topic Re: Express Post order taking longer in Selling

Express Post order taking longer

peppermint-lane-invitations — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 06:10:31 GMT

I have a customer that paid for express post which I sent 25/10. She now tells me on Friday afternoon she needed them by today at the latest and that she hasn’t received the order yet.

I sent the order express post 25/10 and tracking is just showing it’s delayed and in VIC. Tracking latest update 29/10 but nothing since.

customer now wants a full refund even though I have fulfilled my part of the transaction. If she had of told me earlier I would have been happy to send a replacement order but it’s too late. Do I have to refund her considering I did my part?

Re: Express Post order taking longer

jellybirddesigns — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 06:29:53 GMT

Express post has no guarantee at the moment. I would definitely not offer it as an option.

One has to wonder why the customer suddenly needed it exactly today at the latest if they had not communicated this earlier.

Do not refund her. The item is still on its way.

Also, sending a replacement order is not a viable way to settle an issue - you would not be covered if anything happened to the second shipment and the customer would ultimately end up with double what they ordered. This option is only viable if the parcel becomes lost as you can then make a claim against Aus Post so that you are also not out of pocket.

At this point, is she asking for a refund, or has she actually opened a dispute? Are you looking on the Aus Post website at the tracking, or just on Ebay? They often show different things.

Re: Express Post order taking longer

curraone — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 06:31:37 GMT

I would not refund. The way I read your post is that you had no way of knowing she needed them by today, and there was nothing you could do about it anyway.

Have you checked the Aust Post tracking site? Sometimes it is more up to date.

Then I would be opening a dialogue with Aust Post to see why you didn't get what you paid for.

Re: Express Post order taking longer

papermoon.lady — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 06:38:02 GMT

There is no guarantee for Express Post any more, although they say they give Express Post priority.
If I were the OP though, yes, I would ask AusPost to have a look.

@curraone wrote:
Then I would be opening a dialogue with Aust Post to see why you didn't get what you paid for.

Re: Express Post order taking longer

kopenhagen5 — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 06:55:39 GMT

Contact Aust Post to see if you can have it diverted back to you, the sender.

Then easy to refund, once you have it back.

Otherwise you need to wait for buyer to return it before refunding.

But you will need to provide a postage label for the return IF you want the item back.

Re: Express Post order taking longer

papermoon.lady — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 07:18:55 GMT

Or tell the buyer not to accept the parcel, so it will be sent back to you at no cost for you or the buyer.

Re: Express Post order taking longer

peppermint-lane-invitations — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 07:32:01 GMT

The buyer actually contacted Australia post on Wednesday and was just told it’s delayed due to covid. That’s the only response she is getting from them

Re: Express Post order taking longer

peppermint-lane-invitations — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 07:33:35 GMT

She is asking for a refund. I’ve been checking the tracking via aust post website. I’m just curious as to what eBay will say as I don’t want the bad feedback

Re: Express Post order taking longer

dontmissthese — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 07:51:45 GMT

Auspost stopped the express o/n guarantee in 2020 some time. It is however much faster than regular post.

Re: Express Post order taking longer

digital*ghost — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 07:55:08 GMT

You are not obliged to refund, if they open a request for refund, if you are a top rated seller you should have full protection against any INR disputes and neg feedback.

If you accept change of mind returns, you can advise the buyer to send it back for a refund, but you do not need to supply return postage unless you have free returns under your return policy.

Re: Express Post order taking longer

roaminghigh — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 08:06:31 GMT

I noticed one of my express post parcels sent 15/10, had not been received by the buyer by the estimated delivery date of 27/10.

It had been sitting at Somerton VIC. with the message "Delayed – waiting to be processed for delivery", since the 22/10.

I know express post is taking longer at the moment, but this seemed ridiculous.

So I immediately lodged an enquiry with Australia Post, and lo and behold, it prompted delivery the very next day.

Would recommend lodging an enquiry with Auspost yourself, shows you were trying to help should the buyer try to get a refund via a dispute.

Don't refund her, you've done nothing wrong, and ebay will close the case in your favour.

