Refund request - advice needed

cafenervosa_2

Hello, I have this problem buyer from the USA. I sold a DVD to them in May and shipped it off to them in the USA from over here in the UK. They received the DVD fine but then a few weeks later I got an email saying the DVD was not working in their DVD player's, she insisted that they are PAL compatible. She even said they DVD's won't work in her laptop, so she was asking me to give her a refund. There was not even a hint that she would accept a replacement which I thought was a little strange, so I said ok post the DVD back to me and i'll give you a refund.

2 weeks later she asked me if i've got the DVD back yet as she's not got her refund, I said no i've not received nothing back yet. The the day after I got a little slip from Royal Mail saying that they had a package for me and it had accured a customs charge, this charge was for £8.76! I was unsure at the time what this customs charge was for because I order a lot of stuff from overseas. To my surprise I get to the Royal Mail Office where the package is being held and show them my slip. I say i'm not paying anything until I see what this item is (I've never had a customs charge before). So they go to the back and bring the DVD out and it is this DVD return from the USA, I had decided before I went in for it that I would not pay this fee if it was this DVD. They point out to me that this package is worth $50 which is what she put on the customs label, when if fact I worked out that the sale of what she paid for the dvd was only $30. This dvd is only £13 to buy new, so there's no way I am gonna pay near £9 customs fee for it. So I walked out without the package and emailed the customer telling her that she put the wrong value on the customs label and that its being sent back.

Then I get an email back and it was basically stating that she wants her refund no matter what! I offered a replacement but not a chance, she wants a refund. In the email she has said that unless she gets her refund she will claim the transaction as fraudulent on her credit card.

Now I do a bit of maths, well aware of the 45 day rule with paypal from which she paid and work out that it is 38 days since she purchased the DVD.

So my question to you guys is do I give in and give her the refund, or just sit back and hope she does not put a claim in with paypal over the next week, after which she would have no chance anyway.

Thankyou in advance for any advice.

owey

I wouldn't give in, but I would keep the proof of the PO charges that they want for the dvd, even better tell her to send the £9.00 customs charge then you will do the refund. Even though she is not happy I don't think she has a leg to stand on.

cafenervosa_2

I got an email from paypal this morning, her claim has gone in and paypal want info from me

jaffa30

Hi

Looks like you will end up paying via paypal.
Strange it took her a couple of weeks after she got the DVD to say it aint working.
Looks to me like she watched it copied it then wanted a refund IMHO
The only way you can tell if its working is to get it from the PO but as you say it aint worth doing that

Jaffa

bleugh

paypal,
paypal
paypal

:-(

jaffa30

OHHHHHHHHH yes the wonders of Paypal

Its a handy tool to have when all is well but it always seems to come down on the side of the buyer when theres a dispute

Jaffa

shelly

Tell her you will refund her money but take off the £9 customs charge as that was her mistake and not yours.

owey

cafenervosa wrote:

I got an email from paypal this morning, her claim has gone in and paypal want info from me

I would give all the details inc the charge the PO want to Paypal, and I still think they would side with you, at leat the £9.00 customs charge. As you say she has put the wrong amount on the parcel. I would also inform Ebay about it, not that it would make much difference.

cafenervosa_2

Thanks guys for the advice, I will have a good think about this.

I was thinking too what Jaffa said, I think she has a least watched it or even copied it. It was strange how she never wanted a replacement.

Cheers anyway, i'll let you know the outcome of it.

bleugh

...............personally i wouldn't do any refunding, you're gonna get negged and chargebacked anyway, so keep the money for your hassle.

go with what shelly said, BUT......

initially dont say you'll refund her.
only mention you will NOT refund the customs charge due to her mistake.

if she gets grumpy and threatning and negs/chargebacks then you have not lost the money, she has!

as soon as you mention that you 'may' refund, you've no leg to stand on, she'll get crappy either way

let her shoot herself in the foot first, then you have the moral high ground, AND the money in your pocket!

trace-j

You'll have incurred further costs now you've sent it back and paid the customs charge. Sounds dodgy when they put the incorrect value of item on the package.

Say to paypal you've had the item examined it and there's nothing wrong with it and send it back. Keep copies of the prove of posting etc, also point out you've incurred further costs. But if they've blackmailed you by saying they'll say it's a fraudulent paypal transaction forward it to Paypal and don't send the item back, i'm sure they could draw their own conclusions.

Paypal are a law unto themselves, having looked at other MSEers posts they don't refund for goods that don't work.

Where are you at the moment?