posted on March 11, 2003 09:24:01 AM new
Actually, I think that IS the issue. If I was asked the same question you asked your buyer, I would respond that you should have shipped it sooner as well. I don't think they are telling you to ship this package sooner, but that you should be shipping sooner than a week after payment is received.
Turning this around, what would you expect your buyer to say when you ask if there is anything you can do to make her happy since you have already shipped the item?
posted on March 11, 2003 09:25:52 AM new
Everyone in here says we have to ship faster. What about the buyer that doesn't send a check for 2 weeks. Life on eBay would be so much easier if all auctions could be bought, paid and in the buyers hands in a week (7 days) but that just wouldn't be feasible but I can dream.....I even have had than happen with buyers sending checks and those are the kind of auctions that I like. I ship next day no matter when buyers pay.
posted on March 11, 2003 09:29:29 AM new
Libra, I agree that you have a point, but the two issues are not connected.
Buyers should send payment quickly
Sellers should ship quickly
Just because one buyer pays slowly, should I ship all or some packages more slowly? I'd love all buyers to pay, and then to pay quickly, but that isn't going to change the way I do business, which is to ship within 2 business days.
posted on March 11, 2003 10:13:19 AM newI don't think they are telling you to ship this package sooner, but that you should be shipping sooner than a week after payment is received.
No, my interpretation of the e-mail says she wanted me to go back into time and ship a few days before using USPS Priority. If she said, she wanted future packages to be sent out sooner, that's fine. This what not her message. I told you she's a screwball. She hasn't replied yet to my latest offer of a future discount or a discount on the current item.
We all strive to maintain our standards, but no one is perfect.
posted on March 11, 2003 11:53:26 AM new
what is done is done! No going back now. I would just forget this and move on as long as you learned from this.
I do not feel you should have to do any azz kissing at this stage, its over.
posted on March 11, 2003 12:08:57 PM new
You people who say that 1st class mail is just as fast as Priority mail are wrong. It takes a 1st class letter from me to my brother in Lexington, KY at least 6 days. I live in CA about 160 miles North of LA. Priority Mail wil;l get there in 2 days. I state inh my TOS thaT I "WILL SHIP WITHIN 24 HRS. OF RECEIPT OF PAYMENT." I have shipped to every one of the 48 contigous states & Priority Mail has never been more than 3 days for delivery.
posted on March 11, 2003 01:26:30 PM new
First class is sometimes faster. Priority is sometimes faster.
For those interested in seeing how long items take to deliver from 91405 (CA), please take a look here. The sample size 947 so it is better than 5 test samples. I can break it down by delivery type (first class vs. priority) if you wish. To summarize, there is little difference between delivery time for First Class or Priority.
[ edited by sun818 on Mar 11, 2003 01:29 PM ]
posted on March 11, 2003 08:56:18 PM new bigpeepa, I'm doing just fine. Why don't you run your business and I'll run mine, ok?
Incidentally, I got a reply finally. She says I charged her too much for s&h and wants the difference between actual shipping and what I charged her for s&h. Otherwise, she'll report my actions to eBay which "will attach at least one warning if not two" for my actions. The buyer is clueless as to how meaningless her threats are. But once you cross the line and threaten me, dialogue is closed. She made her bed, she can sleep in it.
[ edited by sun818 on Mar 12, 2003 12:35 AM ]
posted on March 12, 2003 02:22:17 AM new
sun818 - That's the smart move. What's done is done, and getting into a heated email exchange doesn't help your bottom line.
"Who's tending the bar? Sniping works up a thirst"
posted on March 12, 2003 01:01:15 PM new
Actually, there's a little trick I picked up in my years in customer service. It's especially effective when you get a situation like this one. (A business makes a minor screwup and the customer goes all red in the face and starts screaming.)
Right after they go whacko on you, get as sweet as you possibly can. If you're willing to give her a slight break on the shipping (making sure you include all your actual costs in the "actual price" of shipping ) you still might be able to avert the neg.
This works because there are basically two types of abusive customers. The biggest majority are regular Joes who just perceive they've been pushed over the edge with your transaction, even if other events (maybe completely unrelated to eBay) got them up to the edge in the first place. These people are not proud of themselves when they get abusive, and often feel guilty. Going nice on them can make that guilt work for you * and can result in them backing down completely. The trick is to make them realize that you're a real person too.
The second group are just nutso, or flat-out scammers. Nothing will work with them, but you were in trouble before you even made the first error so it's not your fault.
*(This is the disadvantage of negotiating over the Internet .... big brown eyes do nothing for you in cyberspace. I had an utterly shameless co-worker who could actually mist up a little when people yelled at her. She'd usually have them grovelling at her feet in four minutes or less.)
posted on March 12, 2003 01:20:43 PM new
I have a situation in reverse. I got payment from a bidder last week after 39 days and many excuses. She then emails me and says "I need this for a party, so ship this out today or tomorrow at the latest"
I respond: My car has a flat tire. I will not be mailing this for at least a week. I don't feel like changing it.
One of her excuses was: Paypal is difficult to use, so I will pay you when I pay everyone else
posted on March 13, 2003 10:47:19 AM new
Customers like that remind me of the saying "Buy It Now doesn't mean ship it now." Next-day shipping is great if you can do it, but for a lot high-volume sellers, it is impractical.
