posted on March 7, 2001 07:50:01 PM newAlso note, there is no such thing as "All Sales Final" in retail.
If my auctions say ALL SALES FINAL, then ALL SALES ARE FINAL. Unless, of course, I made a mistake in my listing. Look at it any way you want, but you can't tell me that I HAVE to accept a return. Not you or anyone else. Which makes my sales - FINAL.
Sellers don't want hassles with postage.
????
They don't want Paypal customers
And that's our right if we choose not to accept Paypal. Do you accept magic beans?
They don't want customers who return
If the auction states "all sales final", and they just "didn't like" the item, they have no right to return it.
They don't want ones who want sellers to change the TOS, before, during, or after the auction
And why SHOULD a seller change their TOS? If they have a TOS that works for them - and HAS worked for them why should they change it?
They don't want foreign bidders?
I personally accept foreign bidders - but who am I to tell any other sellers that they have to accept them? To each their own!
It all comes down to this. BUYERS need to START READING. If you agree with the seller's TOS, then bid. If not, MOVE ON.
Your buyer wasn't only off-base, she was completely out of the ballpark.
That is a given.
The dilemma for a seller when dealing with these sorts of wackos is how to fix it so that both parties can come away feeling like they gained something. When a seller can make that happen, they're almost always better off than they would have been by strictly adhering to their TOS.
I understand what rarebourbon is saying and had a transaction a couple of months ago that illustrates his/her point perfectly. I sold a Xmas decoration in mid-November. The buyer emailed that he loved it and would be using it over the holidays. In mid-January he emailed again that he was disappointed that the item was defective, and what could I offer to compensate.
I responded that I was sorry he was dissatisfied, that I have a 3-day return policy and that it was now two months since he had purchased the item. But then I added that even so, I wouldn't unilaterally dismiss his complaint, and would be willing to at least entertain HIS ideas as to what I could do to remedy the situation.
He expressed his appreciation for my willingness to stand behind my merchandise. The positive FB he posted for me made mention of that fact. The last we communicated, he was going to locate someone who could repair it and let me know how it went. That was nearly two months ago. My guess is that he fixed it himself.
If he HAD come back with a proposition, I'd have considered his request, assuming it was reasonable. Even if I had decided *not* to accept his terms (which is probable), I would have made some small conciliatory gesture, if nothing else than to communicate my concern.
Benefits to me: 1) Avoidance of the nasty emails (and the time it takes to read/write them) that always accompany a sour transaction; 2) Avoidance of the nasty FB; 3) Retention of a customer; 4) Enjoyment of my "hero status" in this customer's eyes and the customers he refers.
No one's saying your buyer's right. (She isn't.) I'm also not suggesting it's possible to work magic with every weirdo. (It isn't.) I'm just saying that *sometimes* you can turn a negative into a positive.
posted on March 7, 2001 09:02:12 PM new
Something I don't understand, is why didn't she leave positive feedback when she had emailed me that she recieved the item and was "happy" with it?
Going over her feedback, it appears that she leaves feedback immediately. In this case with me, she didn't. She's left 24 more feedbacks than she's received, and she's only a buyer.
Just seems strange to me that she emails me telling me the suit is fine, but doesn't leave me any feedback like she does with all of her other purchases. Then, after 2 weeks, she decides to hold me "feedback hostage" if I don't let her return it.
I'm just glad I was able to NEG her to warn other seller's of the way she operates.
posted on March 8, 2001 05:53:12 AM new
I've notice when people use that line "a customer's always right" is when they are wrong and they know that, but they still want to try it get something out of it. I work in a customer service booth at a grocery store, and let me tell you I have seen many loons.
"I'm sorry sir, I know the customer is always right but I am not going to give you a refund for 4 month old luchmeat that you forgot about in your frig."
posted on March 8, 2001 06:23:52 AM new
ExecutiveGirl:
Your situation here really sucks and I'm sorry that you had to deal with another wacko. That being said, this bidder (while definitely a wacko) is not using feedback extortion. Feedback extortion is threatening to leave feedback unless some action is taken by the other party that she isn't normally required to take to complete a transaction. Her email never threatens you with anything. She just makes a simple statement that she is going to leave a neg. No extortion here at all.
This buyer was trying to jack you over. She apparently liked the suit even though it was a little big. She decided to take the chance the the cleaning process would shrink it to the right size. Evidently it didn't. Now she wants a refund because the suit is still too big. My answer would be "Sorry, you should have returned it immediately". She was witholding her feedback all along until she found out if the suit would ultimately fit. But given the circumstnaces and her emails, she isn't using feedback extortion.
Of course all of this is only my opinion and I HAVE been known to be wrong before. I think it was in 1972...
posted on March 8, 2001 07:22:24 AM new
fountainhouse, it seems like you have an EXCELLENT attitude towards customer service. I probably would have done the same thing.
The customer isn't always right, but they are always the customer.
