topic Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead! in Buying

Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

spiritseeker33 — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 23:04:35 GMT

I'm really annoyed with sellers who list and charge for express post shipping to end up sending items via regular post. I'm dealing with one of these sellers atm. I waited 8 days and contacted the seller, who said that the express shipping was a listing mistake and that the item was sent via regular post last Thursday. I really feel that it's not my problem that she made a listing mistake, and as a occassional seller myself I would stand by my mistake and post as I've listed. My annoyance is that this is around the fourth or fifth time this year already! What kind of feedback do you leave for these sellers?? I feel terrible leaving negative feedback for anyone, but I'm getting so sick of the laziness of quite a few sellers these days, and especially when I am someone who pays straight away. Grr, think just needed to vent! 🙂

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

*crikey*mate* — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 23:52:08 GMT

Spirit, remember that Express post is the method of postage, not the time frame in which the seller actually posts the item.

In saying that, if the seller does specify Express post, then regardless of how long it takes them to post the item, when they do it should be by Express post.

Feedback is your perspective of the transaction, so the dot colour and comment should be a true and accurate reflection of this - but please remember to remain objective and base your rating on only this transaction, not any others -

Remember though that you can also use the DSR stars to give a further indication of your transaction experience.\

Have you asked the seller for a refund on the difference between the postage prices for the service they used?

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

jameshouseofstyle — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 00:30:31 GMT

Hi spirit,

I know it's annoying to receive something by regular mail after paying for Express - but at least you have received it!

Difference in money is not really that great, refunding and mucking around is probably more trouble that it's worth - and the item itself was probably cheaper than in the stores (just guessing here) - so leave it alone.

If you even think of giving seller a neg just for that - think again.

What would you give a real shonk then - 3 negs?

Trouble with Ebay shopping is that everyone is so ready, at the drop of the hat to jump down seller's throats for tiniest little mistakes, the sort that mean nothing in real life - and not eveident on any other web site shopping I have ever seen!

People will advise you here to leave a neg, trash their stars, ask for refund - all this for couple of bucks!

What is going on with the world?

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

spiritseeker33 — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 02:07:06 GMT

Thank for your postive response 🙂 I wouldn't want to leave a negative because after all I still get my item at the end of the day, thats why I wasn't sure what kind of feedback to leave. Think I was just venting because it's been several times now, and wondered if it's been happening to other customers out there. Only once I've been refunded the difference. Usually I just leave it because it's not worth the hassle. It's just not something I would do to my customers that's all 🙂

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

jameshouseofstyle — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 03:05:21 GMT

Absolutely agree spirit - no seller would do that deliberatelly to their customers, must be an oversight (easy to do when you use one listing as template for many others, easy to overlook previous details and even harder to pick up on mistakes later).

It would be almost too hard to believe that some sellers would do it on purpose - unless they were brain dead - as they would hardly get rich any time soon with such piddly amounts

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

springyzone — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 04:26:59 GMT

I wouldn't leave the seller negative as you got the item. Leave negative feedback to the really bad sellers who lie about their goods or disappear without trace and don't send the goods. I've had a few of them.

But boy oh boy, I would be annoyed too.

You have a couple of options here.

You can give neutral and just say the item was excellent but you were disappointed the ad said express postage and it was sent regular postage.

Or you can give positive feedback and say much the same thing.

In either case, I would only give them one star for postage. Plus mark them down to 2 or 3 stars for their description.

And if that sounds vindictive, do you know the pivotal reason I would mark those stars right down?

The seller's attitude.

That seller didn't apologise, didn't explain, just basically told you they made a mistake, too bad, so sad. And only told you once you queried them.

Mark them down on communication, too.

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

tstore — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 04:49:33 GMT

I will be completely honest here, it is an easy mistake especially when you use the eBay app to write down addresses. My recommendation would be to message the buyer straight after paying that you have chosen for Express Shipping - that way there is no confusion. I would estimate less than 5% of our sales are express so you tend to assume it is always regular postage.