Not all businesses have the same logistics for shipping. I usually ship UPS Ground. When an item has to ship through the mail, however, we have to go through a seperate packing procedure. It takes about 3 times longer to package because of the DC and insurance slips. And that's not counting taking them the Post Office.
Multiply that by, say, 100 packages.
I state in my auctions that items typically arrive within 10 business days, even though most arrive in much less time. Very few of my customers ever complain about this.
Amazon takes 3-5 business days to ship on much of their inventory. That's business days, which could mean a week in real-world time.
Oh well, I'm ranting again. Anyway ...
Yeah, kiss some behind, offer a discount, whatever it takes to make some more money of him/her. That's what it's about anyway.
[ edited by celindra on Mar 13, 2003 10:47 AM ]
posted on March 13, 2003 01:55:43 PM newYeah, kiss some behind, offer a discount, whatever it takes to make some more money of him/her. That's what it's about anyway.
Hi, I agree to some extent. Where do we draw the line though? Is a negative and abusive customer really worth it? Maybe if you're selling a Ferrari... But for a low-margin items, it might be better to move on to more positive customers?
posted on March 13, 2003 02:35:43 PM new
Sun wrote: "Hi, I agree to some extent. Where do we draw the line though? Is a negative and abusive customer really worth it? Maybe if you're selling a Ferrari... But for a low-margin items, it might be better to move on to more positive customers?"
My answer is abusive customers are not worth it at all, but especially not for low-margin items. My first thought when I read that her solutions were for you to ship it sooner or ship it by Priority instead of First Class, was to simply write back and say "Okay." I mean, really! What kind of response was that? (I could do really well on eBay if I could get that darn Time Machine to work!)
WHAT SHE WAS REALLY SAYING: "I'm going to see what kind of refund I can wring out of your sorry butt. If I act aggressive enough, you might cave in and I'll get this item for free. After all, so many other sellers quake in their boots at the thought of a neg from me. If I do this on every purchase, I'll save a lot."
Sometimes refunds are good business, sometimes not. Before I throw money at a problem, I ask myself a few questions:
a. Did I REALLY screw up? If I was totally wrong, or messed up big time (sent wrong item, for example), then I take responsibility for it and make things right, regardless of how the customer treated me.
b. Did I mess up a little bit? Was my shipping slower than usual for my business? Did I fail to meet the reasonable shipping expectations of my buyer? I've done it a few times, and I have apologized to my customers and asked if I can either refund their shipping costs or give them a credit on a future purchase. Or, maybe I'll throw something extra in their package. They are still getting their item, so I don't refund there. Just make it up in the shipping arena.
c. Did I do everything right, but the buyer is not happy about something? This is the tough one. If it is a matter of buyer error (they didn't read, they changed their mind, etc.), then I consider whether refunding will damage me in any way (do I still have the item, for example, or was it shipped already?) AND I consider whether giving them a break will likely translate into additional sales from that buyer in the future (very hard to gauge with online sales where buyers are just as fly-by-night as sellers). Any threat of negative feedback closes the matter for me, if I was not in the wrong: I do not give in to any type of extortion. So sometimes the answer is "let me refund you PDQ" and sometimes the answer is "tough toenails".
Each seller needs to decide at what point dealing with an abusive customer becomes counterproductive, and when it would be better to just ignore or block them and move on. It is hard not to take it personally, but that is what is required to get back to business. Online sales at least are not as stressful as B&M stores where you have to call security or the police. I am SO glad I shut down my store and moved all sales online. I've never been happier.
posted on March 15, 2003 07:01:28 PM new
Sun, if she paid for priority and got first class, she has a right to be angry...however, I did not catch what your shipping fees were.Maybe she thought she was getting priority.
The only scam with priority mail is when people pay the high fees for it, and the seller sends it at the lower first class rate.
I would be miffed though at waiting so long. If I know I am going to have a problem and can't get to the post office in a day or 2 and someone paid by paypal, I let them know. My T.O.S. says I ship Tuesdays and Thursdays, which really isn't true, I go almost every day.
posted on March 19, 2003 04:47:06 PM new
The novel continues. I thought I be nice and let her return the item to me. I said I would pay for the purchase of the item (final bid plus s&h) plus up to $4.00 for actual postage of the item. She is afraid that I will accept the item and not refund her money. She instead wants me to send her a full refund and she'll ship the item to me after. Since there is distrust on both ends, I suggested she can use COD if she really distrusts me. Now she asks if I'm going to pay for the COD. I suppose I could pay for the COD, but I don't know if I feel like kissing her ass any more. Any thoughts?
posted on March 19, 2003 08:41:48 PM new
Unless your TOS sates refunds for the purchase price only I will still tell her look lady sned the item and you will get your money. Quit dancing with this buyer take the neg and be done with it
posted on March 25, 2003 10:52:14 AM new
She finally left the negative feedback. I'm relieved, so I won't be hearing from her anymore. I understand her point. Her TOS as a seller read something like, "These are the terms. Any deviation will not be tolerated."
bigpeepa, I'm doing just fine. Why don't you run your business and I'll run mine, ok? 
Sniping works up a thirst"