Omg, just stuffed up BIG time and feel terrible :( WWYD?

[berrmamdarre]

Ok, so situation is I sold some items a little while back and posted them immediately and uploaded tracking info etc on both Paypal & Ebay (this one was a regular pre-paid satchel).

I haven't been back on here since then, so neither selling or buying obviously, as my mum (who lives with my aunt & her family, bit of a long history there) was suddenly admitted to hospital with liver issues. 

So we (as in myself, hubby & 4 kids) of course went to help and be there as it was the least we could do. It was all rather complicated and obviously stressful as they had to do a surgical procedure to insert a drain for excess fluid (it was bizarre, her whole stomach had swollen up hugely) and then of course they were doing a billion and one tests to try and figure out what the actual was, so things like ultrasounds, MRI and all that jazz.

I have a genetic disorder that has deteriorated so was finding it quite hard and emotional as she was in isolation and not allowed to move, but then I also had to keep my distance and wear a gown, gloves & mask obviously. So it was hard even though I wouldn't say we are really close, as my grandparents actually raised me.

But it just sort of came on top of a number of things with my own health and recent diagnoses of 3 or my four children with Special needs (two have ASD with one of those two having my genetic condition also which really sucks, and my just turned 2 yr old can't walk due to a yet to be determined issue with bones in his ankles, we hope to just be looking at splints and not surgery) and I admit it just all sort of hit me at once and I also went off social media to have a much needed break.

Anyway I just got back on here as I do need to clear out the higher priced stuff I have been meaning to list for ages as TBH I really can't be bothered with doing all that, but do need to concentrate on generating some extra income as hubby had to take unpaid leave.

Luckily mum is ok - we had been told it was either fatty liver disease (which didn't gel with her lifestyle), Hepatitis or cancer, so of course we thought the worst 😞  Yet it took ages for them to be able to give a clear answer and she has only just been released and is now home (and no longer yellow thankfully!) with the rather bizarre diagnosis of cirrhosis. I say bizarre because she a) doesn't drink and never has and b) is actually pretty fit and ever since I was ting has always been in to natural therapies, organic food etc.

So as hubby is giving me a much needed break and has taken the kids to the movies and then off to a Halloween do, I thought "ok, will get my butt in gear and do some listings".

But there is a case open and omg, I feel SO bad as it seems the buyer has not received her item and when I input the tracking number I uploaded (and have the sticker so double checked it was right) to AP there is NO history for the parcel!!

Normally I would be checking it myself but we left 2 days after, and when I checked the tracking on the day before it didn't show, but I had expected that as I actually posted immediately - and so had dropped the satchel in a red box that evening (and yes I know, stupid - I should wait and lodge over the counter) and have found in the past the patcel hasn't showed until it is in the buyer's state.

So yes, it is pretty obvious that since the damn thing is not showing at ALL that the buyer has no received her item 😞 Fwiw if you look, they were a pair of the Spanx Shorts.

So I'm going to have to just wear this and follow up with AP as although I sold on ebay years ago with nos issues, it's obvious I am only new now - it's been yonks. So have an express post parcel here and DO have a pair of the shorts left, so will of course immediatly pop them in that and post over the counter on Monday to be sure. 

But I feel awful, what else can I do to make it up to the buyer? I mean I know it's going to leave me signifcantly out of pocket but that's ok, I just feel terrible as of course she has had no contact from me or anything. I'd pop a second pair in but I only had a couple of pairs and this is my last pair, and the Spanx leggings I do still have but they are a size bigger.

So WWYD? Add in the leggings anyway (Fwiw I fit both the leggings and shorts, they are very tight but have tons of give so size can be a bit more varied), pop in say at least half a refund, or something else? If you were the buyer and know your shapewear (Spanx is by far the best but admittedly exxy, I love that stuff!) then would adding in the legging be the best option?

Apologies for the novel lol, even when I sold years and years ago I rarely had issues and sold a fair bit (yet seem to be having constant issues now 😞 ) but the few times I DID get missing parcels then I always refunded immediately, as I mostly listed my kids clothes, so didn't have more than whatever was was sent. But Spanx is exxy and I did it quite cheaply so imagine the buyer would prefer a replacement rather than refund.

