Customer claims he did not receive order even tho delivered and signed for

[menn-intrailers]

I have a situation with a customer who claims he did not receive his item.

He bought the item on 5 June and I shipped it 7 June via Fastway couriers. When I shipped it I sent him an email with tracking number and estimated delivery date. 

On 25 June I sent out some reminder emails to customers who had not yet left feedback encouraging them to contact me if there were any problems. This customer contacted me back and said he was "still waiting patiently for his item". I was surprised he hadn't contacted me earlier but I tracked the parcel and discovered that it was delivered and signed for on 11 June by someone with his first name! When I informed the customer he checked the online tracking info and contacted me back saying it was not his signature.

I contacted my local Fastway office and they filed a "Disputed Signature" claim. 

The next day the courier who delivered the package contacted me. He'd been to see the customer and stated that the customer was the person who signed for the package! He said he told the customer he remembers he was working on his car at the time. The customer lives in a house at the front of a property with a business (second hand/recycled parts) premises behind. The courier told me he does deliveries there all the time and the two guys who owned the business had claimed before that a parcel wasn't delivered when it was. He told me the 3 guys were all 'mates' and he reckoned they were 'scammers'. He said it's gotten to the point he hates doing deliveries there. He said he told the customer that it would come out of his own pocket and the guy said nothing. The courier was reporting the situation to his area supervisor and they would take it from there. Fastway has now told me my responsibility ends here - parcel was sent, delivered and signed for and the guy has no claim on me or them.

Apparently the customer did not deny receiving it when the courier confronted him. However before he was even visited by the courier he had filed an 'item not received' dispute with Paypal. (We had 9 emails between us that day and he did not mention the dispute he had filed.) After the courier had seen him he escalated the dispute to a claim stating he was escalating it because "the signature was not his" and he couldn't have been there "because he was at work". The claim means that Paypal is now holding the funds while they investigate.

I'm at a loss to know what to do next. I've responded to the dispute with a tracking number and the courier's details and am waiting to hear more from Paypal. The customer made no contact for 2 days after the courier visit but now is hassling me to send his item. I want to do the right thing morally and also don't want this reflecting on my ebay store's reputation but I really don't know what to believe or do next!

The courier has had his franchise/run for nearly 4 years. He called and spoke to me direct and he sounded very believable. I know some ppl have had problems with Fastway but in over 9 years I've never had an issue and have been totally satisfied with their service. The customer has a 100% ebay rating of well over 600 so I can't understand why he would say he didn't receive the item if he did. The only thing I can think is that he saw an opportunity when I sent the feedback reminder email and ran with it! However I have to ask why didn't he contact me earlier when he hadn't received his item? Also prior to sending via courier I had stipulated in an email that the courier would not leave the parcel if there was nobody there, so if he wouldn't be home it would be better sending via Australia Post. He chose courier so why is he now saying he was at work?

Would it be acceptable to ask the customer to send a copy of his drivers license so I can check the signature myself? I would imagine it would be a close match to the signature obtained by Fastway if he originally received it with no intention of claiming otherwise. If I did discover his signature was the same obviously I would want to send him a replacement item but what would I need to do to claim the cost of the item?

Any advice would be really appreciated!!

cheers

Cheryl

[janeababe]

because I think outside the box.... have you considered the following...

The courier delivery man is indeed the person signing for and keeping the items, and has made you believe that your buyer has scammed you?

The *working on his car* could be a big fib, and you wouldn't know any different. After all, its one version of the story against another. What does your buyers feedback both received and left for others indicate? How long has your buyer been trading on ebay?

I feel sorry that you are going through this turmoil, however, something just doesn't fit right with me.

Also, courier has possibly seen your buyers signature before during past deliveries. And those signing machines are useless anyway, so wouldn't be too complex to forge a signature belonging to someone else.

Just one more point..... Please do not ask your buyer for a copy of his drivers licence. If a seller asked me for mine, I would be might peeved off.

You will need to reply to the INR dispute though, so just add the tracking number, and a comment that the website shows that it has been signed for and delivered.
That should stall things a little while.

Bets of luck 🙂

[kopenhagen5]

Excellent point jane re - it's the delivery guy, can't be ruled out yet.

[foxette-in-sox]

I feel sorry that you are going through this turmoil, however, something just doesn't fit right with me.

Yep,agree with you on that one Jane.I have bolded the parts that smell fishy to me eg fantastic memory,one missing parcel & he says hates doing deliveries there,NOW he's going to report 'the situation' to his area supervisor ?:|

The next day the courier who delivered the package contacted me. He'd been to see the customer and stated that the customer was the person who signed for the package! He said he told the customer he remembers he was working on his car at the time. The customer lives in a house at the front of a property with a business (second hand/recycled parts) premises behind. The courier told me he does deliveries there all the time and the two guys who owned the business had claimed before that a parcel wasn't delivered when it was. He told me the 3 guys were all 'mates' and he reckoned they were 'scammers'. He said it's gotten to the point he hates doing deliveries there. He said he told the customer that it would come out of his own pocket and the guy said nothing. The courier was reporting the situation to his area supervisor and they would take it from there

[davewil1964]

I can tell you every job I did a fortnight ago. Especially if even one was memorable. Am I fishy? or do I have a reasonable memory?

