Paypal claim - but returned item being sent back to me?

Beckyy

Update:

I have a refund, but the phone has been returned to me. Seller has not answered my message requesting they send the money for me to return the phone again. Considering this has been going on for a long time now and the seller hasn't responded for 3 months. What would you do with the phone?

What should I do now? I'm due to be moving in the very near future. I can't use the phone, nor do I want it. Should I just put it in the post box without paying for postage or putting a return address, and allow them to incur the costs (& handling fee) the other end? [/quote]

I bought a mobile phone on eBay in January. It was fine, left feedback etc. Then I found out it had a fault and the screen was cutting out. Messaged the seller and they said they'd be happy to refund if I returned it to them. I posted it to them on 2nd class recorded. It couldn't be delivered but I messaged them to see if they'd picked it up and they said they'd been ill with the flu, and would pick it up the next day.

A week later it was still at the PO, and they weren't replying to my messages. I opened a paypal dispute, to which they never replied, so I escalated it to a claim on the 12th.

The only problem is, the phone is still at the PO and it's 18 days are up tomorrow, meaning it should be returned to me. What do I do with it? I'm worried I won't get my refund if the phone is back with me, but I don't want to pay to return it again only to have the same thing happen at my expense. I also don't know what to do with it if I DO get my refund?

(£46 inc. postage, so nothing fancy)

Beckyy

I suppose if if gets returned to me and I get the refund, I could post it back to to them without paying for postage and without a return address so that they have to pay for the postage to pick it up (albeit with £1 handling fee added on)?

Laura.Mantle

I'm sorry to say if it get returned back to a you have to sign for it at your end it will show up on the tracking on online and PayPal will not give you a refund thinking that you never sent it.

hermum

Have you put the tracking details into the dispute? You only have to show attempted delivery. Update the details & then give Paypal a call.

pinkshoes

What does the tracking say?

theonlywayisup

You have to act fast.

Update the dispute with tracking and a screenshot, before it changes....then ring PayPal and tell them seller failed to collect.

You WILL get a refund if you do this now.

techspec

As above - their refusal to collect it means you should be refunded.

Don't bother returning it again.

QuackQuackOops

You need to escalate the claim if you havent already done so, and add the tracking number to the dispute.
Paypal should be able to see that attempted delivery was made and that the item is deliberately not being picked up. You can also add this information too.

You should get the refund on that basis because they pay out for delivery or attempted delivery.

Beckyy

Thank you for the replies.

It's escalated to a claim. I also mentioned again that I had returned it when escalating it to the claim and wrote the tracking number when I intitally opened the dispute. I have the proof of postage also, which has their postcode etc. on it.

I've taken a screenshot of the tracking message which just says:
Item X could not be delivered on 01/02/12 13:55 (and no Safeplace option was specified by the addressee). A"something for you card" will have been delivered, the item will be returned to PO pending instructions from the addressee. You can arrange a redelivery online, call the PO to arrange a re-delivery, or collect the item from PO by bringing proof of identification and address.

but since it's escalated to a claim I can't see anywhere where I can submit the proof of postage or screenshot. I'm just worried that if I DO get the refund and the phone is also returned to me then the seller is going to accuse me of stealing it - just posting it back to them without any postage (so they have to pay at the other end) would mean I have no proof of postage either.

Alias_Omega

Give them a ring, use the saynoto0870.com website to get a number that you can call for free/cheap.

Beckyy

Tracking has changed to

Your item with reference X is being returned to sender.
This is either because the item wasn‘t picked up by the recipient, or because we couldn't deliver it. Sorry for any inconvenience. Please allow for at least two days before tracking the return of your item.

Will wait until it's back with me for now. :mad: