How far to go to keep buyers happy and avoid negative fb (am I a wimp?)

In the past I've always given refunds, regardless of reason.

I also insist on the item being returned, even though it costs me money, as I don't want a buyer to get a refund and keep the item.

 

But where should I draw the line?

 

I currently have a buyer who bought two of one of my health-releated items, opened one of them, and now wants full refund.

The opened item won't be saleable.

Postage requires a satchel or small box, so ~$7.50 each way.

The buyer claims that the item isn't the same as the one they already have (and disparages the quality). That's clear from the photos, and from the listing which states that the model is a US/UK variant and not commonly sold in Oz.

 

I offered a full refund on the first item and half on the second, and she would have to pay rtn post.

That must not have been good enough as she has now opened a refund request (something is wrong with the item).

 

I'm going to end up out of pocket regardless. And might also get a neg. In the past I would have accepted the return and given a full refund on both items. But I'm tired of being a walkover.

 

wwyd?

 

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How far to go to keep buyers happy and avoid negative fb (am I a wimp?)


@beakychew wrote:

 

On this account I have 100% positive and about 400 feedback. A neg would make a difference.

 


What would it make a difference to? While I am asking that to provoke, in a practical way, I'm not asking to be contentious. 

 

The reason is because in the large majority of cases, the only thing a neg affects is the way a seller who gets one feels, and in cases where it has the potential to affect sales, it's usually due to the seller's response to it, rather than the feedback itself.

 

I always say that when you make business decisions based on the fear of bad feeback, you're letting a complete stranger have more control of your business than you do. 

 

If you let go of the fear of feedback and just allow what you think is right and fair to guide you, that part of the worry is done and dusted.

 

It also helps if you can provide buyers with a choice of resolution, wherever possible - ideally it won't include full refund and keep the item when their claims are sketchy, but offering a choice allows them to get a positive result that they have some control over (eg, not applicable in this situation, but saying something like "I can provide a full refund on return, or if you would prefer to keep them, I can offer you a 50% refund", which I tend to offer if the item is damaged or flawed in some way, but retains most of its value or use. I tend to only make the offers once the problem has been properly established and confirmed, otherwise you can find you've offered refunds etc where it's not actually appropriate, so I start out by requesting images, or if images aren't possible, return, citing the need to determine the cause of the flaw, and/or pass them on to my supplier).

 

This might be easy for me to say, since I have a pretty decent amount of FB nowadays, but I am not really invested in it like I used to be (my first neg came when I had a purple star, about 700-odd FB, so I felt a little differently back then, but it is also what shaped my current position on things, and I've come to the point where if I get less than perfect FB, while I can get a bit ticked if I think it's unfair - which I do 99% of the time Smiley LOL - ultimately I've learned to take it in my stride and move on). 

 

This is important, because this underpins how I respond to people who contact me with an issue and mention feedback. eg The other day, I received a message from someone that started with "I don't want to ruin your feedback, but...." My first thought was 'you can leave me the worst FB and ratings possible, you still don't have a chance of "ruining my FB" o.o

 

She then went on to claim that the items she just received were damaged, that she couldn't use them and would need to dispose of them. I replied and explained she was welcome to return them for a full refund (I offer change of mind returns so even if they aren't damaged, she can have a refund of the item price), and then told her that she is also not only welcome, but encouraged to leave whatever kind of feedback she feels is honest and accurate. The second you do that, you completely undermine their "threat", and you can both just concentrate on the problem at hand. She replied back and dialed things back quite a bit, saying she didn't know how much postage would be and she's really busy at the moment. So I replied again and just said that's ok, my terms allow for several days after receipt to return items, so she has plenty of time.

 

That was a few days ago now, so I guess time will tell if she decides to follow up with anything, but so far, crickets... 

 

Anyway, I'm probably rambling on a bit, but in answer to the question of "how far would I go to avoid a neg...", the only thing I can say is that I don't go any further than I normally would for anyone, because my policies and practices apply to everyone, whether they would choose to leave good feedback or bad feedback. 

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How far to go to keep buyers happy and avoid negative fb (am I a wimp?)

I am in a very similar position at the moment.  A buyer purchased a CD soundtrack that was clearly titled but is was not the version she was after.  I even had in the listing description that this version was not the original movie soundtrack but a stage soundtrack.  I am trying to get her confirmation that she wanted the movie soundtrack and purchased the wrong item - this will help me if I appeal the possible neg.  She has opened a return request case and has not responded to my comms.  I have no problem refunding her but it is not worth the additional postage cost to have the item returned.

 

My advice - communicate with the buyer and try to get some acknowledgement that she purchased the wrong item and the item she received was as described in your listing - might help protect against the neg and if you want to dispute the return request.  In my situation, I will probably refund before the return request expires as eBay rarely finds in favour of the seller. 

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How far to go to keep buyers happy and avoid negative fb (am I a wimp?)

