Are Royal Mail legally allowed to do this...fuming!!!

even_steven

I don't use Paypal precisely because of the poor protection it offers to sellers, so I can see your problem with that.

I've had a few buyers claim non-arrival of parcels and none of them has had a problem with waiting for the RM claim to go through before getting their refunds. I haven't received any negatives from any of them. As long as you explain why the refund / replacement will take time, most people in my experience seem to understand.

If someone leaps to claim through Paypal without contacting you and giving you a chance to sort the problem yourself, then they were likely looking for a 'free' item in the first place, IMHO.

kevinyork

even_steven wrote:

I don't use Paypal precisely because of the poor protection it offers to sellers, so I can see your problem with that.

I've had a few buyers claim non-arrival of parcels and none of them has had a problem with waiting for the RM claim to go through before getting their refunds. I haven't received any negatives from any of them. As long as you explain why the refund / replacement will take time, most people in my experience seem to understand.

If someone leaps to claim through Paypal without contacting you and giving you a chance to sort the problem yourself, then they were likely looking for a 'free' item in the first place, IMHO.

Yes your right. I had a buyer recently, claimed non receipt on the first day they were entitled to through Paypal but would not respond to a single email or phone message to discuss a resolution. I wanted to ask if they would like a replacement or refund but heard nothing so in the end had to refund them. A definate scam. However, not to offer Paypal would limit my market drastically. In fact, I wouldnt buy off someone who didnt accept Paypal either.

soolin

even_steven wrote:

Seems the best thing to do in future is not refund the buyer until the RM claim has gone through. Buyer is much more likely to confirm non-delivery if it's their claim depending on it.

Like the others have already said buyers do not have to wait for a RM claim to go through, nor should they.

If I had something go missing in the post to me and the seller told me to wait 6 weeks (3 weeks before claim can be started and 2-3 weeks for seller to receive cheque and repay me) I would assume the seller to be scamming me and trying to get me outside the 45 day time limit for a paypal chargeback.

As a buyer if I didn't get my item by week 2 I would expect a refund, if one was not forthcoming then I would chargeback via paypal, no question.

As a seller I treat my buyers the way I expect to be treated myself and will refund in week 2 and reclaim from the RM in my own time. I have periods where RM seem to lose a lot of my post and had extra compensation a couple of Christmasses ago when RM admitted a problem with casual staff within one of their sorting offices.

Also, even if your buyer does get contacted (and it is rare) a paypal chargeback doesn't require them to do anything, they can chargeback regardess and if you can't prove delivery the you lose. Again, even as a seller I believe that is the correct way of doing things.

Soo

DrFluffy

even_steven wrote:

Seems the best thing to do in future is not refund the buyer until the RM claim has gone through. Buyer is much more likely to confirm non-delivery if it's their claim depending on it.

Indeedy - and most reasonable buyers will go along with this..

carrie483

CAT-THE-FIFTH wrote:

I once had a Special Delivery item appear as being delivered on the website almost 3 hours before it actually was!! Weird!!

We get this a lot at work (internet mail order company) Royal Mail say that if they try to deliver it and there is no answer then they sometimes show it as delivered. Then they redeliver it later on in the day....

Royal Mail generally do as they please when they please.

soolin

DrFluffy wrote:

Indeedy - and most reasonable buyers will go along with this..

Well I'm unreasonable then. Paypal only allow 45 days in which to make a claim, waiting for the seller to get a claim in (15 working days=3 weeks) plus another 3 weeks or so to get a cheque and then get round to repaying me means I am close, if not over my chargeback period.

Any seller that expected me to wait until I could not chargeback would strike me as a scammer, and I would chargeback immediately and not wait even for a reasonable period.

Soo

bella4uk

UPDATE
Guess what I got in the post today...a cheque from the PO for the missing item...5 months in the waiting but I guess it pays to complain...Yipee

martindow

Well done Bella - patience is a virtue!

carrie483

well done bella.

Dammam

bella4uk wrote:

UPDATE
Guess what I got in the post today...a cheque from the PO for the missing item...5 months in the waiting but I guess it pays to complain...Yipee

5 months??!
probably got lost in the post.