Item not received and sell responsibility

[bronwynsgold]

I would like a little advice and information please. A buyer stated they did not receive item ...I immediately panicked and sent another item. On reflection I think I should not have done this. (BY the way there was no tracking as a small item ) 

Should this happen to me again is it possible to refund the buyer for the item less the postage - this action would have been a less expensive option for me in retrospect. Is this allowed? The item was free postage but we all know postage is included in the cost.

Just as an aside I have very little problems with buyers - but recently an item was returned to sender, this is me. I contacted the buyer and confirmed address and so on - all correct.  So just a quirkly happening.  I told the buyer I would post again in the morning and the buyer threatened me with negative feedback if I did not express post.

Well I do not take kindly to threats so I resent the parcel with registered post so there had to be a signature and then I blocked the buyer so they cannot buy from me again.  Interestlingly enough the buyer did not leave feedback 

[*tippy*toes*]

I can count on one hand the amount of INR's I've had. 3 were large letter, so no tracking. I asked they waited another week and when it still hadn't arrived, I refunded. No dispute, all done via messaging. I would have lost any dispute, so not point arguing the issue. None of the feedback suggested they had tried this before (I always check feedback when someone places a bid).

The other was more recent and the buyer opened an INR dispute. I checked the tracking and it said delivered at her local PO (she had a PO box in a small rural town, so not even like it went to the wrong PO). Her PO admitted they probably put it in the wrong box, so I said she needed to take it up with them. I had done my duty as the seller. If she escalated the dispute, eBay would see in my favour as the tracking showed delivered (even though I knew they probably wouldn't!). She closed the dispute and left negative feedback (which eBay kindly removed).

I send a few large letter items, although not as many as I used to, and have expected more people to say it hasn't arrived when they see it's been sent untracked. So far so good!

[digital*ghost]

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@englishrosegardens wrote:

digi, is there a chance that there's a bank of letterboxes somewhere in the complex that the businesses pick up their mail from and that the postie only delivers to there, not to the actual businesses themselves? Just asking...

It doesn't explain how the previous parcels got delivered and not this one, but perhaps it was a different postie who went above and beyond.

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I honestly wouldn't know. The AP rep wouldn't provide any further info (I created the label via C&S, so once I gave the tracking number, they could see the address exactly as I entered it on their side), she just kept telling me I needed to use the shop number and that I can't just put the business name plus food court. My exact words to her were, how is there not enough information in that address to deliver it? But if there are boxes instead, she probably didn't know herself otherwise I suspect that would have been the answer.

The buyer didn't give anything away, either, they were really quite nice to deal with (absolutely no aggression or blame from them, which made my job so much easier). Before I was able to call AP, I did some googling of the business at that location, including "[business name], [shopping centre] postal address", and that's when I saw that there were two versions of the address - one was as the buyer gave it to me, the other was the same with the shop number included, so I messaged the buyer and asked about it, and that's when they confirmed they've previously received mail using the address that was provided to me. (I didn't mention the shop number, though, when I called AP, that just came up as the reason for it being undeliverable). 

[black*poppy]

Digi - maybe try just taking the package back to an official Australia Post outlet (not LPO) and explain?  I didn't have to say I'd called CS.  You might have better luck and be able to get it sent back free, emphasising the address is correct.  Maybe you could add the shop number on to the the package to help the postie at the other end?

[digital*ghost]

I think that probably would have worked, given the staff member's reaction (and apology) when I picked the package up at my PO today. I didn't say anything, just that I had to pick up a returned express package, he looked at the address while scanning it and just went "how is that an undeliverable address?" Then when I explained, just said it was pathetic and apologised. (For full context, my PO is an Aus Post outlet in a shopping centre  ). 

I sent off replacements via express last week, though. I felt bad for the buyer, who really was very nice and was willing to re-pay for delivery - because of the way they handled it, I ultimately trusted that they gave me the address in good faith and that they had used it successfully before, plus despite what AP say, I couldn't see any reason why it wasn't delivered, so just wanted to get them their order ASAP. 

On a sidenote, though, it's a sad state of affairs when something like this occurs and I feel a small sense of something like relief crossed with victory when there's no attempt by Aus Post to charge me for the returned package.      <<as representative of my mixed emotions over that. 😄