posted on March 26, 2004 06:56:39 PM
Sanmar/Fluffy/Fenix/OhMsLucy/et al:
I come seeking some sage advice from a more experienced bunch. I do value your opinions and have heeded much of it.
This evening, I just received an e-mail (actually a "Message from eBay Member" with what appears to be "buyers remorse." She was the underbidder on a 4-piece place setting of Charles Field Haviland porcelain. We can date it to about 1870-1881 and it's in GREAT shape - as you'll note in her message to me below.
She accepted the Second Offer for 50-cents less than the high bidder ($21.50). I sold this same pattern to 3 others - for as much as $30.50! There were ELEVEN photos of the pieces - including great detailed close ups.
What would you do?
Here's her message to me:
Received dishes in excellent condition, but I really don't like the hand painted job. It doesn't look professional, looks more like someone from the estate painted it. I see your policy is final. Is there any way I can return this? I am just not happy with the looks. I had planned to use the set. thanks.
Do I encourage her to "display" the 130+ year old porcelain rather than "USE" it? I know the more you do this stuff, the more nuts you encounter - and this is a rare one, that's for sure...
Looking for your thoughts, suggestions, ideas on how to respond. Don't mean to take up too many synapse cycles - just wondering how you'd handle this type of buyer's remorse....
Ironically, I was just setting out to list another set of the same pattern when this message came in -- go figure.
Wayne
Never explain -- Your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway.
~ Elbert Hubbard
posted on March 26, 2004 07:16:21 PM
Buyers remorse is right. No returns, no refund. What was she thinking of anyway? If she wanted a set of cheap dishes she can head out to a dollar store.
As fluffy would say...you bought it, its yours!
posted on March 26, 2004 07:26:03 PM
Tell her that you hate those crappy looking dishes too. That's the reason you sold them Seriously, you can cleverly word a response that your no return policy is because of the volume you sell for third parties as estate clearances and that settlements with administrators are instantly made and reversals are awkward and time consuming to handle.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
The pictures in your auction left nothing to the imagination and the description was complete. I wonder if she clicked to see the enlarged images?
Sanmar will know more about this than I but I'm wondering if this is an "official" pattern or maybe handpainted on blanks. If Charles Field is the pattern name then I suspect it's the former rather than the latter.
In any event, judging by what she bought in the past, the handpainting wasn't what she expected. What I saw was more recent and therefore more uniform, deeper colors, etc. She may be trying to add "mismatched" pieces to her Noritake Azalea. A recent trend, I've heard.
What would I do? I'd invite her to send it back at her expense. Then I'd refund her bid price only. The amount of money is so small it's hardly worth spending a lot of time fiddling around.
posted on March 26, 2004 08:00:46 PM
I woud look at this persons buying history and consider if this is someone your would like to have as a repeat buyer (Breath Fluff, I'm going to address that thought running thru your head in a just a second)
If this is someone that you feel could be a return buyer, or is a return buyer, then explain that you will accept the item for return ON A ONE TIME ONLY BASIS and that you are willing to refund the purchase price only.
If you could not care less if they purchase again I would explain that with 11 photos you feel that the plates were accurately portrayed and that although you are sorry they are not entirely pleased, since there were no inaccuracies in the description and no deception in the images and that they acknowledge that your return policy was clearly spelled out, you see no reason to sway from it.
Suggest that if they are truly displeased with the set purhaps they should look into listing it themselves for resale (if oyou still want to harbor some good will, give them permission to use your photos for the listing if they wish).
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on March 26, 2004 09:25:15 PM
C'mon, Wayne, what you're really asking is "How can I get this lady to go away without damaging my 100% feedback rating?"
Right?
And there isn't any way, except caving completely. And you know what I think about that, so I won't even go there.
I looked at your pictures. It looks to me that the decoration is printed with some fast-and-dirty handpainting to fill in. It's not typical of double-mark Haviland Limoges; it looks more like lesser-quality Japanese.
If she expected Haviland Limoges-style decoration I can see where she would be disappointed. If you think the color might have been added later, check to see if it's above or below the glaze.
As for resolving the situation, you're on your own here, me bucko. Sorry.
--
"The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: `If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.'" -- Rita Rudner
posted on March 27, 2004 04:35:13 AM
There must be people out there with a lot of time on their hands. If I had purchased this and "just didn't like it", I would either donate it to Goodwill or use it to feed the cat. For the low dollar amount it wouldn't be worth my time to re-wrap and return.
My two cents: If you really want to avoid neg, allow return at her expense, no shipping refund. If you do get negged, just make sure you include text of her "just didn't like it" email in your response.
posted on March 27, 2004 05:33:12 AM
is it safe to eat with these old plates??
also is it dishwater safe??
sounds to me this woman bot it to resell.
-sig file -------we eat to live,not live to eat.
Benjamin Franklin
posted on March 27, 2004 02:21:53 PM
Thank you everyone! Just needed the push that a few of you gave to say: You bought it - clearly described and photographed - TDB you don't still like it.
I used a few bits and pieces from several posts to help me craft the proper, professional reply. Thanks for the suggestions.
She replied, understanding our position, and asked if we had anyone else interested, to give them her name and address... Nice enough.
Now to list the remaining 2 sets I have. Guess she won't be bidding on these, huh? (At least I hope not! Can't be too sure though, huh?
Edited to say that I wouldn't eat off of these plates and they're probably not dishwasher safe, either.
Wayne
Never explain -- Your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway.
~ Elbert Hubbard
[ edited by TheFamilyBiz on Mar 27, 2004 02:22 PM ]
posted on March 27, 2004 05:14:21 PM
I sell as much china as any one on this thread. I state in my TOS. "I guarantee this chain as described>" IMHO if you adequaetly described it, then I would not refund. She has a bargain & doesn't know it. Even at $30.00 per Pla, it is cheap.
posted on March 29, 2004 08:28:17 AM
While I am usually in favor of keeping buyers happy, this lady needs to keep those dishes. She REALLY needs to learn what an ebay bid means. eBay is not a big dept store.
posted on March 29, 2004 08:41:49 AM
Final Update: She is, indeed, keeping her pieces.
Sanmar - I agree. These are not cheap pieces and fairly hard to locate. Still have a perfect set and one with a tiny chip to sell -- If the one doesn't sell for more than 19.99 -- then I'll hold on to them until the fall when someone will probably buy them as a present for the collector in their lives.
Wayne
Never explain -- Your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway.
~ Elbert Hubbard
posted on March 29, 2004 09:01:27 AM
While I don't want to turn this into a sexist debate, I have noticed that in my business it's only women who want to prolong the transaction past the point it would have normally ended.
I myself shop that way occasionally in RL, thinking "Well, I'll just return it if it doesn't fit or doesn't look right."
Whereas guys hate to shop so much that their buying decisions are final. No way are they going back into that store.
All this is by way of saying maybe what some of us sellers need to do is include some text written in a feminine style to communicate my favorite saying: You bought it, it's yours forever.
Wayne, your auctions are already pretty lengthy but maybe you could work something in...
--
"Before I met my husband, I'd never fallen in love. I'd stepped in it a few times." -- Rita Rudner
with what appears to be "buyers remorse." She was the underbidder on a 4-piece place setting of Charles Field Haviland porcelain. We can date it to about 1870-1881 and it's in GREAT shape - as you'll note in her message to me below.
Seriously, you can cleverly word a response that your no return policy is because of the volume you sell for third parties as estate clearances and that settlements with administrators are instantly made and reversals are awkward and time consuming to handle.