posted on April 18, 2003 01:30:34 PM
Well, this is a first for me since I started using eDC.
Sent six packages to a lady in North Carolina. eDC shows they were delivered April 6 and 7. Customer says what the f---? She claims she has received nothing.
(Quick review: eDC packages are scanned at the point of arrival...then sent out for local delivery.)
Interesting.
The possibilities:
1) Delivered to the wrong address. I had previously sent two packages to her, which she received. That counts with me as a verified address. She admits that the Postal Service is error-prone in her area and often misdelivers.
2) Still sitting at the post office.
3) The letter carrier stole them.
4) She's lying about non-receipt.
Of four possibilities, I think that exactly zero are my responsibility. She hasn't demanded a refund yet but I smell it coming.
She's not getting a refund. She's gonna have to pursue this with the Postal Service on her end.
--
"I'm thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said `I drank WHAT?'"
posted on April 18, 2003 01:40:59 PM
I agree, no refund. The situation has passed beyond your hands and control. You delivered to a recognized 'common carrier', which gave you legal proof of your delivery to the carrier, and their delivery to the buyer. She can pursue the matter with the local carrier's representative ( the local Postmaster), as she can pull the delivery information off of the internet, and go forward.
You've done your job, the ball is in her court now.
posted on April 18, 2003 01:45:03 PM
Almost forgot. Last time this happened to me, on a single package, though, it turned out that the buyer's son received the shipment, as he was leaving for work, and put it in the hallway closet, and then totally forgot about it.
posted on April 18, 2003 03:42:24 PM
Twelve, realistically, what do you think the chances are that four packages going to the same address were lost over a period of two consecutive days?
There is something serious wrong and it's not on her end. Why should she refund FOUR items when even the post office shows they were delivered?
There's a big difference between customer service and voluntary victimization.
posted on April 18, 2003 04:09:12 PM
Why are you assuming that customer service automatically includes a refund?
She could contact the post office on her end and get something started there also... to just tell the buyer... "well 4 other packages arrived safe and sound so it is your problem" is not good customer service, but then again I forgot who started this thread...
posted on April 18, 2003 04:09:26 PM
But should of added even if you sell nickel and dime, customer service will set you apart from the competition... and it does not have to include a refund each time
AIN'T LIFE GRAND...
[ edited by Twelvepole on Apr 18, 2003 04:11 PM ]
posted on April 18, 2003 04:41:22 PM
eDC says it has been swiped at local post office,who said it has been delivered??
may be the buyer is desperate for free merchandise to resell?
posted on April 18, 2003 07:23:53 PM
Sorry this is long.
I just had this happen last month. I mailed my package February 25 and on March 10 the buyer email when I was going to mail my package. Well she knew that it was going priority mail, with insurance and delivery confirmation. Checked the USPS website they said the package was delivered...She requested me to send her the green insurance copy so she could start the insurance process.
I sent her everything but the green insurance copy but a copy of that. Well she wrote back that the post office requested the green copy. Before I sent it I went to our local post office and they said insurance wouldn't cover it because the eDC said it was delivered. I called the buyer we had a short conversation and I told her what my postal clerk said. She then said she gets many packages and has left notice that the mail carrier can leave the packages on her porch. I then called the customer service person at her postoffice. These were long distance from Wisconsin to Texas. There I found out that they also told her the same thing. The morale of the story is never give permission for the mail carrier to leave packages at your door as you never know where they will walk to. I did not refund. I asked the customer service person to please call her and tell her of our conversation. I then email her the same thing but I did say to recind the leave packages at the door. Haven't heard another word. It was for $40.00 worth of vintage Johnson Bros. Cereal bowls. I felt bad but that was her mistake.
posted on April 19, 2003 03:12:47 AM
this has been a lot of years ago but here is the story anyway...
