posted on October 3, 2001 02:16:47 PM
With all these posts on the boards complaining about difficult bidders and bad auction experiences... I thought I'd share one of my recent experiences with everyone here. I had an auction end for a camera accessory about a month ago... never received payment, so I sent my normal reminder e-mail. Here is the response I got: (all correspondance has been edited to remove any identifying details)
I was about to write you asking "where the heck is my widget"... I did send payment. You have obviously not received it and in calling my bank, the check was never cashed. There is a $10 stop payment fee so I'm out either way. I'm just going to send you $10 in cash (folded in a sheet of paper) today. Re-list the item if you like. At this point I had to buy one here. Thank you for your understanding, I hope we can exchange positive feedback once you receive the payment.
I thought it was very nice of him to offer to send payment for an item he didn't even want me to ship any more. But, I kinda felt bad that he was going to have to spend extra money on a deal that never went through. So, I sent him this reply:
Thank you for your prompt reply. I am sorry to hear that you had to purchase another widget already. Since you don't need another widget, is there any small accessory that I can send you instead? Perhaps a xxxxx for your camera model? I bought a large lot of them at very good prices (their suggested retail price is over $40.00). Since you have been such a pleasant person to deal with, I would be happy to send you one when your $10.00 payment arrives. That way, I'm not out my money from the widget sale, and you're not out your money either. Let me know if this would work well for you. And of course, I will be happy to leave positive feedback for you. It is truly a pleasure to do business with you.
Apparently, he greatly appreciated my response, and sent me back this e-mail:
Thank you for such a kind e-mail. The cash did go out yesterday, so you should get it around Tuesday (I'm in west coast). The reason I was purchasing it was because I sold my entire camera outfit on eBay and didn't want to ship it with anything missing. Subsequently, there is now nothing I need for it... I sold everything to upgrade my system to a xxx xxxxx outfit. If you have a film back cover or something, my return address is on the envelope. Whether you send something or not, I appreciate your understanding and will leave positive feedback for you as well. Thank you once again.
Well... I don't have much for his current camera, but I've offered him an original strap for it. Hopefully, it will be something he needs. I've had enough difficult customers that when I get a nice one like this... I try to go out of my way to show how much I appreciate honesty and the willingness to take responsibility. Just thought I'd share this with all of you. I hope that you may all some day have bidders as nice to work with as this one was!
posted on October 3, 2001 02:32:50 PM
I have some very nice bidders too. The bad once seem to be the ones who get all the attention.
Only I'm not sure I understand. He is sending you the money, but no longer needs his item? So you going to keep the item and money, but send him something you think he could use?
posted on October 3, 2001 03:31:35 PM
My bad auction experiences are few and far between. Most people are very friendly and respectful.
What you are seeing here are people that are venting about the few bad experiences they have. Unfortunately, it's the bad experiences that are the most memorable.