Re: Express Post order taking longer

jellybirddesigns — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 08:15:55 GMT

@ Peppermint - perhaps write a nice message back and say that you are unable to refund as the item is still in transit and, as she is aware, there are massive delays in the network which are out of anyone's control.

You could also add that not only were you unaware of her deadline, but since it will arrive after today, then it's best if she refuses the package so that it gets returned. Once you have it back, you will refund the cost of the item only, not the postage as it would be considered a change of mind return. See what happens.

I reckon the reason she's not opening a dispute is because she knows she won't win it.

Please don't be afraid of negative feedback. There are circumstances under which it can be removed, depending on what the buyer says. If it can't, you can always write a professional response that FUTURE buyers will see.

Re: Express Post order taking longer

digital*ghost — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 08:25:51 GMT

In case it helps, these are the additional protections for sellers currently being provided during covid-19:

https://sellercentre.ebay.com.au/news/covid-19-updates/faqs

It's worth bookmarking the page because they are not included in the standard policy pages, and it's difficult to find these through the help and announcement sections.

If the buyer does open a case, hop onto chat as soon as you can, and confirm that the protections will apply, as even if you tick all the boxes to be eligible, eBay may not apply them automatically.

Re: Express Post order taking longer

peppermint-lane-invitations — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 08:34:51 GMT

Thank you so do much for this response. I think it’s a great suggestion and will try it.

Re: Express Post order taking longer

peppermint-lane-invitations — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 08:36:25 GMT

Thanks so much for your reply. That’s interesting with your dates and it’s in VIC as well. I posted one express post to VIC on Wednesday and the customer got it today so it’s weird it’s that last week in October it’s so delayed

Re: Express Post order taking longer

sugar249 — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 08:57:57 GMT

I know others on here have expressed no sympathy for the buyer, but you offered express post knowing that Australia Post don't guarantee delivery at the moment.

And your listing would have listed an expected delivery date for that item.

So yes technically not your fault as it was in Australia Posts hands, but don't offer a service which isnt working, you were happy to accept the higher fee from the seller.

Do the honourable thing and refund the buyer.

Re: Express Post order taking longer

digital*ghost — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 10:52:42 GMT

@sugar249 wrote:
I know others on here have expressed no sympathy for the buyer, but you offered express post knowing that Australia Post don't guarantee delivery at the moment.

And your listing would have listed an expected delivery date for that item.

So yes technically not your fault as it was in Australia Posts hands, but don't offer a service which isnt working, you were happy to accept the higher fee from the seller.

Do the honourable thing and refund the buyer.

The buyer has options - they can return the product they no longer want.

AP aren't honouring their next-day delivery guarantee with express, but that's it. They are still expediting and prioritising express packages, they just aren't promising delivery by X or postage is refunded anymore, and delays affect all services, even those that have been prioritised.

Most of my express parcels are getting to buyers in 2-3 days (some even have been delivered next day), while standard are taking 5-10 days (including weekends) - I assume this is why a significantly larger percentage of my own buyers keep selecting it.

Refunding the buyer would not be "honourable" (as in it's not "the right thing to do") unless they offered a personal guarantee to the buyer - I presume they didn't, since ETAs are just that, estimates, and they only learned of the buyer's requirements today, it would be a well above and beyond level of service, and I'm sure the buyer would appreciate, but not an obligatory one out of any sense of honour.

Re: Express Post order taking longer

curraone — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 20:33:41 GMT

@peppermint-lane-invitations wrote:
The buyer actually contacted Australia post on Wednesday and was just told it’s delayed due to covid. That’s the only response she is getting from them

But what does the Aust Post tracking site really say? You should look for yourself, not go by what the buyer says. We would like to know too.

https://auspost.com.au/mypost/track/#/search

Re: Express Post order taking longer

twyngwyn — Sat, 06 Nov 2021 02:06:06 GMT

What is going on with Australia Post deliveries? | The Saturday Paper

Re: Express Post order taking longer

twyngwyn — Sat, 06 Nov 2021 03:52:14 GMT

sellers, make sure you have a return address:

Australia Post blasted after auctioning seltzers, surfboards and TVs - Eminetra Australia