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

springyzone — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 06:49:18 GMT

You know, if a seller explained the query as you have and said sorry, my mistake but I didn't realise etc, I wouldn't have a problem with it. I might feel a little disappointed the item wasn't as fast arriving, but I wouldn't overly worry and my feedback would be good (if I liked the item).

But the way the buyer explained it, it sounded as if the seller said it was a mistake in the listing and it 'shouldn't have' said express.

Now that would be annoying to me personally because maybe the seller didn't mean to leave in the words express post.

But the fact is, they did.

So many little problems can be headed off at the pass with good communication.

I can still remember the one and only time I ever gave negative feedback. A seller had sold us concert tickets but when we drove 30 minutes away to pick them up, they weren't for the date advertised, he had made a mistake in the listing. I decided not to give any feedback as it was an honest mistake.

Then the next week I opened up my ebay to find he had put in an unpaid items dispute against me! I was absolutely livid, fuming. I gave him negative feedback on the spot, plus replied to the dispute. He rang me up, very upset, couldn't understand why I wouldn't withdraw the negative as it was a mistake, he had forgotten what had happened with the tickets. But I replied that if he had just emailed first and asked when i was paying, before launching into a dispute without asking, I could have cleared it up.

Communication is everything. Well, it helps, anyway.

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

trishreid88 — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 07:12:28 GMT

crikey*mate
I agree with you if the seller made it clear in the listing that they only post on certain days or twice a week etc or if they just list express post but even that can be annoying. Had this happen recently, express post was listed and the item was posted express but about 5 days after payment. It did annoy me a little but because I wasn't in a hurry to receive it I didn't mark down for it.

On the other hand if you have an option to pay more for express post, you expect by selecting this option and paying more for it that the item will be posted quickly (unless otherwise listed). I mean what is the point of express post if not to get your item quicker?
Sellers offering express should keep this in mind.

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

*crikey*mate* — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 08:22:18 GMT

Trish, all due respect, but you are putting forth a subjective approach to interpreting the listing. Fast delivery may be what you expect, but that's not what the seller is offering. The seller is specifying what postage method they will use when they get around to posting the item. You cannot blame a selller for your interpretation of what something "should" mean. The seller is only responsible for what they say, not what you understand, interpret or expect.

Just think, if it took the seller a whole week to get the item to the PO, then Express Post would still get the item to you more quickly than if they send it Standard mail.

In summary, Express Post is just the specified method of delivery, not the time frame in which the seller takes to get the item to the post office. It is Australia Post who makes the claims about speed of delivery once they receive the item, not the seller.

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

trishreid88 — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 11:35:13 GMT

crikey
I understand what you are saying about interpretation. You must keep in mind the advertising of express post both outside of and on ebay. Sellers can jump up and down all they like about many things but the truth is rightly or wrongly, it is the buyers interpretation that can effect what rating they give you. Therefore sellers must be aware that many buyers expect express postage items to be posted quickly.
Many times when you have the option to select express post over standard it shows the estimated delivery time is reduced sometimes to 1-2 days. If the item is then not delivery in that time because the seller has not posted it yet then in my opinion the buyer is not getting what they paid for as the item arrives outside the estimated delivery time and in this example completely due to the seller not AP.

My personal belief is if you state express post and do not state in the listing your postage time frame, then be prepared to get low stars or even the odd less than positive FB. (Not that I would ever give less than +FB if everything arrived as described)

Honestly are there many buyers out there that think differently?

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

tstore — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 11:40:14 GMT

If I was the seller I would have immeiately refunded the difference in shipping or refunded the shipping cost then messaged the buyer to explain it was an honest mistake.

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

phorum_junkie* — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 16:40:21 GMT

Bottom line is if you need something delivered in under a week go to a regular store and buy it. Even if a seller is offering express post there is no guarantee they are going to post straight away or that AP will honiur their promised delivery time even if both of you are in the next day delivery service.

If you paid a couple of bucks extra and received it regular mail then I would give them just one or two stars for description, postal time and postage value.

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

springyzone — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 00:33:05 GMT

I'm with you on this Trish.

