Postage Stamp Disappeared?

Horseunderwater

A couple of years ago I had the same thing happen to something I sent out. Buyer said they had to pay £5 as I'd not put anything on the parcel to cover postage. Back then I always used the post office labels and they were white I think back then, never used stamps. So I asked for a breakdown of the charges and explained to this buyer that if it was my parcel the charge would X as I'd sent it LL and I'd kept a record of postage via a POP. Then I advised them that the excess penalty is only ever a £1, so if they'd been charged this amount by the RM (excess charge) that they'd been done in some way and if the rest was for my parcel it was way over what I'd have paid to send it out. Never heard another word. When I mentioned it in passing to the PO chap in village he laughed and said buyers are always trying that one on! So seems to be a popular one.

aeb_2

I always write a return address on the letter or parcel. I write the name of the item at the top of the POP. (I don't sell a huge amount)

When a stamp came off and the buyer refused to pay it came back to me so I was able to go to the PO with item and POP and it was resent with a new stamp.

It works the other way too. I had an underpaid one sent to me and because the sender had written his name and postcode on the back I could identify it as something I wanted to pay for before actually paying. (Actually, it was deemed to be too fat for LL but on shaking it a bit the postmaster evened it up and agree it was LL - another trick learned, I attach thin items to a piece of card so they can't slip to one end and become 'parcels' IYSWIM)

Splashy

I had a card through my door the other day for £1.83, I had no idea what it was, and initially bemoaned my big sister who is notorious for just writing an envelope and sticking any old stamp on, In the end it was some dvd's I'd ordered through a free dvd offer and they had put 2 LL stamps on but it was too weighty
Our local sure start once sent some flyers out and forgot to frank the envelopes
In other words the parcel coud be anything - hope it turns up and you get your deserved apology

mimi1234

Thanks all for your posts. I'm so glad I didn't refund there and then (which I would have done had I not have asked on here). The item turned up and I got positive feedback of OK. Hmmmm indeed. No message to say sorry for scaring the living daylights out of you.

Abbafan1972

How rude of them not to apologise. :mad:

I always put a return address sticker on the back of anything I send.

I could never just email the person like that, until I was sure who it was from (I do often order multiple items from Ebay).

Crowqueen

I always put a return address sticker on the back of anything I send.

If they had to pay to release the item, they wouldn't see that - so they wouldn't know whose it was. If they were only expecting one eBay item, then unfortunately that person may bear the brunt.

We got a problem with our stamps during the 2005 election. We got people paying to pick up our election literature and knew about the problem when we got a number of people leaving angry messages on the phone. I wouldn't expect someone who had to pay to pick up something they had already paid for once to be in a terribly good mood about it.

Not saying I wouldn't personally apologise, just that it happens - and it's terribly difficult to say anything directly. I'd accept the positive as an apology and move on.

mimi1234

Abbafan1972 wrote: »

How rude of them not to apologise. :mad: I always put a return address sticker on the back of anything I send. I could never just email the person like that, until I was sure who it was from (I do often order multiple items from Ebay).

Haha, don't worry. I'm not expecting a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine. I just think it would be decent of her to at least say sorry for getting her wires mixed up. That's all. My Mommy taught me manners though. Enough said.

Like you say, you can't just email someone and say send me another one out because you messed up when they don't even know if it was from that person or not.

Thanks all for your input. I do appreciate it.

soolin

I posted a while ago about a buyer who had a real go at me to the extent that I was sitting worrying about it at work. Yet when the issue was resolved they actually sent me an email saying somehting like 'thanks for your help mate, and sorry for being a real prat'

I also had one last weekend, again really went off at one, accusing me of just about everything. I was actually really taken aback and spent ages trying to work out what was wrong (it was to do with him not being able to pay and thinking I had disabled his paypal account somehow). It was so nasty that I actually asked him outright had I done something unintentionally to annoy him or maybe I knew him in real life as this was a real over reaction.

A day later, all got resolved and he did apologise and said he'd had a drink after a very long tiring week and hadn't quite realised how the tone of his emails had come across. I also got glowing feedback..but I was worried for a while as it was quite vicious and obviously he is blocked.

Crowqueen

It's something you may have to put up with. Not saying it's right, just something that a thick skin helps with.

There was someone who I discounted an item for after I made a mistake, then found the missing item and sent it in the package after all. Needless to say I was miffed that I didn't get feedback for it at all, even when she'd got a cheap item --- but I wasn't going to pursue it.

I didn't bother blocking her, I made the initial mistake on that one - but if we are talking about saying thank you that's my frustrating one.

Money_maker

Crowqueen wrote: »

I always put a return address sticker on the back of anything I send.

If they had to pay to release the item, they wouldn't see that - so they wouldn't know whose it was.

But your post office should let you take a look at the envelope/package so a return address will definately help. Particularly if the buyer refuses to pay and the envelope/package has to be returned to sender.