I was recently the victim of revenge feedback (blackmail really), and I agree with Brad's suggestion regarding ways to track underserved feedback.

I bought a computer monitor from a Power Seller. It arrived a month later. The monitor worked fine for a couple of days but then refused to turn on. I emailed the seller and requested a partial refund-- he refused, saying that my item did not meet the terms of his refund policy, but that he would send me a new monitor. I didn't really want to wait another month for a monitor, but I agreed since my other option was to simply let the Power Seller keep my $60. A month after that communication, I still did not have a monitor. I emailed the seller to ask if the item had been shipped. I waited a few days, got no response, and emailed again. Again, I waited for a response-- didn't get one. Finally, after going two months without my computer, I decided to just leave the following negative feedback and buy a monitor elsewhere: "Slow to ship, uncommunicative, & didn't send prmisied replacement 4 bad product." Fair enough, right? A couple of days later, seller leaves me bad feedback (the first I've ever gotten after 70 transactions). The feedback isn't even feedback. He only states: "Please contact us to get this NEG removed. Did not receive emails or calls." Then he wants me to consent to a mutual feedback withdrawal. I refused b/c I felt that he tarnished my profile in order to force me into doing business w/ him.

I was furious. How dare he tarnish my profile after I did all the good buyer things?! I paid immediately, gave him plenty of time to get his act together, and contacted him twice before leaving any negative feedback.

My next course of action was to send eBay a very nice letter stating that I thought they should look into his business practices as I thought what he did was unethical. After reading his 41 negs, numerous neutrals, and about 15 mutually withdrawns, I realized that he'd done to other customers what he did to me. eBay sent me an automated response directing me to Square Trade. Square Trade said they couldn't do anything for me unless I paid them a $30 fee.

In short, this seller is still at large and eBay did nothing to stop him. At what store do you have to pay a $30 fee to get an issue resolved? Only eBay!

Anyway, I just wanted to vent. Sellers, I understand what you have to put up with (I work in retail). I agree with Anonymous when he says, "You don't maintain a feedback rating like mine by just being 'fair'; you maintain it by bending over backwards...", but sometimes customers bend over backwards too.