I have posted a coat that RM have lost :( Advice please!

DebtClearer

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melliott1963

Sorry, but the excuse "I have posted it, so it's not my problem" is no good. Put yourself in the buyer's position. How would you feel if you bought something which never turned up, and the the seller turns round as says to you "sorry, that's tough!".

Being 2nd class, there's a possibility it may still turn up. Or, it could be that it has turned up, and the buyer is trying to scam you. Unfortunately, as Recorded delivery doesn't always have its tracking updated, you've no way of knowing this.

Ultimately, if it doesn't turn up, you need to refund your buyer and then claim from Royal Mail, as it's you who have the contract with them, not the buyer.

DebtClearer

I'm not making excuses...I'm just saying it seems unfair.

What kind of compensation can I expect to recieve? Will they refund me the full amount?
If I refund the seller then I assume I just refund the item price and not the postage?

chunkychocky

As you have your proof of postage you can claim up to £46 I think, might be £48 by now, though this is obviously capped at whatever they paid you for it. It takes a long time to get the money back from Royal Mail though. The Royal Mail also stipulate that you have to allow 15 working days before submitting your claim.

shaun_from_Africa

Your proof of postage will allow you to claim up to £46 for the item and I think you will get the postage costs refunded on top of this.

chunkychocky

Oh and you have to issue a full refund. Why should they pay the postage for something they haven't received? You have the contract with Royal Mail it is up to you to claim the compensation. The buyer should be back in the same position they were in had they not bid on your coat.

DebtClearer

The RM website says "If both the sender and recipient of the item make a claim for compensation then the right to claim shall lie with the sender unless compensation has already been paid to the recipient. ".

This suggests the buyer can claim a refund. I may forward him copies of the proof of postage etc and leave the ball in his court.

custardy

DebtClearer wrote: »

The RM website says "If both the sender and recipient of the item make a claim for compensation then the right to claim shall lie with the sender unless compensation has already been paid to the recipient. ".

This suggests the buyer can claim a refund. I may forward him copies of the proof of postage etc and leave the ball in his court.

yup.smart move
that way when they file the dispute,they can get a refund and you have no proof to claim from RM :T
Im guessing you wrapped the coat in brown paper?

Horseunderwater

Firstly - Royal mail state that an item is not lost until 15 working days have past which means about 3 weeks. So you need to tell the buyer that they need to wait that long for it to turn up. Find out where their local sorting office is and ring them yourself and ask if there are any parcels being held by them for a person named X at Y address. I assume as it was a coat that it would be bulky and not fit through a postbox, so probably got returned to SO. If not then they may have left it with a neighbour - has the buyer checked? Be proactive on this - it is your responsibility to get it to your buyer.

DebtClearer

Coat was in a celephane bag as brand new and in brown paper yes.

I've never had an ebay dispute...I have never had anything go missing. I'm not being a pain here I just want to minimise my role in having to sought all this out. Money is tight too so refunding would leave me well out of pocket, a coat short and I have also lost money on ebay fees etc and paypal charges...

DebtClearer

If it was left with a neighbour surely they would have had to sign for it?