Another cheeky buyer!

pinkgem

I sold an item late yesterday evening with the postage choices:

2nd class £2.95, 1st class £3.95, Special Delivery £6.95

There is a clear explanation in my auction of the approx delivery times and short description of services along with a note stating that I normally go to the post office on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The buyer paid for 2nd class and then sent me this note:

"Please could you address it to Charlie xxxxxxx and not xxxxxxx as I am remarried not got round to changing name with PayPal. Also can I have it before Saturday Many Thanks Charlie"

I was not planning on going to the post office until tomorrow, if I send it 2nd class tomorrow then it might reach her for Saturday but I find 3 working days is the norm and this would be next Monday.

She is obviously expecting me to post it today but I don't see why I should have to go out of my way to help her get the item before Saturday if she can't even be bothered to pay the additional £1 for 1st class postage for delivery a day or 2 sooner!

I have written back and said that I cannot guarantee delivery for before Saturday since she has paid for the slowest delivery option. I told her that 1st class and 2nd class are not guaranteed although 1st class should be quicker and if she NEEDS the item before Saturday she should pay for Special Delivery or ar least 1st class for a better chance that it will turn up on time.

What would you do?

frivolous_fay

I think you've done the right thing.

Inactive

Agreed, some people really try it on.

jellycat40

You do get them don't you!!

I had similar before Xmas pay by cheque and then want delivery before Xmas when they never sent payment until the 20th so the cheque would not have cleared before then let alone the parcel negotiated the Xmas post!

Louise

Baby_J_2

Silly woman. 2nd class post is so unreliable anyway!

Contains_Mild_Peril

1st class is almost as bad in my experience.

pinkgem

I did consider sending by 1st class but after double checking the weight and cost this will leave me with only 25p for packaging and handling costs.

The item is fairly fragile and needs to be wrapped in a few layers of bubble wrap and then brown paper or a mail bag so I don't think 25p is enough.

Also I don't see why I should have to lose out when she is the one who wants the item so soon but doesn't want to pay the additional £1 for 1st class postage.

mpython

Suspect I'm being a bit cynical but the name thing sounds iffy? What's wrong with sending it to their maiden name? Is somebody using somebody else's computer? Plus, is the rush to get hold of it, to receive it before the account holder gets home?

pinkgem

mpython wrote:

Suspect I'm being a bit cynical but the name thing sounds iffy? What's wrong with sending it to their maiden name? Is somebody using somebody else's computer? Plus, is the rush to get hold of it, to receive it before the account holder gets home?

i see what you mean. i don't really see that she needed to write a note to ask me to write a different name on the package as it doesn't really matter, it would still get to her.

also strange that she says she hasn't had chance to change her name with paypal yet but the email address linked to her account has been changed to her new surname and her ebay name also includes her new surname - she changed her ebay id to new surname in august last year but hasn't had chance to change her name with paypal for 6 months!

cazmanian_minx

pinkgem wrote:

i see what you mean. i don't really see that she needed to write a note to ask me to write a different name on the package as it doesn't really matter, it would still get to her.

also strange that she says she hasn't had chance to change her name with paypal yet but the email address linked to her account has been changed to her new surname and her ebay name also includes her new surname - she changed her ebay id to new surname in august last year but hasn't had chance to change her name with paypal for 6 months!

Think you've done the right thing, but in defence of the buyer, changing your name with Paypal is a pain in the backside, you have to fax them various bits of ID. I'm separated and changed my name back to my maiden name by deed poll - they needed that faxed to them along with a copy of my passport and a utility bill or bank statement and it then took them a few weeks to put it through. But although they changed the name on the visible part of my account, they didn't change it in my address book, so for about 3 months afterwards I was still getting parcels addressed to my married name. I think it's sorted itself out now - I bought something this morning and saw that the delivery address had defaulted Caroline [maiden-name].

Caz

Avoriaz

Offering only one choice of postage will avoid this problem in future.

Ebay buyers should factor in a postal delay when purchasing. It is not like going to a shop.

Mail order catalogues etc specify up to 28 days delivery.