Seller charged for Express Post but sent by Parcel Post

[yumidiamonds]

Hi all, I purchased a laptop from a seller in NSW. The only postage option availabe was for Express Post to post this to me in QLD. I paid for the purchase and the Express Postage, but the seller then sent it via Parcel Post.

I sent the seller a message about it and his reply was that when he went to the post office, he was told that Australia Post had suspended their Express Post service between NSW and QLD due to Covid, which was why he sent it via Parcel Post. This is obviously false as Australia Post never suspended this service. When i called him out on this, he apologised and started going on about how he lost money selling the laptop to me and admitted that he sent it via Parcel Post as a way to recoup some of his losses.

I feel compelled to report this matter to eBay, and wanted to find out which category to report it under, and if anyone else had experienced this before and what they did.

Searching eBay's FAQs and the community boards, I could not find anything that relates to this sort of postage service switch. The closest thing that i could find was under the "receiving something that doesnt match the item listing" category, although all the answers regarding the definition or determination on this appear to relate only to the item itself and not the receiving of a different and cheaper postage service.

Will leaving a negative feedback warning other eBayers of his fraudulant practice be the only recourse here?

Thanks for sharing your comments and advice in advance!

[padi*0409]

Are you both in Express Post zones ?   Did the seller offer to repay the difference in postage costs to you ?

I take it that you are aware that next day delivery has been suspended due to COVID-19. How long did the parcel actually take to get to you ?

As far as I know it's not a reportable offence by the seller so leaving a less than positive feedback is probably your only recourse in this situation, depending on your answers to the above questions.

[gutterpunkz05]

Express Post has been suspended  Australia wide  Since  APRIL

[padi*0409]

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@gutterpunkz05 wrote:

Express Post has been suspended  Australia wide  Since  APRIL

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Not quite true GP, next day delivery has been canned but an "Express" service is still available, as far as I know.

[i-once-was-bump]

I was in my local post office (suburban Sydney) last week and they were still trying to convince customers to pay extra for express post even though there are signs in the po warning about delays with the express post service and next day delivery was no longer being possible.

[countessalmirena]

@yumidiamonds,

Express post is effectively not available, by virtue of this caveat by Australia Post:

❝Express Post guarantee temporarily suspended

Express Post is still available, and will continue to be prioritised as the fastest option for customers, but may not always meet the next business day delivery standard.❞

People can continue to send via Express Post, but your seller may very well have been told that the express post guarantee has been suspended, as that is indeed true.

Further information .

❝Effective 20 April 2020, we're temporarily suspending the Express Post guarantee of a refund and replacement envelope or satchel for articles that don’t meet the next business day delivery standard

Express Post is still available, but please note there are significant delays

Our Express Post service will continue to be our fastest postal delivery option for our customers – and we'll continue to prioritise these deliveries. But please be aware that we’re experiencing significant delays, and Express Post parcels could take five business days or more to be delivered.

This change is due to delays to our delivery services caused by the ongoing impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, including:

• a significant increase in parcels that require manual sorting
• social distancing measures in place at our facilities, which mean we can’t process items as quickly as usual
• a significant reduction in the availability of passenger flights – which, in addition to our dedicated overnight airfreight network, also carry our parcels

The temporary removal of the Express Post guarantee is not intended to impact any rights that customers may have under the Australian Consumer Law.❞

I would not seek to punish the seller, or to report this. I doubt that you have correctly interpreted what the seller said, in saying that he "admitted that he sent it via Parcel Post as a way to recoup some of his losses." It's more likely that the seller explained that in addition to Express post guarantee having been suspended by Australia Post, he's already lost money in selling the laptop to you at the price for which it was sold. You're perhaps conflating the two statements.

As I've said, I would not be calling the seller "fraudulent" or giving negative feedback.

[sugar249]

Express post is still operating, but there is no longer a one day guarantee,  but it still gets priority over standard parcel post.  So there are benefits to using express post at the moment.

But having said that in the early days of the guarantee being dropped, I know our local post office interpretted it as the service not being available,  as the messaging from AP was a little unclear.

Yes the seller should have used express post,  but what is the difference between standard and express, $4 to $10 at a guess,  you have wasted more time and effort writing up the post here.  Have a coffee,  and move on. 

[yumidiamonds]

Hi all, thanks for all your responses and comments.

What didnt sit right with me about this situation is that I paid for a service and got something else instead. Express Post was the only postage option in the listing too. Whether the item was delivered quicker or not is besides the point. If i had received an item that was inferior or different to what i paid for on eBay, there are actions that i can initiate to seek redress. However for postage, it appears that there isnt anything a buyer can do. Probably something eBay should look at to better protect buyers.

And no, not once in our correspondence did the seller offer a refund on the difference in postage. Instead he felt that it was ok for him to keep the difference in postage to recoup his losses.

[davewil1964]

The price you paid, including postage, was the price you were willing to pay.

If you received the laptop in as described condition, for the price you were willing to pay, you got what you ordered.

You really have no beef.

[lyndal1838]

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@yumidiamonds wrote:

Hi all, thanks for all your responses and comments.

What didnt sit right with me about this situation is that I paid for a service and got something else instead. Express Post was the only postage option in the listing too. Whether the item was delivered quicker or not is besides the point. If i had received an item that was inferior or different to what i paid for on eBay, there are actions that i can initiate to seek redress. However for postage, it appears that there isnt anything a buyer can do. Probably something eBay should look at to better protect buyers.

Under NORMAL circumstances there are actions you can take to address postage problems but these times are anything but normal.

Australia Post has been suspending services, altering processes and generally changing their mode of business.

It is not just AP doing this but postal services worldwide....some countries are even adding surcharges to actually get the mail moving.

You can do what you want as regards feedback of course, but to my mind it is petty to blame a seller for APs shortcomings during these difficult times.  You have received your parcel safely and at the price you were willing to pay.

There will probably be other sellers reading here will agree and decide they do not want to sell to you.

And no, not once in our correspondence did the seller offer a refund on the difference in postage. Instead he felt that it was ok for him to keep the difference in postage to recoup his losses.

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