Item not arrived

Triangle

Hi there

I purchased a DVD boxset on ebay a couple of weeks ago and paid immediately. It has not yet arrived and I messaged the seller yesterday who was very apologetic and asked if I could have missed delivery. I contacted local sorting office - nothing waiting for me - and checked with neighbours, again nothing.

The seller has responded again to say sorry and that they would like to wait another week before refunding me the item cost although they will not be refunding me the postage the costs as they have proof of postage. Now, I was under the impression that the seller would have to make any claim to royal mail for missing items and as such I should be entitled to a full refund. Before I reply, I just wanetd to get some confirmation on here as to whether I am right. Also, as two weeks have passed, is it reasonable to wait another week?

Many thanks

theonlywayisup

Yes, you are correct, you are entitled to ALL your money back.

As you have waited two weeks, I would now be inclined to open an INR case with Paypal (don't let it divert you back to Ebay).

You tried the seller and they failed you, they now need a quick sharp introduction to selling online.

Crowqueen

They can't refund you only item cost - they have to return all your money. Politely tell them that they must prove delivery or return all your monies. eBay will back you up through a dispute.

It's up to you about waiting another week but at this point I'd be saying I was only prepared to wait a couple more days.

Seller can claim for the full amount with a proof of postage - item price plus postage - from Royal Mail so there is no reason not to refund the entire amount. Just remind them of this and perhaps even say you will agree to cancel the transaction so they can get their fees back if they refund all your money, so they are not out of pocket when their claim is successful.

Don't threaten feedback as yet.

sniggings

I think it fair to wait, you sound ok with that so why rock the boat, some people on here, seem to suggest opening a dispute at the drop of a hat, Royal Mail state 15 working days before a refund is given for a lost item.

chancesare_2

sniggings wrote: »

I think it fair to wait, you sound ok with that so why rock the boat, some people on here, seem to suggest opening a dispute at the drop of a hat, Royal Mail state 15 working days before a refund is given for a lost item.

Really? I think 'drop of a hat' is something you have taken out of context!

BTW, what RM or any other postal service gives as their 'lost' item period, is !!!!!! all to do with the buyer.

Op you have waited long enough.

sniggings

chancesare wrote: »

Really? I think 'drop of a hat' is something you have taken out of context!

BTW, what RM or any other postal service gives as their 'lost' item period, is !!!!!! all to do with the buyer.

Op you have waited long enough.

"out of context" it was never in context until I put it there, so how could I possibly take it out of context? :wall:

chancesare_2

sniggings wrote: »

"out of context" it was never in context until I put it there, so how could I possibly take it out of context? :wall:

So if it wasn't on the thread, then you've take it from somewhere else.....so therefore OUT OF CONTEXT.

:wave:

Crowqueen

I think two weeks is fair to wait, but any longer than that, particularly when the seller has said they will not refund all monies paid as they ought to, is pushing it a bit.

You wait if you want to - but most people by now want either item or money and I don't blame them. It's not an interest-free loan you are making the seller - it's payment for an item you never got and it's not right to ignore a buyer in such a situation.

chancesare_2

sniggings wrote: »

OMG :rotfl: wow are you 8 years old, your argument is about that level, you will be telling me your dad is bigger than mine next

I wish I was 8 years old and not just acting like an 8 year old.

Crowqueen

Sensible answer - really - people do accept that they might have to wait a while for a seller to be sure that an item is not just delayed. I see your concern that people sometimes claim non-receipt too quickly, particularly if they are going to scam. Some people jump the gun a bit.

However, as time goes on, it becomes less and less acceptable to the people who pay over the money to have to wait for something to arrive. Firstly, they may need it quickly - most items arrive within a week of posting, so it's reasonable to expect an item to come in that time period without being unrealistic. Secondly, don't forget that someone has money being tied up with someone who hasn't - to their knowledge - yet fulfilled their part of the bargain. It may be of course that you did send it promptly and have proof of posting, but that is of no consolation to a buyer who is waiting for something to arrive.

Thirdly, three weeks is too long by anyone's standards to have money in someone else's hands. Whether you intend to pay the buyer back is immaterial - the buyer has certain rights and it's unfair to try to hang on to their money so long. The claim is of no concern to them - you took the risk by selling something by post, you can get your entire payment back - but you need to accept not everyone is infinitely patient.

Finally, keeping the buyer happy means that their response to an RM claim will be positive. They do actually have to confirm they never received an item. So, essentially, if you don't bend over to keep them happy, they could hold up or even cancel any RM claim anyway, making your intransigence very foolish in the long run. It pays to cultivate buyer happiness, not just appear greedy and selfish about it as at present.

Just imagine if you were treated the same way in a shop - you would never go there again. That's what happens on eBay - people who have bad experiences don't go back to eBay - which hurts people like me who make an effort to look after their customers' wishes, even when we end up a bit out of pocket. eBay have been so successful at creating a brand that your actions affect our sales, just as our actions affect your sales.

Not caring about negs is not caring about the people paying. As I said on the other thread, it's like being at work and telling your boss you can't be bothered to do the work. That would have you up for incompetence, warned and maybe dismissed if you do it too many times. No reputable business would survive word-of-mouth that tells other potential customers that they would not get what they paid for and face a three week plus battle to get money back. That really won't do you any favours when trying to sell as people do read feedback when purchasing.

These are all the consequences of your devil-may-care attitude. You obviously don't care much about your customers' well-being, which is the thing that really matters in all businesses, eBay as well as the rest of the world.

Triangle

Thanks for the replies.

Crowqueen, I did as you suggested - emailed seller and politely stated I would wait until Saturday and after that would require a full refund, also said about royal mail compensation they could claim and offered to cancel transaction once refund had been received.

Seller replied and thanked me as didn't know about compensation scheme and advised me to get back in touch on Saturday. No mention of full refund; as such, I'm hoping it won't be a problem, they certainly seem geniune and have been very polite/apologetic. Fingers crossed!

Many thanks again.