I heard that somewhere in my ex-retail career, and its true. You can often make a customer happy just by being sympathetic to their concerns and putting the ball in their court.
It seems as though this customer was looking for the same type of solution, but when ExecutiveGirl drew her line in the sand, the customer took it as an affront.
I won't beat this situation to death. From these threads, it's clear that some sellers understand customer service, and some don't.
posted on March 8, 2001 07:36:45 AM new
I have to agree with Rarebourbon & Fountainhouse.
I just went through a similar situation with a customer who ended her email with "what would you suggest?"
This was also over a used clothing item [vintage clothing buyers drive me bonkers!]
and in the end she decided to give the item to her sister in law.
I believe that due to the manner I handled the situation, she didn't attempt to force a return on me, and if she had, I would have indeed given her one.
Returns are almost non existant with my sales, so I'm not about to pizz off a potential repeat customer & take a neg when the odd situation like this does come up.
I also told the buyer that if she decided to purchase something from me in the future, to remind me about this situation, and I would toss in the shipping cost on the next item for free.
posted on March 8, 2001 07:48:40 AM new
If you post All Sales Final that is all you need to do. If you don't adhere to that, you set yourself up for every whiney wet diaper bidder. What part of FINAL do they not understand?
Customers will never fully accept "All Sales Final". Legally you can enforce this policy. What I'm talking about is to make a repeat customer out of a difficult one.
You may not know this, but buyers don't all get together and discuss what they got sellers to do. If Executive Girl gives a refund (I'm not necessarily suggesting she should), it's not like every buyer is going to hear whispers about what she allowed one buyer to do against her tos.
The point is, every situation is different. Every person is different. Every seller needs to go out of their way treat every buyer like human beings, with different situations, needs and wants. Drawing a line in the sand and saying "that's my policy" does noone any good.
mballai, just a couple of weeks ago, the shoe was on the other foot. You were disappointed with a deal. I was one of your few supporters. Technically, you didn't have a leg to stand on. You got the item in good shape. But you still were disappointed with how it was handled.
Put yourself in the buyers shoes and you might feel the same.
posted on March 8, 2001 08:51:08 AM newExecutive Girl:
I'll make a few more comments, then leave you to do business as you see fit. I'm not here to accuse you or put you on the defensive, just to give you a different viewpoint.
Your customers are human beings. All of them. Each one is an individual, and subject to individual mistakes, sometimes mistakes that are beyond our comprehension. One customer may not notice your TOS before bidding. Another may not notice a hole in the skirt before two weeks. Could it be that this lady was just too anxious to bid on your item without reading the TOS closely? Could it be that she was too busy to look at the skirt closely until two weeks had passed? Could it be that she has a sick child, or a demanding job, or pneumonia, or cataracts, or is receiving chemotherapy?
Before getting defensive about these questions, I know these issues are not your problem as a seller.
But most customers, unless you have a very honest and open dialog going with them, are not going to tell you exactly why they weren't able to live up to your policies or standards. They may be embarrassed, they may be sensitive about looking stupid, they may not think you care. They'll just ask if they can return the item, or as in this case, ask for your advice as the seller. Hardly a crime.
To second guess her "motives" (by deciphering why she left feedback for other sellers within 24 hours, etc.) is futile and a waste of your valuable time . Human psychology is best left to professionals like counselors or psychiatrists. Think how much you could be improving your business with the time you've spent playing Sherlock Holmes.
One further statistic to take to heart is that fraud is committed by a very, very small percentage of customers, less than 1%.
Given her feedback, and the seemingly harmless way she first approached you about the holes in the skirt, do you really believe this lady is trying to commit fraud? That's a pretty big finger to point.
As someone who does business in the public market place, isn't a little compassion required when dealing with human beings, 99% of whom are on the level but may not be as intelligent or healthy or on-the-ball as you? Isn't it better to assume the best from someone and then work with them to resolve the problem to everyone's satisfaction? Doesn't that help everyone involved, the customer in the short term by saving face, and you and your business in the long term by saving time and effort and maintaining your great reputation?
If she's really a "wacko" as some have labeled her, her feedback will tell you that. Or if you really want to research this customer's motives, email other sellers who've dealt with her. See how she behaved in those transactions.
To me, this customer just looks like a misunderstood individual who is now stuck with a defective product, and who will badmouth you and eBay until her dying day. What good has come from this transaction? No one is happy.
By the way, you had asked if I was a buyer or a seller. I'm both. I've also been a successful Director of Sales & Customer Service for some pretty big organizations, so I'm just passing along some of my experience to you here on AW.
Good luck.
rarebourbon
[ edited by rarebourbon on Mar 8, 2001 08:52 AM ]
posted on March 12, 2001 08:28:38 AM new
sounds to me like she had no intention of keeping the item when she purchased it. You were probably going to get a negative no matter what you would do. Ever thought of selling cds instead?? lol
