posted on June 21, 2001 04:59:11 PM
I knew this was going to be a problem transaction from the beginning! Just by the many emails she sent to me with silly questions before she would even come up wit her shipping addy. Well I send this very breakable thing. In my EOA it states.....If you would like insurance on this item, it is up to you to request it...and the cost of the insurance. She denied insurance. She got the item and a corner of it was broken, a very clean break, easily fixed with a bit of ceramic glue. This was packaged like I have packed 10 before of this item, syrofoam, bubble wrap and peanuts.....literally bomb proof. The kicker? She wants to send it back for a complete refund, bid price and shipping both ways. I told her I would do one of 2 things. Send her ceramic glue to fix the crack which would be very simple and not noticable at all, and refund her the $9.75 she would have paid to ship it back to me,
OR Refund her the original bid price, send me back the product in the same wrappings, and arrive with no additional damage, and no
refund on any shipping charges. Actually I think I have no obligation to her since she did not want insurance in the first place, but I am trying to work something out. What ya think?
posted on June 21, 2001 05:25:23 PM
I find it remarkably facetious how many sellers once insurance is refused by the seller they feel they have no continued obligation to the buyer. Hay “ Hay they didn’t take insurance, nothing I can do. “
First off ever have to file an insurance claim with UPS, USPS, or Fedex ? It’s a nightmare. 90 % or more of the time no matter how well you packed the box it’s always your fault. You didn’t package it correctly. It’s never their fault. Oh no. Not even when TV crews capture UPS employees on camera playing box toss.
I self insure. Basically I will do whatever it takes to make the customer happy. I try to get away with a 100% money back guarantee less shipping and handling. If the customer continues to complain then I’ll eat that as well. It’s all part of doing business and treating people the way you would want to be treated under the same circumstances.
The bottom line is the buyer expects the product to arrive intact and ready to use or display. They don’t want to deal with the hassle of returning the item in the first so any additional hoops you make the buyer jump through only frustrates the buyer more.
I try and make all my transactions a pleasant experience for both the buyer and me. If there is a problem frankly I want it to go away as quickly as possible and move on. Maybe my customer service mentality comes from working 5 years as a customer service representative for a very large hotel, motel chain years ago. They really went the extra mile to do whatever it took to make the customer happy.
I’ll never forget asking what if this person is trying to rip us off. My supervisors responded that there are always those that will try but they are most definitely the minority, Less than 4%. That really helped me put things into perspective and taught me how to deal with the other 96% of the calls I handled over the course of the day and in my dealings with my eBay customers as well.
posted on June 21, 2001 05:38:43 PM
It's hard to break a book, but the P.O. did it. Tried to rip it in half.
The buyer had not chosen insurance. I offered to refund the bid price.
Ditto missing shipments. I rebate the bid price, not the shipping. I figure I'm already paying listing fees and FVFs plus losing the value of the item.
posted on June 21, 2001 06:20:01 PM
I am a seller and also a buyer ...if I choose not to insure the package and it arrives broken....too bad for me. If you are a seller and the buyer opts to pass on insurance...why in the world is the seller responsible? That is what insurance is all about! I used to sell all glass items with only one item broken during delivery. My customer had insurance and the claim was paid by the Post Office in 3 weeks (excluding shipping charges). I have also been in customer service for over 20 years and have heard it all, domestic and international. I'm all for pleasing the customer, but staying in business is kind of important to me too
posted on June 21, 2001 07:04:41 PM
I've never filed against UPS or Fedex. However, I've filed/helped buyers file 3 breakage claims and one loss claim with the postal service. The first one was only a problem because I live in a small town, and the substitute clerk gave me wrong info. Still, it was resolved within a couple of days. Once I knew how to proceed, the other two were very smooth. The loss was paid at 30 days. If a nightmare is putting your name and address on a form, presenting the original insurance form, and printing out an invoice for the lost or damaged item, then I guess that was a nightmare. I didn't think so, and the PO paid on all claims w/out any garbage about not packing correctly.
I use delivery confirmation on every package I send out to cover my butt. Nope, I wouldn't make good on an uninsured item. Not only do I not have duplicates of what I sell usually, but I'm not into coddling people who are too cheap to insure something. I pack using UPS guidelines - 2" (minimally) of padding around the entire item and have been lucky enough not to have had anything broken in just under two years. I think my bidders are smart enough to know I'm not driving the item to their home - if they want to bet on the PO, then that's what they're doing - betting. And with betting, sometimes you lose.
posted on June 21, 2001 07:32:54 PM
I set my winning bidder email so that it states:
"Insurance is optional for an additional $X.XX This is USPS's price, not mine! While I package my items with care I am in no way responsible for lost or damaged items which are uninsured."
If possible I include this line in BOLD lettering. If the customer decides not to choose the insurance then it doesn't get insured, easy as that!
Adding insurance costs to shipping can deter bids, because we all know that 90% of the bidders don't take the time to read all of our ad! They see the current price and s&h then bid away if they feel they're getting a deal.
posted on June 21, 2001 07:57:39 PM
"Actually I think I have no obligation to her"
You guys can "state" anything you want but it is your responsibility to get the paid for item delivered to the customer in the condition it was stated to be in or there IS no sale.
Try saying you have no responsibility to send anything at all in your TOS - it will have as much meaning when the postal inspectors have a little talk with you.
What rips me is that if any of you bought something from Sears or Border's books and you got it all mangled there is not a chance in hell you would say well they got it in the mail so my bad if I didn't insure it.
Hey - You playing with the big boys now.
You can't say that one don't count - not fair. You are looking at mail fraud and charge backs here.
posted on June 21, 2001 08:13:39 PM
Insurance or no insurance, when I give the package to the carrier I expect them to handle it responsibly and not damaging it. If they damage it, they are accountable. No different when I go to the car wash and they scratch the paint.
As long as I took resonable measures to package the item well, I would never refund under any circumstance. They can whine to the carrier.
posted on June 21, 2001 08:40:28 PM
The key word in this situation is AUCTION....I am not a retail store like Sears, etc. This is an auction period! I just cannot comprehend how so many people think of eBay as a retail outlet...the two should not even be compared. If you want to go to retail and be assured your item will be replaced..then you have to pay retail prices.
posted on June 21, 2001 09:31:14 PMTry saying you have no responsibility to send anything at all in your TOS - it will have as much meaning when the postal inspectors have a little talk with you.
Gravid...Have you looked at the Post Office auctions on ebay? If you don't buy the insurance you are s**t out of luck if the item is broken or lost...the Post Office WILL NOT compensate you in any way, manner or form without insurance.
Considering this fact, it is hard to accept this statement you made but it is your responsibility to get the paid for item delivered to the customer in the condition it was stated to be in or there IS no sale.
I doubt the postal inspectors are going to come down on any seller who claims no responsibility when a customer refuses insurance....seeing that they, themselves claim no responsibility if the customer doesn't buy insurance.
[ edited by amy on Jun 21, 2001 09:33 PM ]
