posted on June 1, 2000 05:15:40 PM
Just found a negative from Mr "New". He has no
feedback, sent a personal check which arrived the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. Did not include any info besides his name printed on his check, no auction site, number, item name, email - nothing.
(This despite the fact that my EOA states that I need that info to process things quickly.)
So, he negged me on Tuesday because he didn't have his item yet.
It's people like this that make you appreciate the majority of decent, sane users.
I HATE it when people send payments (checks, money orders, cash) that don't have the auction number, item name, email address, user name or ANYTHING to let you know what it's for--ESPECIALLY when they never answered your emails to give you their name and address. It happens even when the buyer isn't NEW to online auctions, too.
When I get one, I look at all my as-yet-unpaid-for auctions where the payment due is the amount on the check, eliminate those who emailed with their names/addresses that DON'T match the one on the check, look for "hints" in email addresses and user names of those still under consideration (such as a user name "jakeee678" being a good possibility when the name on the check is "Jake Smith), and send the most LIKELY auction buyer an email saying, "Are you Jake Smith?".
Of course, this is too difficult to do if you have 50 unpaid auctions, all for the same amount of money, with no names to match to ANY of them.
Did you hold the check or cash it? Does the buyer have no further interest in buying the item under any circumstances?
If you've politely explained what happened and offered to try to resolve it to the buyer's satisfaction but he still won't budge, there's nothing left to do but respond to his feedback with a brief explanation, so those reading the neg will understand.
I held his check until I had narrowed down my list of "suspects" - 2 days, then emailed both of my suspects with the question - was this yours?
One had not paid yet for his item, but responded right away. A day later "new" writes me "yes, it's mine". So I shipped his item the following morning.
I'm really amazed, because my EOA states clearly that I need this info, and without it
delays are going to result. You know what?
About a third of the bidders still don't send most of the info. Around two thirds only send a number, and no site, email, or anything else. I can live with them sending some info, but I can't believe people expect to get good results with *anything* they are doing when they are this careless.
Of course, my favorites are the "pros" who print out my EOA and send it back with their payment. Their stuff is often out the same day.
posted on June 2, 2000 12:45:21 AM
I hope the guy's check doesn't bounce, he'd probably just say "Tough". Did he at least pay quick? How will you rate him?
Strange but true, I used to say on my EOA's "send me your name & shipping address so I can go ahead & package". I dropped that line months ago and don't even ask for a response to the email now. It had a great effect, now 24 of 25 buyers write me back within 24 hours "Hi, my name is ____, please ship my item to (address). I'll send a check by (date)." I also ask that they either send a copy of the email OR write the item # on the envelope and most do both.
I once got an EOA from a seller like this:
You must print and fill out this form, any payment received without this form will be RETURNED TO SENDER:
Auct site
Auct number
Auct title
Your name
Your shipping address
It's a bit severe but we sellers understand where he's coming from.
posted on June 2, 2000 02:08:19 AM
Kasmoon, I started leaving my address out of my EOA email so the buyer would HAVE to write back for my address to mail the payment. Many just asked for my address (often two weeks later, when they realized they didn't have it) but still didn't give me their name and address. Sometimes their name was on the sender line by their email address, which helped. But doubling the number of emails I had to write for each auction was too much trouble, so I resumed it the way I'd done before.
It's amazing your buyers started offering their info after you quit asking for it. People are funny, aren't they???
Azrae, it seems to me you did everything you possibly COULD do for this guy, and he treated you like dirt. You "hunted" him down in your auctions, wrote him for confirmation, then mailed his purchase only 3 days after receiving his check (and didn't even wait for the check to clear?).
What could he POSSIBLY have to say bad about you in negative feedback?????
I wish you'd post his user name so I can blacklist him from my auctions. More like him I don't need.
posted on June 2, 2000 08:00:27 PM
Actually, I'd love to post his name, but I'm afraid that probably violates the rules here as I understand them, and since I just got done with this idiot I don't want another go-round with him.
I really don't wait for checks to clear on small items anymore, although I still bidders their check will be held. It just turned out to be too much hassle for the one bad check it actually caught when I did it.
I haven't left him feedback yet because I am still irritated. I never leave feedback when I am still upset. I thought of something like "THINKS I'M THE PSYCHIC HOTLINE & WANTS HIS A^^ KISSED, TOO" (now you see why I wait)
I will leave him a comment, though - any ideas?
It's funny, I've read posts by startrek, I think,and others, that suggest not accepting bids at all from new users, citing these types of problems.
I've never done it because 95% of the new people I deal with are great. However, I understand their perspective a little better today. I hope I don't end up agreeing with them.
[ edited by azrae on Jun 2, 2000 08:22 PM ]
posted on June 2, 2000 09:03:54 PM
I don't see how you can afford NOT to let new people bid on your Yahoo auctions (or ebay, Amazon, Gold's, etc. for that matter). A very high percentage of all bidders now are newbies, and their money is SORELY needed.
I do agree you shouldn't leave feedback for him until you cool down some (Yahoo might allow the "psychic hotline" bit, but I don't think they'd appreciate all that KISSING!!).
Has he gotten the package from you yet? Maybe when it comes he'll soften his attitude and change your feedback to something positive (you never know....knock on wood). If so, you'll know what to say in your feedback to him when the time comes.
posted on June 5, 2000 09:22:44 AM
As a long time seller on Yahoo, I have come up with what I believe is the only way to deal on a site where users hide behind phony IDs and "win" auctions just for the sake of leaving negative feedback.
I state in my auctions that new users with a rating of 0 must email me. Without the email, I cancel their bids. Yes, I get fewer bids. But I also get fewer deadbeats and have only 1 negative received 8 months ago before I started doing this.
posted on June 5, 2000 01:24:32 PM
Same thing here. Got a check in the mail today for $63 with address but nothing with regards to what they are for. I sell using eBay, Yahoo & also web site & its tough to determine who did what & what is for bla bla bla if the customer don't include related auction/purchase info.
