Broken in Post

[dinkytrader]

I need a bit of advice

I sold a customer a Glass Tealight Holder and it got broken in the post. She wants a refund, but i feel that i too  have lost out and it was not my fault that it got broken in the post. I packaged it correctly and securely and therefore i feel i should not have to refund her. It left my house in pristine condition.

I have paid her back the postage cost but she is still not happy with that.

Can someone please update me on the Ebay rules and also she has told me that under Australian Consumer Law that if the item is faulty, not as described then they are in quite their right to get a refund but when it left my house it was as described and not faulty in any way.

Help? This is the first time i have been presented with this problem.

[phorum_junkie*]

Of course she is not happy. if it was packaged well enough then it would not have broken. You could have asked the buyer to take it to the PO with the packaging to see if AP would take responsibility but obviously they are not going to do that now. I would have asked for a photo and then have refunded in full immediately without asking for it to be sent back.

If they open a Paypal dispute they will win and then you will have no option but to refund the rest of the payment anyway, you will be able to insist that they return it but as it has no value except as a 3D glass jigsaw.

If you are selling fragile items you should be adding a few cents into the price of all your items to cover the cost of an occasional claim.

[dinkytrader]

Thankyou for your feedback phorum_junkie*. I don't want negative feedback so looks like i will be refunding the whole amount. Is there a way that as a seller we can protect ourselves from things being broken in the post like do you know if the post have an insurance scheme at all? I think i will request a Photo just to make sure that the item is definatly broken first.

[nevillesdaughter · Accepted solution]

I agree that should should refund too for all the reasons already mentioned in the previous answer.

Just a bit of advice regarding packing breakable items for Aust Post. Firstly, Aust Post offer no "Fragile" handling service so everything needs to be packed assuming that it will be thrown around.

Secondly, they carry items up to 20kg. My local Post Office told me that a good rule of thumb is that a parcel should be able to stand having a 20kg weight dropped on it from about waist height.

You can also insure breakable items for postage, but they still need to be packed using these guidelines, because even if it is insured, if the packaging is deemed inadequate, a claim will be rejected.

Cheers,

Marina.

[dinkytrader]

Hi

Thankyou Marina for your feedback. I think i will be more careful and Insure Glass through Australia Post from now on.

It was packed with a secure box and then foam moulded packaging around the glass that came with the glass when i got it from the online shop i bought it from so it was packaged correctly and could have withstood a 20Kg fall ontop of it because when i bought it, it came to me fine through Australia Post.

Just unlucky this time i think

Thankyou for your feedback

[boris1gary]

I've had a couple of things arrive broken, one came from japan and was obviously broken before i even purchased it. It's the only time i have left a neg and only after i sent him requested photo etc and had no reply after that.

The other was from a bloke in china who makes replica skulls, they are brilliant and really well priced. He packs them extremely well and i think i have them all now, anyway one arrived with bits shattered but seeing as it wasn't  his fault i didn't worry about it.

[dinkytrader]

Thanks Boris, 

I have a photo to prove that it wasn't damaged when i sent it. I have requested a photo from the buyer now to prove that the buyer is telling the truth. If she gives me a photo that shows the broken Tealight Holder than i will refund her money as i can see now that i would much rather not get negative feedback and although i still don't think the whole onus is on me.

You try to do the right thing but infortunatly these things happen and not all people are as nice and understanding as what you are when it comes to realising what's right and what's not

[lyndal1838]

You cannot insure glass against breakage...there is no Fragile service.   Insurance covers loss of the item and very very occasionally a broken item can be proved to have been packed well enough for Australia Post to admit liability.  But it is the exception rather than the rule.

[dinkytrader]

Thankyou Lyndal. It's good to know that and thankyou for that piece of info

[i-once-was-bump]

There was a very serious crash today involving an Australia Post truck so maybe AP should put stickers on all the parcels in the truck so both the buyer and seller will know if any package has been subjected to such force as would happen in a crash. The force would be far greater than dropping 20kg from waist height.

The stickers should state what happened to the parcel, the date it  happened and a phone number to contact if compensation is needed.