Claiming for item 'damaged' in post

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

thriftymanc wrote: »

Ok, I am definitely not going to pay for return postage up front. I think my next step is to ask the buyer to return it for inspection... I think they will say no. What would eBay/Paypal say about that?



Another stupid question: do I need to have the item back in my possession in order to claim from Royal Mail or can I claim if it's still with the buyer?

Royal Mail would need the item and packaging to consider a claim.

If the buyer doesn't return they won't get a refund from Paypal.

hiccup123

thriftymanc wrote: »

Ok, I am definitely not going to pay for return postage up front. I think my next step is to ask the buyer to return it for inspection... I think they will say no. What would eBay/Paypal say about that?



Another stupid question: do I need to have the item back in my possession in order to claim from Royal Mail or can I claim if it's still with the buyer?

tell the buyer this via the case so that ebay and paypal can see their answer. They will ask the buyer to send it back anyway....so pointless for the buyer to say no. It is easier for the buyer to send pictures to you.

if you claim with RM you will need the item to send to them

GregtheHammer

thriftymanc wrote: »

Ok, I am definitely not going to pay for return postage up front. I think my next step is to ask the buyer to return it for inspection... I think they will say no. What would eBay/Paypal say about that?

With either they will insist the buyer returns the damaged item by a trackable method at their own expense, it will be up to you if you wish to refund the return.

hiccup123

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head wrote: »

Yes, what do think Royal Mail are going to do, put it on a satin cushion and carefully carry it to your customer?

They are going to hold a bag of mail and tip it upside down from up in the air.

pointless putting a fragile sticker on it then, huh?

see the thing is i sent it special delivery and special delivery items don't get put in the bag/sack along with all the other mail. I have been told by RM, and my PO that the item is kept separate from all the other mail and taken separately to the van and handled better than the other mail because the items can sometimes be insured for a lot or worth a lot.

I have also heard from posties that they know posties that like to throw parcels around for fun especially if they have a fragile sticker on it....no ones going to know after all....crazy people

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

hiccup123 wrote: »

pointless putting a fragile sticker on it then, huh?

see the thing is i sent it special delivery and special delivery items don't get put in the bag/sack along with all the other mail. I have been told by RM, and my PO that the item is kept separate from all the other mail and taken separately to the van and handled better than the other mail because the items can sometimes be insured for a lot or worth a lot.

I have also heard from posties that they know posties that like to throw parcels around for fun especially if they have a fragile sticker on it....no ones going to know after all....crazy people

Fragile stickers are pointless yes.

SD is kept separate from main mail but kept with other SD items, perhaps your books could have landed on a parcel containing a fragile piece of china instead of the floor.

If you'd sent 10 of these parcels of books are you expecting Royal Mail to keep these completely separate from all other parcel and each person in the 5 offices it goes through to treat the parcels with extreme care?

Special Delivery doesn't guarantee your parcel will be treated with great care and Royal Mail won't pay out if they deem the packaging insufficient regardless of the compensation chosen.

Postal workers should be lifting bags but they still get dragged along the carpark floors resulting in damage to the parcels inside, especially when it's been raining. Any company with so many employees won't offer a perfect service and packing your item so it can be throw around (within certain costs) is wise.

Mindless_Clone

Firstly, from now on, make sure all correspondence is made through the claim. That way ebay will see it and take it into consideration in case buyer turns nasty (or nastier).

I, personally would stop all the negotiating about it and stick to the official ebay line; they need to send the item back to you first. Including all the packaging so you can make a claim against royal mail. On receipt of the item, you will issue them with a refund for the original item and the P&P costs. If the item is, indeed damaged, you will refund their P&P costs too. You can't really say fairer than this and, at some point, the buyer is going to have to trust you. Ebay will make you refund them the full costs as buyer will have proof of returning it (hence the whole special delivery/tracked thing they insist on) so the only thing they really need to trust you on is that ou'll honour return postage.

If they are still doubtful, get them to describe the damage in detail, if possible photos or some video to demonstrate it. Also ask for pictures of the packaging. If that's enough to satisfy you that there is genuine damage, then agree to pay the return postage but only on receipt of the item. Alternatively, you could ask them to scan the receipt for postage as soon as they post it and then refund them as soon as they do. If it's special delivery though, it will be next day anyway. Again, there's going to have to be trust from them at some point.

I would also point out that ebay will ask them to return it before holding you to account for the refund anyway so they can do it that way or not at all.

They will most likely leave you a neg but if you can somehow goad (without appearing to) them into saying they'll do it if you don't do x y or z, then it's easy enough to get it removed.
If it's not possible to remove the neg, then simply comment (reasonably) on it that the buyer opened a case without contacting you first and full refund was given.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

thriftymanc wrote: »

What should I do now? I didn't tell them I would definitely refund. This latest message has got my back up. They say they can't trust that I will refund them if they post first - well if I pay them, I can't trust that they will actually use the money to pay to send the parcel back!

You can either refund them and hope they comply if you make a claim, the terns say: "For damage and part loss claims the damaged contents and all the packaging must be retained and presented to Royal Mail upon request." so it seems to be case by case.

Or ignore the buyer and let them return at their cost as instructed by eBay.

eBay claims seem a little different and eBay may give them a returns label or a no fault refund (eBay cover the cost of the claim but it depends on the circumstances).

custardy

hiccup123 wrote: »

pointless putting a fragile sticker on it then, huh?

see the thing is i sent it special delivery and special delivery items don't get put in the bag/sack along with all the other mail. I have been told by RM, and my PO that the item is kept separate from all the other mail and taken separately to the van and handled better than the other mail because the items can sometimes be insured for a lot or worth a lot.

I have also heard from posties that they know posties that like to throw parcels around for fun especially if they have a fragile sticker on it....no ones going to know after all....crazy people

You are a little confused. You do realise RM get more than one SD a day?
The SDs travel separately from other mail
They still travel with the SDs
packages cant read stickers. If your item can be damaged simply by falling. then it isnt packaged sufficiently
eg a heavy book falling has weight to create an impact force greater than that of a light item
So it can be more liekly to be damaged than a lighter item

thriftymanc

I deleted my posts through paranoia about the buyer tracking me down

Basically, I spoke to eBay on the live chat and they said with an eBay claim there is no rule about the buyer needing to send the item back first. They kept telling me to 'resolve it amicably'. I argued with them for a while and spoke to four different people who all told me the same thing. The gist was, either way I lose. They can't force the buyer to post the item back, either I refund the buyer and hope they post the item back to me, or they take the money out of my Paypal account because I'm supposedly refusing to accept the return! So, I gave up. I refunded the buyer and will proceed with the RM claim and see what happens. I wish the buyer had opened a Paypal claim and not eBay, I wouldn't be having this problem if they had

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Live chat is useless, the terms state:

"For 'significantly not as described' (SNAD) cases, resolution would include the seller:
...
refunding the buyer the cost of the item plus original postage costs promptly. We expect the seller to arrange the refund within 3 calendar days of receiving the returned item.."

If you agree to the return eBay can't hand your money out willy-nilly as their terms are legally binding.

It's very sad that you've been let down by eBay in this case.