i ordered a slow cooker from a major company...the UPS driver showed it delivered to my neighbor...neighbor swore they never got it...company sent out another slow cooker which i did receive....neighbor invited us to dinner...wonderful meal cooked in ...my original slow cooker
moral of the story...make sure the neighbor already has that item before you trust them with yours
ask the buyer to check with their postmaster...it took 4 delivery attempts for the USPS to get a pair of shoes delivered to a buyer in NY....even though it showed as delivered on the first try.
posted on April 19, 2003 06:52:00 AM
i have an old story too-
one lady who lives in a house invited her out of job friend to stay with her while she was unemployed and looking for a job.
during that time,she found out someone has used her amex to charge an expensive typewriter 750 dollars,back then pc was not as common and cost 3k.
she disputed the charge and amex said fine,merchant lost.
her friend eventually found job and moved out.they are still friends so they get together for coffee and lunch,one day her friend said she bot her 17 years old son a fancy typewriter for his birthday.
so this woman did some detective work on the model and cost of the typewriter and her friend's son's birthday,yep,you guess the rest!!
posted on April 19, 2003 11:43:09 AM
Hello
Had this happen to me last year. Customer claimed no package arrival. I called PO 800 number (In the book) got the number of the postmaster at customer end. He gave me driver cell phone number. Driver said delivered yesterday to man of the house. He gave me his (drivers) name and customers first name. I e-mailed customer told her to check with Husband as XXX the postal driver gave then to XXX yesterday.
Never heard another word from customer. Most calls were free also.
posted on April 19, 2003 05:16:12 PM
Twelvepole said:
"Customer Service at its finest....
Sellers here wonder why sales are down....
go figure."
And just what, Slick, do you think they
should do? The post office says it was
delivered. I suppose you would refund the
money on packages that your delivery service
says made it to the destination?
I just had my first DC situation. When PayPal
changed their agreement recently I became
aware of something I missed the last time
around and started adding the DC (green
slip, NOT eDC) fee into my shipping. One
high bidder just told me that they haven't
received a package I mailed about a month
ago. One quick trip to the USPS web site
showed that the package was delivered two
(2) days after I mailed it. I informed
them of same, and have heard nothing more.
Some bidders will try anything...go figure.
---
"Cannot say. Saying, I would know. Do not
know, so cannot say". -- Zathras (Babylon 5)
posted on April 19, 2003 05:57:42 PM
most ebay bidders are honest ,how often do you really run into bidder who said they did not received the package??
posted on April 19, 2003 05:57:52 PM
There's no way in the world I'd give a refund. If it was me I'd write the buyer an e-mail, before they ask for a refund, stating the fact that the items were sent with DC, and the non-receival needs to be followed up on their end. If you can bring yourself to do it, make it a nice e-mail fluffy, and end with an offer to let the bidder know that they can contact you if they feel that you can help with a tracer on your end. If you can manage to write a nice e-mail, you won't here from this potential fraudster again.
posted on April 19, 2003 06:52:06 PM
Oh, give it a rest, pointy. I write businesslike emails all the time.
Screw "nice", though. This is business, not friendship.
In my never-humble opinion, a small but significant portion of the problems eBay sellers experience are due to the seller confusing business with nice-nice.
--
"I'm thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said `I drank WHAT?'"
posted on April 19, 2003 09:27:49 PM
"In my never-humble opinion, a small but significant portion of the problems eBay sellers experience are due to the seller confusing business with nice-nice."
.
.
LOL
.
.
.
.Fluffy.....I'd like to ask your permission to allow my use of this quote of your's ....in the same way you use your current Socrates quote. Just a funny thing, no big deal. I won't attribute it to you. OK?.
posted on April 20, 2003 06:04:39 AM
Stop - I have one right now. 32 other packages mailed that day made it but not theirs. I'm not buying it. I give them credit, they are not being rude, they just keep emailing me tying to guilt me into a refund. The fact that they started doinng this 4 days after it mailed is what told me there was something wrong. They clai that that they have put in an inquiry but so far my post office has received nothing inquiring about it.
posted on April 20, 2003 07:41:46 AM
This has happened a few times and the manager at my PO gave me a form for it. The form is number PS Form 1510.
