There's a bit of discussion from time to time about how to get buyers to give feedback & I've just come across a new approach.
Background: I recently bought a second hand book for a friend.
I did have some concerns as the seller was a big volume reseller but had a LOT of negs and neutrals, almost all for being late, books taking well over a month, or cancelling sales. Alarm bells.. perhaps a drop shipper or someone overseas?
I bought & paid on 16/1 from a seller in Sydney. I am in Melbourne. I was meeting my friend on 3/2 and hoped to hand over the book then. No such luck.
On 17/1 I received what looked to be a long form message from the seller, saying how Aust post was slow, allow at least 6 business days etc etc
On 23/1 I received a message the book was posted. I thought this wasn't amazing service to be honest. On the slow side. Another message about how slow postage is these days.
On 9/2 the book arrived. It is in a large envelope, clearly stamped 6/2 @ 8.12
My suspicion is the books come from an overseas source & were posted to seller on 23/1 and when it arrived, on to me on 6/2.
I have bought things from Qld after I bought the book and they all arrived before this book!
Attached to the book is a little note: Give good feedback, 5 stars all the way and go in the draw-one of their loyal customers will win a $250 Coles voucher in Feb. This is a new initiative, they say!
Normally I would be rapt as I usually give feedback anyway. But this was one case where I was going to mark down the postage stars.
So.. should I be bribed? or tell the truth and be damned!!
And how reliable is feedback on the internet? I got $50 once for doing a google review of a real estate agent (he was brilliant so had no problem with giving 5 stars). I've won prizes and vouchers on product review too.
So.. what do you think.. is it a good tactic? I'll be watching their FB with interest.
@imastawka wrote:Attached to the book is a little note: Give good feedback, 5 stars all the way and go in the draw-one of their loyal customers will win a $250 Coles voucher in Feb. This is a new initiative, they say!
I'm curious. Do they have their permission number listed from the Attorney-General for this raffle?
Who even says there is a raffle? Do they publish the winner's name?
Pathetic bluff IMO. Feedback extortion also
Permission number or not, if they offered me a $250 voucher I would take it!
That said, I am out of the running, for sure. Only gave them a 3 for postage time.
Amd my feedback wasn't glowing.
They say they will announce the winner on their Fb page but really, it could be anyone, couldn't it. They could make up a name.
Although.. they can't very well make up an ebay ID.
I'll be interested to see how they announce it, by ID or name.
I told the truth and ticked that it did not arrive in the specified time so my name is probably mud.
I'd buy from them again if I had to but only if i didn't need the book for ages.
The price is pretty steep considering I bought my own copy for about $22 new years ago.
It's a stupendous book though, really changes your outlook on a lot of things, gave me some light bulb moments.
Told a friend, she asked me to buy it. Why competent people who can travel the world and conquer airline check in and customs & sell on gumtree can't manage to use ebay themselves I do not know.
Actually they have a second novel way they approach giving feedback responses.
Occasionally they respond to feedback but they write a long sentence and it spreads from one feedback to the feedback below (it would be an art to manage that, they must do it backwards in 2 parts so the start is at the top?).
So their feedback response is a generic message to all buyers, not to the person they are supposedly answering.
Different.
Thanks Springy, but I have so many people looking for it, I forsee multiple
copies turning up all at once.
Then it'll be "How embarrassment!"
