Advice needed about feedback response

[roseblack]

Hi, I recceived a neutral feedback under a different eBay ID. They left no remarks except "Ok". I spoke to eBay about how to best handle this i.e. whether to contact the buyer and ask why and eBay were definite I should contact the buyer. So I emailed the buyer and asked if there was an issue they would like to discuss and the buyer just lost it and told me I had no right to contact her and that she was unhappy with the item (one of my best selling items of which I get many re-sales). She went on to call the item and me disgusting, told me I should be ashamed to sell this item and just went on a  rant.

What to do? I replied to her and explained had she contacted me prior to leaving feedback I would have made sure she was happy. I tried to be light and helpful but it just created another rant with her ending up telling me I was a crazy person and she had every right to her opinion. She sent me five rant emails finally ending with her saying she had reported me to eBay and has "named and shamed me on numerous forums". (This upset me). I ended up telling her that I would delete any further emails unread and she stopped emailing.

I feel that perhaps I could have handled this better but I am not sure how. She felt I was blaming her and that was not my intention. This is the second time I have contacted a buyer after receiving negative feedback and the first time didn't go much better. I know some buyers are just nuts but twice now...... I am wondering if it is worth contacting buyers about feedback?

I would like your opinion please? Do you contact buyers after receiving neutral/negative feedback. Also if you contact customers and have success reversing the feedback, do you have a script I could use for first contact?

Thanks

[roseblack]

I do those things but also have other things on my mind.

[everard6920]

I disagree with Stawka: just because it doesn't affect your seller rating doesn't mean that you shouldn't follow it up. I mean, if item not received and item not as described complaints didn't affect my rating, I'd still follow them up, because I want to provide good service. I would follow up neutral or negative feedback for the same reason - if a buyer isn't happy with their item then it helps me to know why, and I dont think there's anything wrong with sending one (non-accusatory) message in an attempt to find out/solve the problem. However, if they respond defensively or aggressively, leave them alone. You're only going to make it worse. 

[roseblack]

if a buyer isn't happy with their item then it helps me to know why, and I dont think there's anything wrong with sending one (non-accusatory) message in an attempt to find out/solve the problem

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Agreed and that is what I wanted to know - why? I thought she must have been unhappy with the postage time, as the item is one of my most popular and it wasn't my first thought that the item would be the problem.

I guess I was a little shocked by the vitriolic response and tried to calm things down by sending another email but it didn't go down as I intended and in the end she just ranted sending email after email even though I stopped replying.

[rocket2retro]

You are a lot morre diplomatic than I am

I recently sent this to a buyer for leaving a neutral feedback for an item that was 'smaller than expected'

Dear Unwarranted neutral feedback leaver,

I see you buy quite a bit on eBay. Might I suggest your next purchase be a ruler.

A ruler is a stick with numbers & little lines on it. It can be handy for checking the measurements that ebay sellers (like myself) put in their listings, so your item does not turn up 'smaller than expected" (not that you'll ever be buying any further items from me -as you are now on my blocked bidder list).

[amber-eyed-girl]

I hope your measurements are precise to the mm...I have a ruler 😛

just to make the point that some buyers, won't be happy no matter what the seller does. If a seller believes they have sent out exactly what was intended, on time, and packed well...neutrals are best left alone.

Roseblack, good that you stopped replying, might be worth sending anything really nasty to eBay, too. Vicious isn't appropriate at all.

[roseblack]

Roseblack, good that you stopped replying, might be worth sending anything really nasty to eBay, too. Vicious isn't appropriate at all.

[digital*ghost]

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@rocket2retro wrote:

You are a lot morre diplomatic than I am

I recently sent this to a buyer for leaving a neutral feedback for an item that was 'smaller than expected'

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Those kind of comments (particularly when ratings or feedback given to the seller are poor) are among my most hated occurences related to online selling, simply because in most cases, measurements are not a subjective aspect of an item's description. It's an exact thing, and completely not the seller's fault if someone doesn't know how to put a measurement into relative scale (I now have a set of digital calipers, but need to get into the habit of using it for more items than what I currently do).

Leaving poor FB like that over what are precise measurements, is - to my mind - the same as someone buying an item listed, shown and described as black, then leaving a neg because it's "not as pink as I imagined". (My first neg was along those lines). 

[amber-eyed-girl]

I know of one ID that eBay suspended because of their behaviour. If you have sent the messages to eBay then it is up to them, yes. You won't know unless they become not a registered user.

[black*poppy]

My feeling is that leaving neg/neutral feedback is the coward's way rather than doing things the right way by contacting the seller first.

People resent being called out on their bad behaviour and get defensive aggressive should anyone dare.

[kopenhagen5]

Well said.

That style of behaviour makes it easy to differentiate good from bad, at least for the good.