I'm with the OP/Courier. It's irrelevant, anyway - OP has proof of postage, thus has Paypal seller protection. Any refund is in Paypal's court.

[dotcomdotayu]

I agree. The problem is no longer the sellers.

They have proof of postage AND delivery. If the buyer believes it didn't arrive, and the courier claims it was, they can nut it out.

If sellers had to fight every claim of non-delivery when proof shows it was signed for, we all may as well give up now.

[menn-intrailers]

Tnx for the link sparklz. Seems in NSW you have to go to the local police station to file the report.

have you considered the following... The courier delivery man is indeed the person signing for and keeping the items, and has made you believe that your buyer has scammed you?

Excellent point jane re - it's the delivery guy, can't be ruled out yet.

It could very well be the courier! It don't have a problem with the couriers 'memory' - it was only 2 weeks and I'd suspect a visit to the premises and meeting the customer would quickly jog the memory. As davewil1964 said he can remember every job he's done in the last 2 wks and my own local courier remembers stuff I don't from weeks ago! His comment about reporting to his area supervisor was in response to my question 'What happens now?' so that seems fair. However he could just be a very good liar who has successfully scammed before - confronting the customer and accusing him to his face of being the one that received the package is a very bold move tho!

Don't allow yourself to be fooled by the buyer.

I seriously have questions on both sides and honestly don't know who to believe. as far as I can see it could easily be either one.

Please do not ask your buyer for a copy of his drivers licence.

Advice taken - didn't feel good about it anyway which is why i asked the q.

What does your buyers feedback both received and left for others indicate? How long has your buyer been trading on ebay?

He's been trading on ebay for 9 yrs. Has an overall rating of 619. Has 26 feedback as a seller with 2 negatives prior to 2009 but nothing since - but has only had 4 sales since 2009 too! All other feedback both received and left for others is positive with positive comments. Based on his feedback initially I'd say he was a very trustworthy person. Gotta wonder about 2 negatives out of 26 sales though - and I found his comments to the negative feedback to show little respect for his buyers. It really doesn't help me work out if he's telling the truth now tho.

The problem is no longer the sellers.

I understand that its no longer my responsibility. Thanks everyone for clearing that up. I've replied to the customer and encouraged him to file his own police report and to also contact the Fastway office in his area. If this courier has ripped off ppl before there should be other complaints or a history of undelivered packages/disputed signatures. I've told him to get together any evidence, such as proof he was at work that day to back up his story. If he can prove the courier is lying it just may turn the whole thing around for him.

I've emailed Paypal demanding the funds be released to me but have still not heard anything.

On the whole though I don't feel like its not my problem any more. It feels bad knowing the customer could be innocent and hasn't got his item!!

Thanks everyone for the advice. Its been very much appreciated.

[chuk_77]

another thing to consider, for those saying seller has done all they can and paypal will side with them.

An almost identical thing happened to me, tracking supplied "I signed" for my item, seller wasnt very helpful. The item eventually turned up a few houses down the road. It was indeed signed for... by a child and addressed incorrectly. My addy is 190 my road, it was addressed to 130 my road. 

Paypal would side with the seller who could provide tracking and signature, but I did not have the item.

It was the sellers fault, my item didnt get to me. (incorrectly addressed)Luckily the mother found the opened package in the daughters room, pack had my phone number on it so she called and asked if there is a chuk who lives here

Moral is, even with tracking and signing, sometimes the buyer does not get their item

[foxette-in-sox]

pack had my phone number on it so she called and asked if there is a chuk who lives here

:^O:^O:^O:^O:^O:^O:^O:^O

[***super_nova***]

because I think outside the box.... have you considered the following...

The courier delivery man is indeed the person signing for and keeping the items, and has made you believe that your buyer has scammed you?

The *working on his car* could be a big fib, and you wouldn't know any different. After all, its one version of the story against another. What does your buyers feedback both received and left for others indicate? How long has your buyer been trading on ebay?

i have had lots of problems with Fastways, and recently another company.  The most recent hassle was when I looked at the tracking on Monday morning ant showed as "delivered Friday 3.15 pm".  It was not, I was here all afternoon Friday.  I was just looking for a number to ring, when the van pulled out in the front.

Put the address in google maps and have a look if there is a workshop and cars are being worked on.  Not that it would prove anything, but if not true then you would know the courier is not telling the truth.

[gamezanstuf]

Although the buyer may well be genuine, I would personally add them to my bbl just to ensure that the issue doesn't occur again.

Up to you though.