posted on November 9, 2000 04:55:42 PM new
I have another saga that is unfolding now and I am not sure how I will handle it yet.
Sold a settee last January on eBay. Customer paid and asked that I store it until he could pick it up.
In August, I was moving to Florida and asked that we take care of this problem and get the settee to him. I make arrangements to have it delivered to him.
Last week, I call into my messages back up north and lo and behold my buyer wants me to contact him immediately.
Seems he believes I have sent him the WRONG settee. His had striped fabric (mine has floral). His did not have flame mahogany (mine did). His has dolphins carved at the top crest (mine has roses). OH BOY, THIS HAS MADE MY DAY.
Thank God I always print out the end of auction listing with the bidders user ID and email and the original description and photos. I have sent him a copy of the listing and am now waiting to hear back from him. The settee he has, is the same settee in the listing.
What I am concerned about now, is that it is obvious that a) he doesn't remember what he bid on; and b) he doesn't want it now after 11 months.
Since we are talking about a $500 sale and another $350 in shipping that he paid for delivery, this is a costly mistake on his part.
I do not believe I misrepresented the item, I also acted in good faith by allowing him to store it until he was able to make arrangements to pick it up.
After 11 months, if he decided for whatever reason that he is not happy with the item he purchased (which is obvious from the tone of his phone call), what would you do?
Any suggestions in advance of his reply to the copy of the listing sheet would be greatly appreciated.
posted on November 9, 2000 05:01:30 PM new
I'd inform the buyer that the item shipped clearly matched both the description and accompanying photographs. The settee is his.
Should he wish to sell it, I'd direct him to a web-based auction site.
[ edited by dimview on Nov 9, 2000 05:03 PM ]
posted on November 9, 2000 05:06:49 PM new
That was going to be my reply exactly. I do offer a three day return if they are not completely satisfied, less shipping costs. However, even after receiving it in September, I didn't hear about it until now.
I think he has really pushed the limits of my customer service skills.
What concerns me is that I truly believe he purchased a settee that matches his description. I think he forgot about the one he originally purchased from me in January. I am just wondering what Seller got stiffed for a striped fabric, dolphin carved settee or in the alternative got paid and didn't deliver.
posted on November 9, 2000 05:41:35 PM new
Good for you for having a photo record of this sale. I would tell the buyer he may return the settee at his own expense, but be sure to tell him that you will deduct 11 months storage fee as well as the FVF paid to eBay. My guess is he will keep it.
posted on November 9, 2000 05:54:58 PM new
Good for you xenav, for printing the picture. I do this too. I print 2 and send one with the item, keep the second copy for my records. I have received a lot of thank yous for this service. Seems quite a few buyers forget what they purchased before it gets theres.
posted on November 9, 2000 06:01:49 PM new
Printing the picture saved my butt this time for sure. I also save all emails until the item has been received and the client has acknowledged receipt of the item. However, as most of you know, getting a client to acknowledge receipt is near impossible - so I hold the emails for at least 1 month after I assume they received the item. In this case, I tossed all the emails in October, as I assumed he had received the settee and it met with his satisfaction.
I can hardly wait for his response once he receives the snail mail copy of the listing. Luckily my printer also records the date the auction listing was printed.
posted on November 9, 2000 06:43:09 PM new
More important that customer skills are the business skills of knowing when to say 'no'. I had a customer win several auctions that all had the measurements specified in the description - after paying for and receiving the items, decided they were larger than she wanted - so she wanted me to take them back and refund her money.
Sorry - it's a lot of WORK to scan, list, write copy for and set up auctions - and then to handle the payment, ship the item and do the accounting. Buyers often don't notice all that and just think - item - payment, payment - item - we are square. Not hardly. Not to mention, this is not the kind of precident I want to set - that I will be a constant patsy for someone who wants to change his or her mind at my expense.
This is my point exactly as well. The item was described, photographed and measurements taken. If the item was NOT as described, I would certainly understand it.
Every single time I send a piece of furniture that costs alot of money to ship, I cringe waiting for the reply. However, in the two years I have been selling on eBay, no-one has ever said anything other than "better than expected".
I tend to over describe and emphasize any flaws, as I don't want the buyer to get any surprises. Sometimes my descriptions and condition reports hamper a sale, but I expect my descriptions to act as though the buyer was standing in front of the item, looking at it themselves. What would be normal flaws on antiques, become magnified in our descriptions, not to mention in our photos when we try to zoom in on the flaw described. A 5/8" crack looks like a 2 foot one in a picture.
All that said, this particular buyer really upset me and now I have to wait to see what his next move is going to be. Hopefully, the buyer will realize that he did INDEED bid on the piece he has now and will drop this issue. After 11 months, I would imagine your memory becomes a little foggy.
www.xenavalloneantiques.com
posted on November 10, 2000 01:52:15 PM new
It's a miracle you still have the photo & listing and it will save the situation. Substantial chance you'll not hear from the customer again but if you do, you're well prepared.
Keep us posted please.