I recently had a buyer who opened a case for item not as described. Normally I just work something out with them and move on, but this buyer was just trying it on. I challenged his version of events in the dispute with photos that showed he was lying.  I also contacted ebay customer support and had them review the case before initially responding. Ebay advised it was most likely a change of mind request rather than a genuine " not as described case " I got the CS person to note this in the case files. I then noted all of this in my response to the case. I offered the buyer a refund under our 7 days return policy, but he would have to pay the return postage. The buyer then backed down and voluntarily closed the case.

 

Of course I got the neutral feedback with more blatent lies, saying I sent him abusive messages. I phoned ebay CS and had them take a look at my messages to the buyer. They agreed the messages where not abusive, BUT LEFT THE FEEDBACK THERE, because it is the buyers " experience".  I,ve got 100% pos feedback on all selling accounts, so was willing to wear a neutral or negative, rather than give into this nutter.

 

So in answer to your question, if the buyer is reasonable, I will refund and move on, but if they are just plain gaiming the system, I am willing to cop a red or grey dot if neccesary. I have got a fairly high feedback score on my main account so one dot is not going to make any difference. I would be a bit more carefull if the feedback score was in the low 100,s. though as a couple of red dots could start to bite.

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How far to go to keep buyers happy and avoid negative fb (am I a wimp?)

I don't have a specific answer for you, but I personally make sure that everything I sell can be returned for resale. Because my items are handmade, I package them in a clear cellophane bag with a sealed flap, so that if the seller decides they don't want it, they can easily pop it back in the cellophane and then into an envelope or satchel back to me. The old cellophane can then be discarded once I get the item back and the cushion cover repacked into a fresh bag.

 

Only once in the past 2 years have I had to refund because a buyer didn't feel it matched the description, the rest were all "change of mind" returns and went smoothly.

 

It seems like part of the problem is that once your items are opened, they can't be resold as they can't be repackaged?  You say you try to get the items back - what do you do with them once you have them back if you say they can't be resold? I can't see any items on this account, so perhaps if you gave us an item number someone might have suggestions.

 

It seems a shame that you feel that you have to refund so quickly, regardless of reason but many buyers know how to game the system unfortunately.

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How far to go to keep buyers happy and avoid negative fb (am I a wimp?)


@jfmgray wrote:

... 

My advice - communicate with the buyer and try to get some acknowledgement that she purchased the wrong item and the item she received was as described in your listing - might help protect against the neg and if you want to dispute the return request. 


Good idea. I'll give it a try.

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How far to go to keep buyers happy and avoid negative fb (am I a wimp?)


@chameleon54 wrote:

 I challenged his version of events in the dispute with photos that showed he was lying.  I also contacted ebay customer support and had them review the case before initially responding. Ebay advised it was most likely a change of mind request rather than a genuine " not as described case " I got the CS person to note this in the case files. I then noted all of this in my response to the case. I offered the buyer a refund under our 7 days return policy, but he would have to pay the return postage. The buyer then backed down and voluntarily closed the case.

 


Great plan!

 


@chameleon54 wrote:

 

Of course I got the neutral feedback with more blatent lies, saying I sent him abusive messages. I phoned ebay CS and had them take a look at my messages to the buyer. They agreed the messages where not abusive, BUT LEFT THE FEEDBACK THERE, because it is the buyers " experience".  I,ve got 100% pos feedback on all selling accounts, so was willing to wear a neutral or negative, rather than give into this nutter.

 


 

That really sucks. At least it was neutral and not neg.

 

On this account I have 100% positive and about 400 feedback. A neg would make a difference.

At this stage I'm expecting neg or neutral unless I give 100% refund and pay rtn postage, but who knows.

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How far to go to keep buyers happy and avoid negative fb (am I a wimp?)


@cushioncovers wrote:

I don't have a specific answer for you, but I personally make sure that everything I sell can be returned for resale...

 

It seems like part of the problem is that once your items are opened, they can't be resold as they can't be repackaged?  You say you try to get the items back - what do you do with them once you have them back if you say they can't be resold? 

 

 


Most of my items can be resold. This item is a pack of toothbrushes with fully sealed packaging which has to be cut open. I haven't had many returns, and only one opened before this one. (I use the opened returns myself, but I can only use so many!)

 

in the past, once I've insisted on a return, a couple of people have let the claim go, so I guess they were gaming the system. That's the main reason I insist on returns prior to refund.

 


@cushioncovers wrote:

 

It seems a shame that you feel that you have to refund so quickly, regardless of reason but many buyers know how to game the system unfortunately.


 

Ideally I'd like to create some guidelines that I can follow so I don't respond knee-jerk. Ive done that for INR, and it's helped.

 

 

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How far to go to keep buyers happy and avoid negative fb (am I a wimp?)


@beakychew wrote:

 

On this account I have 100% positive and about 400 feedback. A neg would make a difference.

