Item delayed and damaged in the post (royal mail)
edited 28 December 2022 at 5:19PM
in Ebay, auctions, car boot sales, post & parcels
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I bought an item for £20 via FB marketplace and paid via bank transfer. (I know, not ideal, but I couldn't find this particular item on Ebay)
The seller agreed to post, and sent it on 16th December with royal mail 24 hour tracked.
I expected some delay, due to it being just before Christmas, bank holidays and the strikes, so was prepared to be patient. It was delivered today 28th December, 12 days after it was posted.
The added problem is that the parcel was damaged (crushed by the looks of it, and the box was ripped open)
The item (it was a pottery item) has broken. Unfortunately the sender didn't put any 'fragile' tape on the box, so I imagine royal mail will not entertain a refund for the damage? I wondered if I could recoup a bit of my loss by claiming for the delay (24 hours tracked taking 16 days) As it was a tracked item, at least there is proof that it was delayed.
I've never done any sort of claim with royal mail. I've googled and read contradicting things. One says either the sender of receiver can make a claim, another says that 24 and 48 hour tracked, has to be claimed by the sender.
I've messaged the sender to see what they suggest, and if they can help, but I've not had a reply yet. Wonder if to chalk this down to experience or if I could pursue claim for delay and/or breakage, as I've got nothing to lose.
I'm guessing a chargeback through the bank is only against a business? (This was from a person, not a business)
Any advice appreciated, thank you.
The seller agreed to post, and sent it on 16th December with royal mail 24 hour tracked.
I expected some delay, due to it being just before Christmas, bank holidays and the strikes, so was prepared to be patient. It was delivered today 28th December, 12 days after it was posted.
The added problem is that the parcel was damaged (crushed by the looks of it, and the box was ripped open)
The item (it was a pottery item) has broken. Unfortunately the sender didn't put any 'fragile' tape on the box, so I imagine royal mail will not entertain a refund for the damage? I wondered if I could recoup a bit of my loss by claiming for the delay (24 hours tracked taking 16 days) As it was a tracked item, at least there is proof that it was delayed.
I've never done any sort of claim with royal mail. I've googled and read contradicting things. One says either the sender of receiver can make a claim, another says that 24 and 48 hour tracked, has to be claimed by the sender.
I've messaged the sender to see what they suggest, and if they can help, but I've not had a reply yet. Wonder if to chalk this down to experience or if I could pursue claim for delay and/or breakage, as I've got nothing to lose.
I'm guessing a chargeback through the bank is only against a business? (This was from a person, not a business)
Any advice appreciated, thank you.
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All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
Royal Mail almost certainly won't pay out for pottery/ceramics (they rarely deem broken ceramics to have been packaged well enough) so the seller won't get anything back from them to refund you. You have no recourse against the seller anyway. So you'll probably only get anywhere if they agree it's not fair for you to be totally out of pocket and maybe refund you half so you're both equally out of pocket.
I shall cross my fingers that the seller at least attempts a claim for breakage, or like you mention Spoonie, maybe a part refund. Thanks a lot for all your advice
See this link - https://en-gb.facebook.com/help/1300403490093419
and scroll down to "contact our team" - it's worth a try, Facebook need to be accountable to those of us who choose to use their 'marketplace'.
Hope that helps. And also that you get a refund soon.
from the link
“ Purchase Protection only applies when you purchase an item with delivery or checkout on Facebook.”
All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
However the current FB marketplace is quite safe as long as buyers know how to protect themselves - I would normally suggest paypal using the goods and services option - if a seller won't use that then walk away. A few sellers can take cards but realistically any small seller whether private or a micro business is unlikely to have the facility for online card payments (my card reader for instance requires the card and owner to be physically present)- so it is really just paypal. As you have been unfortunate enough to find out a bank transfer is rather like paying cash to a stranger , much of the time it's fine- I certainly wouldn't treat any of my bank transfer customers any different to one paying by paypal and would refund for damaged or lost items. It does however leave you vulnerable if a seller is less interested in helping a buyer in a timely manner.
I would continue trying to reach the seller to see if they will assist you with a full refund, as that is what you are entitled to if something you buy reaches you damaged.
All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.