Tell your bidder that you will send them this form and they can fill it out and sign it. This form forces the USPS to try and locate the package.
I have NEVER had one person ask for the form. By some stroke of magic they have all "found" the package the very next morning... I guess it is fine to steal from us, but they know not to steal from USPS..
Edited to add that I have three envelopes sitting here. None have any clue as to what they are paying for. I have searched the Zips, looked for phone numbers, tried to check all email and similar amounts.. no hits. Any suggestions?
[ edited by kyms on Apr 20, 2003 07:43 AM ]
posted on April 20, 2003 09:42:35 AMI guess it is fine to steal from us, but they know not to steal from USPS.
Yes, it's a pretty safe assumption that you and I don't have postal inspectors in our direct employ.
Thanks for that info, by the way.
This points up something else I have found to be true.
By way of preamble, we have a strict all-sales-are-final policy (geez, we must not sell ANYTHING, huh? or so the conventional wisdom goes). As we all know, there are people for whom rules and policies never apply, because they are special. Legends in their own minds. People who wake up each morning, their heads buzzing with bewilderment that the rest of the world once again fails to acknowledge their obvious superiority.
So they demand their money back. Or they want the same piece, different color. Or they just don't like how it looks on their wrist. Or it "broke" the first time they wore it. You know the drill.
I am sure that many of you who do refund send kindly emails full of helpful information. I don't. I write, "OK, send it back." This dismays, oh, about 99% of such folks. What do you mean, 'send it back'? Am I going to get a postage refund? Will you refund my money or replace it with another piece? How soon can I expect satisfaction? What form will my refund come in?
To which I reply, "Send it back."
Period.
Happily, about 80% of them choose not to. (I suspect it is just too much trouble for them.)
How 'bout that. All sales really ARE final. Or at least the vast majority.
This heartless ploy of mine has the advantage of:
-No protracted email arguments
-No he said/she said disputes over the reason for return
-No endless have-you-sent-my-refund-yet nagging.
When someone demands something they are not entitled to, I deal with it swiftly and decisively. I don't agonize over it and I don't fear that they "might not like me". After all, that person isn't worried in the slightest what I might think about her.
--
"I'm thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said `I drank WHAT?'"
[ edited by fluffythewondercat on Apr 20, 2003 09:43 AM ]
posted on April 20, 2003 09:47:15 AMEdited to add that I have three envelopes sitting here. None have any clue as to what they are paying for. I have searched the Zips, looked for phone numbers, tried to check all email and similar amounts.. no hits. Any suggestions?
Yes. Make copies of each payment. Then cash the checks. Send a postcard (I used to have a pile of these printed up) to each person advising them you've received their payment in the amount of blah-blah for an eBay auction but you need more information to process their shipment.
But do cash the checks. You are entitled to, and it provides an incentive for the laggards to get back to you. Simply returning the checks to them is a bad idea...many of those folks never follow through.
Simple, businesslike and effective.
--
"I'm thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said `I drank WHAT?'"
posted on April 23, 2003 05:07:34 AM
This is just so weird.
She says they still haven't arrived, but she left me positive feedback for all six, noting the packages never came and she should have insured them but that she would buy from me again.
This has GOT to be a sign of the Apocalypse.
--
"I'm thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said `I drank WHAT?'"
posted on April 23, 2003 05:49:53 AM
I sent a Priority Mail eDC package that buyer/customer said did arrive. Package was scaned as delivered. Buyer said she had problems with carrier so just wait a little longer. Thhirty days later package arrives at MY door and is marked as undeliverable. Carrier had held package as a signature confirmation package and returned to sender after three tries.... A call to her Postmaster and a meeting with mine = package redelivered, at no extra costs, in two days... Moral: Even the Post Office makes mistakes.<P>And, no I didn't offer a refund at anytime.
posted on April 23, 2003 06:51:18 AMShe says they still haven't arrived, but she left me positive feedback for all six, noting the packages never came and she should have insured them but that she would buy from me again.
Some people like abuse... why do you think so many women stay in abusive relationships...
