Got burnt on ebay - ££s to fix lockout on a Reba World Cup

It looks like this one here ->

Just spoke to a guy at TF tuned, he said they could service it for £85.
He said if I wanted to have a go first myself it sounds like the damper shock might need an oil topup and said to check the SRAM website for the service guide.
He said basically drain it and then top it back up.
Not sure of what tools I'd need if I was going to tackle it myself but he said it's a good idea to service the shock once a year anyway.
Would cost £85 for full service plus postage, just a pain in the arse to remove, post and refit thats all.
Still unsure whether I should just send it back or fix it...

Well the seller leesoraya (advise against buying anything from him, he sells quite a bit of gear on ebay) was a cock saying they were working when he sent them which is rubbish, I suspect thats why he failed to ship the lockout clip hoping I wouldn't find out before the dispute time ended.
He wouldn't pay for them to be fixed so I started and won the dispute and can still send them back for a refund, but if I can fix them cheap enough might be worth still holding onto.


Here's the full case history, you can see what a tool this guy is.

05 Jun, 2010 at 01:17 The seller will issue you with a full refund when you send the item to the return delivery address with tracking and signature confirmation.
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Respond with your tracking number by 15 Jun, 2010. When the tracking information shows that the item has been delivered and that the seller has signed for it, we will remind the seller to issue you with a full refund.

Previous activity
03 Jun, 2010 at 21:26 You have escalated the case to eBay Customer Support.
Your message to Customer Support:
"He's not helping to resolve the issue, he's going around in circles and I believe he intentionally sold me faulty parts which have already cost me considerable time and money."

03 Jun, 2010 at 21:25 You have responded to the seller.
Your message to the seller:
"I was pleased with them apart from the fact that the lockout didn't work which we were dealing with and what was the point of the communication with you after the sale! 2 clips were sent, not that it matters, you can have both back they're no good to me with a faulty shock. The forks have been fitted for around 3 weeks and have never operated as they should and as I paid for."

03 Jun, 2010 at 20:51 The seller has responded to your case with other solution.
Seller's message:
"Mate, I was alluding to the coincident. I have an email stating you are very pleased with the forks!! I have not got the time or the patience here. This issue was opened stateing you wanted the clip, which three where sent. THREE WHERE SENT. Which you received. The forks have been fitted to your bike and used, for nearly a month now. "

03 Jun, 2010 at 20:25 You have responded to the seller.
Your message to the seller:
"Your words in the last message also allude to the fact that you knew the lock out wouldn't work. You said - "Only to find out weeks after the purchase and being used on your bike, that the Lock-out don't work""

03 Jun, 2010 at 20:23 You have responded to the seller.
Your message to the seller:
"Now you tell me how I could have done any different! Most of the time I was waiting for the clips or the bike shops. There's no way of me telling the poploc system was stuffed without having all the parts and the knowhow to attach it together. I can't help but think the reason you sold the shocks in the first place and failed to provide the poploc clip initially was because you knew they were faulty all along and didn't want me installing it properly and testing it. If you still think I'm being unreasonable then I've got nothing more to say to you and will gladly escalate this for ebay to judge. Aaron"

03 Jun, 2010 at 20:19 You have responded to the seller.
Your message to the seller:
"Mate either you're not getting it or are deliberately being misleading. Let me recap for you - I bought the shocks complete with poploc, nothing on the ad said they weren't working. I gave them and my bike to my local bike shop who fitted them but told me it was missing the poploc clip which should have been sent by you as part of the package. I waited for you to send the clip out. I got the clip but having no instruction and not being a bike mechanic I didn't know where it was supposed to go so I thought it was the wrong one so had you send another. This one was the same so I thought I'd take it back to the bike shop to see if they could fit it before I sent both back to you. They receive my bike(Evans West End, who I said you could ring)this morning and ring me up later in the day saying the internal lockout mechanisms in the shock weren't working and they couldn't fix it. Also you didn't send 3 clips, you sent 2 and they're probably worth £5 each anyway if you could buy them."

03 Jun, 2010 at 18:11 The seller has responded to your case with other solution.
Seller's message:
"Now your being silly, YOU should not have fitted them to your bike and use them. Only to find out weeks after the purchase and being used on your bike, that the Lock-out don't work, Come on. I have been very resonable with you, sending out 3 clips in total, now you want me to pay for them to be removed and sent back!! Not happy with this its wrong! "

03 Jun, 2010 at 17:05 You have responded to the seller.
Your message to the seller:
"Well I wasn't sending the clip back because I was getting Evans to fit it. I can send the other clip back though no problem. Whether or not the forks were working fine when they left you I'm not going to speculate on, all I know is what Evans have told me which is they don't work properly. Seeing as though I really need the poplock working they're no good to me in their current state. So either you could pay for them to be fixed as that is the condition I expected them to be in when I bought them or pay for them to be removed and sent back (Even then I've wasted £30 getting these fitted plus a lot of time). You're more than welcome to call Evans btw."

03 Jun, 2010 at 16:52 The seller has responded to your case with other solution.
Seller's message:
"So what do you want to do..? the forks where working fine when they left me??? I have not seen any clip sent back either?? Cheers lee."

03 Jun, 2010 at 16:06 You have responded to the seller.
Your message to the seller:
"Heya, well the clip is not the problem. I've never had the forks locked out to be able to test the lockout as you didn't send the clip to attach to the forks initially. So I took it to Evans West End this morning to see if they could fit the remote lockout before I gave up (I couldn't find a piccy or description of how to setup anywhere) and sent the clip back to you and they've said the lockout function inside the shocks are stuffed. I can give you their number if you don't believe me, the bike's still with them now till I pick it up tonight. Last night when I first took it to them the workshop guy manually turned the lockout on top of the fork around and it made no difference to it, it was still not locked out. They said they'd have to send them off as they can't fix them in house. I've told them to hold off for now till I sort it out with you. Cheers, Aaron"

03 Jun, 2010 at 15:40 The seller has responded to your case with other solution.
Seller's message:
"Mate, i have no idea whats going on here, everything worked perfect when i took them off my Whyte E5 works and tried them before they left me. What do you want to do here...! i have sent you the ring clip in fact two, the forks have been on your bike since you bought them, and now you say they don't work??? The clip only allows you to switch the Lock-out from the handlebars by way of a cable. But the lock-out is operated on the fork leg by twisting it?? Cheers lee. "

03 Jun, 2010 at 13:29 You have responded to the seller.
Your message to the seller:
"Dear leesoraya, Hi mate, Just took the clip and bike into Evans for them to fit and they just came back to me and said the lockout system in the fork was buggered which is why it wasn't working when I manually screwed the lockout around and it would cost at least £100 to fix and take a 15 days or so! Even if I take them off and send them back to you I'll already be out of pocket £60 for fitting and unfitting of them not to mention the time I've wasted. What can you do to resolve this? Aaron - mutt13yuk"

Yeah thanks StumpyJon, think I'm going to just take them off and send them to TFT tuned. Sorta sucks as I was stretching my budget to £240 and then another £85 hurts a bit (this isn't my main bike either!) but I think it's the right move.
I think these shocks came out in 2006, but I'm not sure exactly when this one was made.