were understanding and empathetic.

They were also useless.

For the support staff, it was "differing viewpoints" with me "understandably upset". For my part, I was explaining their policy and how Trade Me can't publish grossly defamatory comments.

They said I could call but that the call cost $1.99 a minute plus GST. Their long emails weren't helpful.

The emails became repetitive. "Thanks a million for getting back to us. I am really sorry to hear the trade wasn't all smooth sailing."

The support staff recommended removing my feedback and his. I explained that was up to Trade Me but that my feedback was legitimate and within the rules.

I suggested removing my feedback would undermine the integrity of Trade Me's peer-to-peer review.

Finally, after much toing and froing, Trade Me advised the offensive feedback had been removed. Hallelujah. But my joy was short-lived. I discovered the defamatory remarks were only removed from my profile page but were left on his and linked back to me.

I started again.

Back and forth it went. It was always cheery and friendly but always frustrating. Finally, Trade Me removed the defamatory feedback about me - but also my feedback on him.

I asked why?

"The only way to permanently remove the comments you felt were defamatory was to remove the comments you'd written."

I was back to the start. And there's the lesson. Don't provide negative feedback. And if you are a crook trader and get bad feedback: retaliate hard. If my experience is anything to go by, Trade Me will remove it.