A Sydney mum is thanking her luck today, with eBay caving to media pressure and reimbursing her $10,000 after her 7-year-old autistic son used her account without her knowledge or permission to buy a Stikeez Golden Billy banana for that amount.
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Discovering the potentially crippling purchase, mum Donna Jacob became distraught when the seller and PayPal both refused to reimburse her, despite the situation being explained to them. She then approached Channel 7 who intervened on her behalf, getting a reprieve from eBay.
‘Between PayPal and the bank, there should be at least one stopper that says “hang on, this isn’t right”… and no-one did,’ she said.
‘I just don’t go out and spend $10,000 in one transaction, so they definitely need protocols in place to stop this happening.’
When Today Tonight got involved, eBay came to the party, saying in a statement: “eBay understands there are unique circumstances in this case. As a result, the buyer will receive a refund for the purchase.”
While Donna is relieved, she realises that the incident could have proven disastrous.
‘It’s certainly nothing we’ve budgeted for and nothing we can afford,’ she told Channel Seven.
Coles only made 100 of the Golden Billy Banana Stikeez, sparking a frenzy amongst collectors desperate to own one of the rare minis. Three separate eBay auctions have seen the Golden figurines sell for $50k, $20k and $15k respectively – and this latest $10k sale is the latest in a string of unbelievable purchases.
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