posted on December 19, 2000 04:22:15 PM
I've been selling on ebay off and on for over 3 years and this is a first for me. I mailed a large package(VCR) on Dec 6th by priority mail and the buyer has yet to receive it. I did purchase insurance but the buyer is now demanding that I either come up with another VCR(not possible) or give her a refund since the VCR is suppose to be a Christmas present. I feel that until I can file an insurance claim on the item on the 30th day there's nothing else I can do. Am I right or wrong? She also wants me to give her my phone number so she can call and discuss this with me. I just don't feel comfortable doing this. Help please!
posted on December 19, 2000 04:26:14 PM
There are a lot of Priority Mail packages that haven't been delivered in the last week or so due to the bad weather in the nation's mid-section...
I don't know where the package was mailed to and from but that's something to consider. There's a thread further on down the list regarding delays in Priority Mail packages; you might want to peruse that for some information.
posted on December 19, 2000 04:29:24 PM
If you don't feel comfortable talking to her on the phone there's nothing saying you HAVE to discuss this with her over the phone. The post office's policy is that you have to wait 30 days before you can file a claim. That's public knowledge. She should be aware of this. It's entirely up to you wether you want to refund her now, or have the USPS send her a refund check.
If you decide to not refund her money now, she may NEG you, so you might want to consider that. (Then again, you may refund her and she may NEG you anyways! With some you can't win!)
Good luck.. just do whatever you feel most comfortable doing.
posted on December 19, 2000 04:29:47 PM
Don't do it -- any of it. Remind her that you have no more control over USPS than she does, and all either of you can do is follow their procedures (i.e., wait 30 days to file a claim), as sorry as you are about that.
You're in no position to do more, as sorry as you are about that.
What she could do -- and I've done this on gifts that didn't quite arrive on time -- is take a catalog picture of the thing and wrap THAT up in a nice big pretty box. She WILL end up either getting the VCR you sent or her money back, and that's the best you can do, as sorry as you are about that.
And don't give her your phone number (tho I know she can get it from ebay) -- there's nothing to discuss.
posted on December 19, 2000 04:30:19 PM
Also, I assume you have the blue insurance sticker? If so, that is trackable online. Go to USPS.com, and enter the insurance slip number in the tracking box. It will tell you if they have tried to deliver. I shipped a priority box to a customer on 12/4. A couple of days ago, I got a message that she had never gotten it, and when did I send it? Turns out, they had tried to deliver, but the slip got misplaced. She got it at the P.O. yesterday where it had been waiting for her since the 7th.
posted on December 19, 2000 04:39:12 PM
Go ahead and ask her for her number if that would make you more comfortable. Then call her and discuss the fact that you have no control over the post office, especially around Christmas. The post office will trace a priority mail package on the 21 day of non-delivery if it was insured. If not, 30 days, but they can't promise anything if it wasn't insured.
If she wants you to trace it, tell her the postmaster will provide her with a form that she has to fill in, stating UNDER OATH, that she has never received it. You'd be surprised how this little form magically makes the package appear (sometimes).
posted on December 19, 2000 04:45:07 PM
Thanks everyone. I feel much better now! I didn't realize you could track an item with the blue insurance slip so I just check and the VCR is still enroute according to the Postal Service. So maybe it will get there soon. If not, she'll just have to wait until the time limit is up to file the claim.
Merry Christmas!
Kathy