 


What would it make a difference to? While I am asking that to provoke, in a practical way, I'm not asking to be contentious. 

 

The reason is because in the large majority of cases, the only thing a neg affects is the way a seller who gets one feels, and in cases where it has the potential to affect sales, it's usually due to the seller's response to it, rather than the feedback itself.

 

I always say that when you make business decisions based on the fear of bad feeback, you're letting a complete stranger have more control of your business than you do. 

 

If you let go of the fear of feedback and just allow what you think is right and fair to guide you, that part of the worry is done and dusted.

 

It also helps if you can provide buyers with a choice of resolution, wherever possible - ideally it won't include full refund and keep the item when their claims are sketchy, but offering a choice allows them to get a positive result that they have some control over (eg, not applicable in this situation, but saying something like "I can provide a full refund on return, or if you would prefer to keep them, I can offer you a 50% refund", which I tend to offer if the item is damaged or flawed in some way, but retains most of its value or use. I tend to only make the offers once the problem has been properly established and confirmed, otherwise you can find you've offered refunds etc where it's not actually appropriate, so I start out by requesting images, or if images aren't possible, return, citing the need to determine the cause of the flaw, and/or pass them on to my supplier).

 

This might be easy for me to say, since I have a pretty decent amount of FB nowadays, but I am not really invested in it like I used to be (my first neg came when I had a purple star, about 700-odd FB, so I felt a little differently back then, but it is also what shaped my current position on things, and I've come to the point where if I get less than perfect FB, while I can get a bit ticked if I think it's unfair - which I do 99% of the time Smiley LOL - ultimately I've learned to take it in my stride and move on). 

 

This is important, because this underpins how I respond to people who contact me with an issue and mention feedback. eg The other day, I received a message from someone that started with "I don't want to ruin your feedback, but...." My first thought was 'you can leave me the worst FB and ratings possible, you still don't have a chance of "ruining my FB" o.o

 

She then went on to claim that the items she just received were damaged, that she couldn't use them and would need to dispose of them. I replied and explained she was welcome to return them for a full refund (I offer change of mind returns so even if they aren't damaged, she can have a refund of the item price), and then told her that she is also not only welcome, but encouraged to leave whatever kind of feedback she feels is honest and accurate. The second you do that, you completely undermine their "threat", and you can both just concentrate on the problem at hand. She replied back and dialed things back quite a bit, saying she didn't know how much postage would be and she's really busy at the moment. So I replied again and just said that's ok, my terms allow for several days after receipt to return items, so she has plenty of time.

 

That was a few days ago now, so I guess time will tell if she decides to follow up with anything, but so far, crickets... 

 

Anyway, I'm probably rambling on a bit, but in answer to the question of "how far would I go to avoid a neg...", the only thing I can say is that I don't go any further than I normally would for anyone, because my policies and practices apply to everyone, whether they would choose to leave good feedback or bad feedback. 

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How far to go to keep buyers happy and avoid negative fb (am I a wimp?)

Couldn't agree more, I would rather have a dozen silly red dots on my computer screen than be out any money to a chancer who is dishonest enough to claim not as described just to save the cost of return postage, like DG, I offer item price refunds for change of mind (with the exception of books, I am not a library lol)

 

I did get a couple of negs many years ago biut the buyer was de registered soon after so the negs were removed. I was almost disappointed as i had such fun with the follow ups. My sales actually increased as the boards were a thriving commuity then and this buyer kept us going for a long while and a lot of members messaged me asking for my selling id.

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How far to go to keep buyers happy and avoid negative fb (am I a wimp?)


@digital*ghost wrote:

@beakychew wrote:

 

On this account I have 100% positive and about 400 feedback. A neg would make a difference.

 


What would it make a difference to? While I am asking that to provoke, in a practical way, I'm not asking to be contentious. 

...

I've come to the point where if I get less than perfect FB, while I can get a bit ticked if I think it's unfair - which I do 99% of the time Smiley LOL - ultimately I've learned to take it in my stride and move on). 

 

This is important, because this underpins how I respond to people who contact me with an issue and mention feedback. eg The other day, I received a message from someone that started with "I don't want to ruin your feedback, but...." My first thought was 'you can leave me the worst FB and ratings possible, you still don't have a chance of "ruining my FB" o.o

 

Anyway, I'm probably rambling on a bit, but in answer to the question of "how far would I go to avoid a neg...", the only thing I can say is that I don't go any further than I normally would for anyone, because my policies and practices apply to everyone, whether they would choose to leave good feedback or bad feedback. 


I could be wrong, but I thought it made a difference to rankings under Best Match, at least for a week or so.

 

When I buy, I read all neautral and negative feedback and decide based on the content, and how the seller responds to it. So for me as a buyer, it might not make a difference. i guess I assumed it would for other buyers though.

 

You're right that, if I stop worrying about avoiding a negative, then all of the other decisions are much easier. Thanks!

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