Royal Mail refusing compensation for damaged special delivery

akuma101

I recently sold a phone RM special insured delivery through amazon which arrived damaged (the phones sim tray was crushed in transit), the person who bought it off me sent it back without the original packaging as they chucked it away. RM are refusing to compensate me either for the value of the phone, (150) or the repair of the phone (50) as I can not provide the original packing. Is there anything I can do?

visidigi

Nope, they would need to see the packaging to understand how you sent it, for all they know it could have been broken before it was sent and you had just posted it in a paper envelope.

Retaining the packaging is a default thing to do if claiming for damage.

shaun_from_Africa

akuma101 wrote: »

Is there anything I can do?

Not really.
You have to look at it from RM's point of view.
You are trying to claim money from them for damage that your buyer claims happened whilst the phone was being delivered to them.
There is no proof of how well packaged the phone was, and for all RM know, the damage could have occurred after the phone was delivered.

agrinnall

What phone is designed in such a way that the SIM holder can be damaged by crushing without causing extreme damage to the rest of the phone? Every phone I've owned either has the SIM buried deep in the internals under the battery or in a slot on the side of the phone. To damage either place would pretty much destroy the phone.

bris

Sounds very dodgy to me, as above how can you damage a sim tray without damaging the rest of the phone. The buyer has probably knackered it.

akuma101

thanks for your replies

akuma101

bris wrote: »

Sounds very dodgy to me, as above how can you damage a sim tray without damaging the rest of the phone. The buyer has probably knackered it.

It is difficult to prove this.

akuma101

visidigi wrote: »

Nope, they would need to see the packaging to understand how you sent it, for all they know it could have been broken before it was sent and you had just posted it in a paper envelope.

Retaining the packaging is a default thing to do if claiming for damage.

I have no control over what the buyer does with the packaging, do you think in future if I take a picture of the packaging before sending it they will honour their 'special delivery' service?

custardy

akuma101 wrote: »

I have no control over what the buyer does with the packaging, do you think in future if I take a picture of the packaging before sending it they will honour their 'special delivery' service?

Well let's step back.how was it packaged?

visidigi

akuma101 wrote: »

I have no control over what the buyer does with the packaging, do you think in future if I take a picture of the packaging before sending it they will honour their 'special delivery' service?

Yes you do - when the buyer says 'its arrived damaged' you say okay keep everything and send it back to me.

Photos when shipped with your name and date in the photo may help you.

George_Michael

Have you checked to make sure that the IMEI number of the phone that you received back is the same as the one you originally sent?
If it is the same, you should also have a good look at the phone to see if you can spot any signs that bits have been swopped over.

It's not unheard of for some buyers to use ebay as a free spares service.