ITEM NOT RECEIVED

[lynne8221]

I know I've sold a lot of books but I've never had a case raised against me.

Buyer says didn't receive book & has asked AP to invesigate as tracking is shown as delivered.  They said they will speak to driver.

She has now lodged "Item Not Received" case with Ebay & they have suggested refund or upload tracking number.

I have supplied tracking number & explained what has happened so far (AP have not got back to her as yet) but she says she knows they won't do anything.

Can someone with more knowledge than me on this, please step me through what happens now.

The case says "awaiting buyers action."  Do Ebay check tracking or just refund buyer from my Paypal?

Any knowledge of next steps would be appreciated.

[clarry100]

If the tracking number shows delivered to the suburb/town shown on the PayPal address then eBay should close the case in your favour.

If the buyer really does not have it due to misdelivery by AP then good customer service days you should do all you can to help your buyer get what they have paid for.

AP do sometimes compensate when an item goes missing even without extra cover.

Did they safe drop? If so then there should be a photo on file taken by the delivery driver of where they left it. Only the buyer can request the pic due to security issues.

[lynne8221]

Thanks Clarry.

Tracking says delivered to same suburb as on Paypal address.

She has instituted an inquiry with Aust POst & they have told her they will be talking to the driver, but she didn't wait for them to get back to her before opening this case, so I'm none the wiser.  She lives in a huge block of flats, so who knows where it was left.

The case says waiting for buyer to get back to them (even though I have supplied tracking number) - does it remain like this until she escalates or does it say that until Ebay check delivery?

I'm completely in the dark with the process & not sure what comes next.

[jellybirddesigns]

I would have thought that once you upload tracking information, it would automatically close in your favour - after all, tracking is for YOUR protection, not the buyers.

It's up to your buyer to have a safe place for delivery of items - it's possible that the postie left it somewhere where it got stolen, but if it was a big package, it should have been carded for pickup at her PO.

[digital*ghost]

You can escalate the case yourself, and it should close in your favour, though you may want to get in touch with eBay by phone to get verbal confirmation of this before you escalate, just in case (request that the info they provide to you be copied to an email, as well).

I suspect it may come as a bit of a surprise to the buyer, that they aren't entitled to a refund from you with eBay's MBG, so you may want to handle that side of things a little delicately. (I had a similar case recently, and the first message from the buyer stated they had no choice but to open a claim, they hadn't done so when I replied though, so I had the opportunity to explain to them that any claim via eBay or PayPal would be unsuccessful due to the tracking showing as delivered. In my case, Aus Post admitted misdelivery, though, and I replaced the order for the buyer, also getting compensation for the original order from Aus Post). 

[clarry100]

The case will not just automatically close when you upload tracking information.
It will only close when either the seller or the buyer escalates the case and it passes to the escalations team.
In this case I would think it should close in favour of the seller due to the tracking info supporting delivery.
However, as DG has suggested I would call and discuss the case with eBay before you escalate it ad they have a strong tendency to find in favour of buyers.
It's really up to the buyer now to seek compensation from AP but if you can assist them to do this then it should be seen as good customer service.
It could have been left in a place the buyer has not looked yet (yes it happens). Or another family member or relative might have it.
But since they are in a large unit complex ad you say, the most likely scenario is that it's been left at a wrong unit door. In this case it will likely be up to the honesty of the other resident to ensure it is correctly delivered.
Let us know how you go with it.

[lynne8221]

Thanks for all the replies.

Tried to help the buyer, but she's fixated on "give me my full refund - NOW!"

I suggested we wait for Aust Post to finish & then go from there, but she's having none of it.

Will let you know the outcome.

[clarry100]

Hmmm! That kind of attitude does make it difficult for you to want to help eh!

Fact is she is not going to get any refund from you as your tracking shows it correctly delivered. This should protect you.

Her best bet now is to follow it thru with the carrier (AP) and seek compensation from them.

It can be done but its gonna take some effort on her part.

May involve taking AP to task via the PIO (Postal Industry Ombudsman) if they don't wish to play ball.

[melbourneclearance]

I find difficult buyers with that sort of attitude usually have something to hide. Personally, I go hard on these sort of buyers. If they can't be civilised then they will get what they deserve, whether or not Auspost has misdelivered is now immaterial.

[designers*n*more]

The buyer's attitude is terrible. I, personally would not even consider refunding until the AP investigation has been completed. As others have said, tracking shows as delivered so you are in no way obliged to refund.

i had a "missing" item that took 2 weeks to be delivered after lodging. The buyer was terrific about the whole thing, so, in good customer service spirit, I refunded her full postage. Item was eventually delivered and I received glowing feedback together with a lovely thank you email.