eBay dispute:'PUDO transaction'

epm-84

I sold an item on eBay, the buyer paid by PayPal and requested the item to be sent to an Argos Click + Collect point. I sent the item to the Argos store via Hermes and it tracked as being delivered on 5th January.

This morning I got an email saying a case had been opened saying the buyer hadn't received the item and was requesting a refund. I logged in to eBay and noticed it said the following

"Jan. 13 The buyer didn't receive the item
Buyer requested A refund
Comments **PUDO Transaction** Buyer no show in store. Item was unable to be returned as seller does not accept returns. Item sent to charity. BWNSFFP"

How can the dispute involve me if it's know the item was available for collection and the buyer didn't collect the item and the item hasn't been returned to me? There's a pending refund showing in my PayPal account as well.

soolin

epm-84 wrote: »

I sold an item on eBay, the buyer paid by PayPal and requested the item to be sent to an Argos Click + Collect point. I sent the item to the Argos store via Hermes and it tracked as being delivered on 5th January.

This morning I got an email saying a case had been opened saying the buyer hadn't received the item and was requesting a refund. I logged in to eBay and noticed it said the following

"Jan. 13 The buyer didn't receive the item
Buyer requested A refund
Comments **PUDO Transaction** Buyer no show in store. Item was unable to be returned as seller does not accept returns. Item sent to charity. BWNSFFP"

How can the dispute involve me if it's know the item was available for collection and the buyer didn't collect the item and the item hasn't been returned to me? There's a pending refund showing in my PayPal account as well.

You need to check your settings urgently, there is a setting that allows for business sellers to refuse returns and just refund- if you have ticked that in the past (and I can't recall where I saw it in my settings) then you need to untick it ugently if you don't want this happening again.

If however this occurs on private sellers who just don't accept returns generally then this needs to be clarified with ebay immediately as I was not aware that not accepting returns as a private seller (in general settings) meant Argos would donate uncollected parcels- although I have never seen this situation mentioned previously on any ebay thread here or on the community boards so I assume my first paragraph is more likely.

The usual process for Argos is that item is accepted by them but if a buyer doesn't collect then item is returned using tracked post to the seller- I had a few of them which is why I opted out of Argos as an option.

epm-84

I'm a private seller and the item was an accessory for a phone I no longer have.

soolin

epm-84 wrote: »

I'm a private seller and the item was an accessory for a phone I no longer have.

The item is immaterial- you need to find where in your settings you have set up a policy for returns.

With Argos arrival at Argos does not protect the seller from an INR, if buyer chooses not to collect then they get a refund as soon as item is sent back to the seller- you must find out why your settings seem to not allow for returns- phone ebay if necessary.

The only other thing that I can think of is that the collection code generated by the printed label you used didn't show the correct info- did you print the label direct from paypal?

http://sellercentre.ebay.co.uk/terms/click-collect-argos#anchor20924

Returns
If the buyer fails to collect the goods within 7 working days of being notified that it is ready for collection the contract between you and the buyer shall be treated as cancelled by the buyer.
The item will be returned to you by Royal Mail tracked 48 hour service provided the item has been delivered with a legible UID.
Once you have received the returned item, you shall refund the buyer within 6 days.
The Buyer will not normally be able to return items to an Argos store and will be directed to use the standard returns process on eBay.co.uk. In exceptional circumstances and for the sake of customer good will, returns may be accepted in-store at Argos’ discretion. In these exceptional circumstances, the item will be returned to you by Royal Mail tracked 48 hour service, and you will be required to refund the buyer within 6 days of receiving the item.
Your normal returns policy will apply to items that are eligible for Click & Collect at Argos.

epm-84

I've contacted eBay and the person effectively told me they have no idea and need to contact Argos. I pointed out that nowhere in the T&Cs for Argos Click + Collect does it say about uncollected items going to charity with the buyer still being entitled to a refund.

As I'm a private seller I don't see why I should have to accept refunds if the buyer changes their mind. Of course they are always allowed to return an item if it doesn't arrive to them in the condition described or the wrong item is sent. However, the legal requirement applying to business sellers to allow buyers to change their mind doesn't apply to me and having items returned when no-one is available to sign for them/accept parcels which don't fit through a letterbox would be massively inconvenient for me.

epm-84

soolin wrote: »

The only other thing that I can think of is that the collection code generated by the printed label you used didn't show the correct info- did you print the label direct from paypal?

No but I copied and pasted the code. I also don't see how that could be the case otherwise how would they already know it was my item that was donated to charity and not someone else's?

soolin

epm-84 wrote: »

I've contacted eBay and the person effectively told me they have no idea and need to contact Argos. I pointed out that nowhere in the T&Cs for Argos Click + Collect does it say about uncollected items going to charity with the buyer still being entitled to a refund.

As I'm a private seller I don't see why I should have to accept refunds if the buyer changes their mind. Of course they are always allowed to return an item if it doesn't arrive to them in the condition described or the wrong item is sent. However, the legal requirement applying to business sellers to allow buyers to change their mind doesn't apply to me and having items returned when no-one is available to sign for them/accept parcels which don't fit through a letterbox would be massively inconvenient for me.

an item not collected at Argos does not count as a return, it's just the same as an item being left at the mail centre uncollected and returned.

Try ebay again, they have a dedicated Argos team, you need to speak to them. You could try phoning Argos as well, they are usually quite easy to get through to - and perhaps just ask them why they didn't sent item back. The more info you have the easier this will be to track down what went wrong.

epm-84

soolin wrote: »

an item not collected at Argos does not count as a return, it's just the same as an item being left at the mail centre uncollected and returned.

I see it more like requesting for it be delivered to a relative and then not going to your relative to get the item, as the item had been delivered to the address which the buyer requested for it to go to. If it's left at the sorting office then it was never delivered to the requested address.

soolin

epm-84 wrote: »

I see it more like requesting for it be delivered to a relative and then not going to your relative to get the item, as the item had been delivered to the address which the buyer requested for it to go to. If it's left at the sorting office then it was never delivered to the requested address.

Unfortunately as per the link I posted ebay do not agree.

epm-84

I've now received the following email from eBay:

Normally, Argos will return uncollected items after 7 days, this is due to space restrictions in the store. I can see that the return was not processed by the store correctly. I am very sorry for any inconvenience caused and I will escalate this and we will work closely with the store to ensure this does not happen again.

As you have fulfilled your obligations in getting the item to the store within the timescales allowed, eBay will be refunding the buyer. You will keep the original funds from this transaction and this will have no negative impact on your seller’s account.

soolin

epm-84 wrote: »

I've now received the following email from eBay:

Normally, Argos will return uncollected items after 7 days, this is due to space restrictions in the store. I can see that the return was not processed by the store correctly. I am very sorry for any inconvenience caused and I will escalate this and we will work closely with the store to ensure this does not happen again.

As you have fulfilled your obligations in getting the item to the store within the timescales allowed, eBay will be refunding the buyer. You will keep the original funds from this transaction and this will have no negative impact on your seller’s account.

A good result, well done.