posted on May 24, 2001 01:21:08 PM
Creativethings -
Thanks so much for taking the time to write the proposed e-mail to my troublesome seller. You really got the point across in an adult, non-threatening manner. I've run off a copy of it and will use it if I don't hear from her by tomorrow.
You're right: I'm pretty steamed. Ditz or crook, this woman is driving me NUTS.
posted on May 24, 2001 01:44:09 PM
No matter who's "at fault" I'd refund item cost and postage both ways, and I state this policy in my "fine print". Of course the stuff I sell has minimal postage, but to say "refund on purchase price but not postage" is kind of penny-ante. So far no one has asked for a refund, but if anyone does, I'd rather pay the money (and re-sell the item) than have a grumbling, unhappy never-to-buy-from-me-again former customer out there...
posted on May 24, 2001 02:13:27 PM
It's up to the seller to decide whether to pay both ways or even for return. I think return shipping is qualified if the item is defective and/or it's clearly a seller mistake. A seller is not at all liable for an inhome trial of merchandise bought on auction so initial shipping refunds are not in order.
My take on this is that most bidders are one-time customers no matter how good you are, that's the reality of eBay. As a seller I am under no obligation whatsoever to provide any of the accoutrements of a retail or mail order seller. There's no financial incentive to operate on that level. What I try to do is provide the best possible service/item at the modest profits I usually make. I have had zero returns in 1200+ transactions.
posted on May 24, 2001 03:07:50 PM
If I make an error and ship the wrong item or in this case if I made an honest mistake and thought I was selling one thing and was later educated by the buyer I was in fact selling something different. I would most definitely refund the full sales price plus shipping and handling fees. Why would any seller do anything Else but that?
If it’s the bidder's mistake my policy is spelled out in advance – 100% refund less all Shipping and handing fees.
Customer service and satisfaction is very important to me and I try to be as fair as I can to everyone who does business with me.
Heath & happiness to all
"The Colonel"
[ edited by kolonel22 on May 24, 2001 03:09 PM ]
You strike me as an absolute saint! I wish all my customers were as objective and fair as you are in this case. I wish I could send you some kind of award for just being a cool, kind person.
However, this seller doesn't seem like she is worthy of your bending over backwards. I would feel awful if I was the one who made a mistake, I would feel like I have done nothing but waste your time for weeks...in fact, you would not only have gotten your money back in full (all postage costs included) you would probably be getting sick of my apologetic emails.
I make mistakes every so often, and when I do, I own up to it. Some sellers may not see it that way, like the Exxon company when they crash on a reef in Alaska, they ask- how much of this money can I save!?!?!?! Well, they should worry more about doing what is right.
Aw, shucks! Thanks for your very kind words; they are appreciated. Sometimes, though, it's a curse to be able to see (and understand) both sides of a story.
It's helped me in this current situation to have seen the world of eBay through the eyes of my seller-sister.
But I have just about stopped being able to empathize with my problem seller. My "one last chance" is this: I'll wait until my mail arrives today before I contact her again. If the money has arrived, great. If it hasn't, the gloves - as they say - will come off, and the harsh, yet dignified, language will flow! (I always do the "one last chance" thing, because whenever I skip that step, inevitably the check will arrive and I will wish I hadn't sent that inflamed e-mail.)
posted on May 26, 2001 12:44:27 PM
Shame on that seller! On the few occasions when I have made an error, I have always paid shipping both ways, plus refunded the full amount of the bid. And in this case, I would have told the bidder to keep the cheapie item and maybe get some enjoyment out of it. Sheesh. She's probably already spent the money...
posted on May 29, 2001 05:43:29 AM
It's Tuesday, the 29th. I e-mailed my seller on Friday, the 25th. Using very measured, detached language, my message culminated with the promise to contact eBay should I not hear from her by Saturday.
I got a response on Saturday in which she said she had e-mailed me last Wednesday (I didn't get it; questionable), would check with her bank to see if the money order she sent to me had been cashed (?), and, by the way, "you do not have to be so hateful!"
Me, hateful?!? Hardly. Frustrated, yes, but hateful, no.
She then typed in a copy of the e-mail she supposedly sent to me last Wednesday. There's something fishy about it; a typed in P.S. isn't proof of anything. A forward to me of the original e-mail would.
But that is beside the point, which is that I still don't have my money!
posted on May 30, 2001 04:31:15 PM
I would e-mail the seller from another e-mail address to see if she is avoiding your e-mail.
Worse possible situation, you can file a complaint with the postmaster general for mail fraud, if the item or payment was sent by the post office.
We filed because a seller never sent us an item, e-mailed numerous times, telephoned with no response. They sent a refund quickly when they received the complaint from the postmaster. They never even had the item for sale from what I understood afterwards.
posted on June 1, 2001 10:23:37 AM
The saga continues...
My seller e-mailed me this morning and said she had checked with her bank and the money order she says she sent to me has not been cashed (surprise, surprise), so she's overnighting me a money order.
IF it gets here, should I leave her negative feedback...and if so, what should I say besides "AAACCKKK!" (I still have time, as the auction ended on April 7th.)
posted on June 4, 2001 11:11:34 AM
Hallelujah - a money order arrived today from my irresponsible seller - two full months after the end of the auction. Because it was a Postal Money Order sent registered mail, I had to go to the Post Office to pick it up. Having done that, I cashed it on the spot.
Thanks so much to everyone for being so supportive throughout this situation and for giving me such good advice. Everything worked. Now, I just have to wait until the very last minute to enter feedback, after which I will be done with this person!