As a buyer, if I had a choice of normal or express post and chose express, it would be because I wanted the item quickly. Why else would anyone choose it, for heaven's sakes?

So if the seller waited a week before posting it out to me, god help them with their star ratings as far as i am concerned.

If i am expected to pay for items within 4 days, then it is entirely reasonable to expect goods to be posted within 4 days of payment.

And if someone offers express post, I would expect them to make an effort to get it out to me asap.

Yes, I know that express post is just a technical term for the type of postage paid but we're always being advised not to judge seller's on how fast the PO delivers, but on how fast they send.

So if you pay for express post-or normal post come to that- and they take a week to post with no explanantion, one star.

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

springyzone — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 00:38:09 GMT

A bit off topic (I often am) but I was wondering how other people find Austpost.

I find them pretty reliable, I don't have trouble (as a buyer).

Bought something Monday night, got it regular post yesterday(Wednesday). granted it was in the same metro area, but most things I have bought lately, even interstate, have come within the week.

Back when i used to sell with my sister, we sold about 1000 or more things and never had an item go missing.

Yet all the time, I am reading about buyers who claim stuff didn't come etc

Is Aust post really that bad, are some people fibbing, or am I just lucky?

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

trishreid88 — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 01:31:22 GMT

Springy, My personal ecperience with AP is mostly great. I think most issues arrise from contract couriers and something I think AP need to keep a closer check on. (Ours is great though)
The only problem I have is the issue of sorting centers. If I post something interstate it regularly gets there in 2 days and that's just regular post. However if I was to post a letter to someone who lives the next street over it can take 4-7 days. I live at Bribie Island and even our local post gets sent often to North Brisbane or even Brisbane itself and then comes back to the Island. I have heard from family and friends, that even centrelink know of this delay in regular letters getting to and from Bribie and give "customers" benefit of doubt if forms are late etc.

This does not seem to be a problem with parcels though so maybe a different practice for them. IDK?
I have only ever had 2 missing parcels that eventually turned up a week or weeks later. Just last week was a very small parcel and it was crushed and looked just like it would if it had slipped between the seats or something. Item was fine though so no harm done.

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

fourandsixpants — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 03:29:02 GMT

Hi spirit. I am a regular buyer and I'm hearing U and feelin' fer U!.....I get jack of this sort of thing too especially if I buy Aussie and get treated like this ref. being charged/choosing express and seller takes their sweet time to post the order (especially if seller doesnt bother to message u with an apology for being late posting out etc).

Buyer should get service paid for re. postage service....AND order should be posted as soon after the sale as possible, regardless of post service option paid for.

Sellers that are professional, courteous and give a toss always message buyers if there is a postage delay. This is my experience:)

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

boggo58 — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 09:27:14 GMT

express post is next day delivery. taking 8 days is unacceptable and so is taking their time posting it.

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

thecatspjs — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 11:20:52 GMT

Gosh If I pay for express post I expect to get express post !!!!!

And sent within the timeframe of sellers stated handling time !!!!!

I do not message sellers to confirm details if I elect to pay for an express service - particularly if seller has quick handling time, and the item location is in express network location then why on earth would I.

I have ZERO sympathy for Ebay sellers "overlooking" that a buyer has paid for express post. Not good enough. It does not contribute to creating buyer confidence in the ebay marketplace, so it is not good for anyone.

Sellers, if you choose to offer express post - and it is a choice - put systems in place please that mean you are not getting money and raising expectations for an express post service. If sellers can't provide the service, and "occasionally miss one" - then don't offer it !!!!

Re: Paying for express post and receiving items regular post instead!

retailtherapist_8 — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 12:07:21 GMT

@boggo58 wrote:
express post is next day delivery. taking 8 days is unacceptable and so is taking their time posting it.

Express post is not necessarily next day delivery, if you posting east coast to west coast its 3-4 days, if you are posting to a non-major metro area its 2 days.

However I do agree 8 days is unacceptable.

I choose to express post everything but I subsidise the postage cost. I have a 2 day handling time but usually get everything out within 24hours. I do not charge extra for packaging. People will still ding ya stars, its just never cheap enough or fast enough.