Us buyer telling lies i think

rose28454

I sold a number of Queens Diamond Jubilee Picnic Hampers ( that I was given because I worked there) on E-Bay. One buyer in US caused a few problems at 1st as she did not have in her PayPal account and wanted to pay by Western Union. She then paid up and although the biscuits in the hamper were crumbled in transit and there was a small piece of wicker broken off in transit she was happy with the item and thanked me for my patience. I also sent her a free programme as she told me a sob story about being short of money etc.
Then a couple of days ago she said she had received her bank statement and realised she had spent more than she though and had decided to pursue me under the item not as described E-Bay rules. I said I would contact Royal Mail as it was insured in transit. Then today she asked for my e-mail address to send me photos of the damage and now has decided that the item was dirty and there was damage to another of the contents ( a non edible cake).
Then this evening I get a dispute e-mail from E-Bay where she said she wants all her money back ( although she was going to ask for a partial refund before).
As far as I am concerned I would be willing to refund about £15.00 for the cake and biscuits but no more. ( She paid £99.00 plus postage) but as far as I am concerned what I sent her was what I advertised.
What can I do

porto_bello

I get the impression whatever you do, or offer to do, it isn't going to be enough, but can you clarify:

How was the payment made in the end? (Paypal/Western Union/Other)
What damage is actually shown in the photo(s)?
What shipping service did you use to send the hamper?

rose28454

porto_bello wrote: »

I get the impression whatever you do, or offer to do, it isn't going to be enough, but can you clarify:

How was the payment made in the end? (Paypal/Western Union/Other)
What damage is actually shown in the photo(s)?
What shipping service did you use to send the hamper?

The payment was made through Paypal. She hasn't sent me any photos and the parcel was sent international signed for and I paid extra for insurance.
I think the buyer just decided she spent too much and is looking fora way to get back her money

sam.4000

I would not give a partial refund on this, I don't think you are going to win this one. If I had spent that much money I would expect it to arrive in perfect condition.
I would ask for her to send it back (tracked) for a full refund, you might find that it will cost her alot to post it back and she may not send it but do not offer partial refunds this only causes problems.

rose28454

sam.4000 wrote: »

I would not give a partial refund on this, I don't think you are going to win this one. If I had spent that much money I would expect it to arrive in perfect condition.
I would ask for her to send it back (tracked) for a full refund, you might find that it will cost her alot to post it back and she may not send it but do not offer partial refunds this only causes problems.

I am going to see if I can claim for damage through Royal Mail ( although I dont hold out much hope)first. I emailed her and asked for the photos which I havent got yet.
I think you are correct about partial refunds as it muddies the waters somewhat.
I will wait a couple of days and then tell her I will give her a full refund if she returns it. I will explain it has to be tracked which will cost her more.
It is a bit odd however that the other 4 I sold were all delivered in perfect condition. The hampers were all full of the Heston Blumenthal food on the day but I removed most of it before I advertised them. The biscuits were Oatcakes in a sealed pack and the cake I just sent for her to see but it was not edible. The hampers were packed in clingfilm as soon as we were given them and were only unpacked to be sent out. I therefore cant see how it was dirty.
I love doing e-bay most of the time but people like this just make me lose faith in human nature.
I sold some designer dresses earlier in the year and all went well except one buyer in Malta who insisted on returning it because it did not fit her. She did a dispute thing and sent it back in a bin liner screwed up like a rag and it was dirty. So I deducted the cost of cleaning and gave a partial refund.

ThinkingOfLinking

Don't give her a partial refund as this implies acceptance of the goods on her part - she is just trying it on.

Full refund on return - do not pay her return postage - and make sure she sends it tracked.

If anything's missing when returned, dispute it through eBay and don't refund til it's sorted.

If she negs you, use the emails as evidence.

porto_bello

I'd also ask for photos of everything, before you do anything else.

I'm inclined to agree with Flickering Ember - I'd then ask for everything back (including the programme) , tracked, insured & signed for.

I think you've got a 'something for nothing' opportunist here and I doubt they will entertain paying for return postage at their expense. But if they do and you find it's in pieces, you've got the before and after photos showing its condition.

But hold fire for the moment, I suspect most of the more experienced MSE users are watching Wimbledon and some may have alternative suggestions.

In the meantime, you could go back to the buyer with a holding reply, saying that you are asking for advice on how to proceed.

rose28454

Flickering_Ember wrote: »

Don't give her a partial refund as this implies acceptance of the goods on her part - she is just trying it on.

Full refund on return - do not pay her return postage - and make sure she sends it tracked.

If anything's missing when returned, dispute it through eBay and don't refund til it's sorted.

If she negs you, use the emails as evidence.

I have already copied all her e-mail into a word document as evidence. I am going to wait a day or 2 to see if the photos materialise then ask her to send it all back tracked postage and see what happens. I am not worried about negative feedback at all.

rose28454

porto_bello wrote: »

I'd also ask for photos of everything, before you do anything else.

I'm inclined to agree with Flickering Ember - I'd then ask for everything back (including the programme) , tracked, insured & signed for.

I think you've got a 'something for nothing' opportunist here and I doubt they will entertain paying for return postage at their expense. But if they do and you find it's in pieces, you've got the before and after photos showing its condition.

But hold fire for the moment, I suspect most of the more experienced MSE users are watching Wimbledon and some may have alternative suggestions.

In the meantime, you could go back to the buyer with a holding reply, saying that you are asking for advice on how to proceed.

I will tell her I am awaiting advice and the photos. I think you are right she is an opportunist. Thanks for your help.

rose28454

She just sent me a picture. It is of a packet of 6 Oatcakes that are broken!! Thats it.

Hermione_Granger

rose28454 wrote: »

I have already copied all her e-mail into a word document as evidence.

Make sure that you keep the e-mails as something copied into a word document isn't proof of anything.

Once it's in the word document, anything could be changed and if the buyer accused you of this, without the original e-mails, you would not be able to disprove their claims.