Plus I'm not sure what to say....I know from selling way back then that the good old "Oh I was in hospital" etc excuse was common with late paying buyers/late sending sellers, which totally sucks as I admit that really WAS the reason I let the ball drop here 😞

I don't feel like I can say "Whoops, sorry about that, seems to be a missing parcel" as if I hadn't been offline I would have been keeping an eye on tracking and known this a while ago, the buyer must be wonderfully patient as she has only just opened the case from the looks of it.

Well done if you get through ll that - yep, it's kinda obvious I am stressing out!

[joethenuts]

hi its best you do what you think is right , a simple note in the parcel would be great , and hope everything goes right, 

ps  make the note short and simple as this post is the second longest post i have read ,the other one i still have not finished reading it. 

as i was reading your post , even after half the post, ,i kept looking at the subject title and when you said stuffed up big , i thought when you put on the gown , you were going to operate on the patience,  

anyway i hope all of your family are  well now.

[imastawka]

Novel?      It's a mini series!

A simple post saying that you had serious family health issues

for X amount of time would have covered it.

FYI  Hospial is the most used excuse for both sellers and buyers alike.

It's not always believed whether it's true or not.

I'll bet any money you popped that parcel in a red street box.

Be warned.  They don't always get scanned into the system

Some are delivered without being scanned at all - so no record.

Always, always lodge over the counter and get a receipt.

[cathyjoyjoy]

Firstly, you need to follow up with Australia Post with a "missing item" enquiry and let the buyer know that you are following up before you send off a replacement item.  It could still be in transit.  Maybe I have missed some details in your long post, but remember for example that it can take at least 7 days for an item to travel from say, Sydney to Perth, or anywhere in central Queensland.

[clarry100]

One thing to take out of this is that when you drop a parcel into a red street box you have no proof of postage as it will rarely be scanned by AP until delivery. You need either a lodgement receipt or a scan event (or both) to show it was lodged at a PO.

Once it is lost (ie undelivered), as this one appears to be, you cannot prove you even sent it and you are destined to lose any INR claim the buyer may raise.

Aust Post notoriously never scan parcels until final delivery, and even then sometimes not either.

I do wish your family a speedy recovery.

[saarzi]

Im actually having trouble reading what the problem is through that whole big post...

Bottom line - you sent parcel, buyer didnt receive it, you noticed there was no record through Auspost. Is that all or was it something else?

If thats the case,  Im not trying to make light of your family issues, and I really hope youre in a lot better place soon, but your personal/ family issues are completely irrelevant to the buyer and Auspost and whats happened in general.  Because it has nothing to do with the situation, I would NOT mention it at all to the buyer in any apology note - that would be unprofessional and a little confronting for the buyer.

Do what any seller would do on any other day of the year. Refund or replace the item for the buyer, take the receipt and tracking number to Auspost and open an investigation - you may get some type of refund from them (better than nothing).  

Refunds always suck, but dont let whatever else is happening in your life complicate it... because its really not complicated.

[berrmamdarre]

Thank you so much all, and yes have messaged the buyer and have included some of the leggings as well as I really do feel terrible, I felt it was the least I could do.

And apoolgies as the comments aren't showing up just now but someone mentioned about popping it in a red box...yep, I did 😞 I should know better as I have had issues there yonks ago when using the post box, not missing parcels but simply them not being scanned until right before delivery, so NO way am I making that mistake again!

I do normally just do it over the counter but our P/O has been out of action and the next closest shuts before I can even leave (they shut at 4pm & don't do Saturdays, so annoying) so did just use the post box. So have had to wait until the end of work 😞 , I was hoping to do it at lunch but didn't get to have a break and so am using the town P/O which is open later, plus I at least know that even it goes in the first morning mail it WILL be overnight, whereas for some reason the other P/O's send them as rural (?!) so they take 2 nights usually. 

The joys of living in Tas I guess.

So have been able to update the info on ebay but can't on Paypal? It gives me an option then comes up as that option being invalid?

And thank you SO much for the lovely words - yes, things are looking much better for mum, she does still look pregnant from all the fluid so has been wearing my old maternity clothes! But all normal apparently and will settle, and while tired, she does look a lot better and doesn't have my rather questioning 9 yr old asking her anymore why she looked like an Oompa Loompa (ok, to be fair, she did have that colour but still...that kid needs an off switch) and to the person who said exactly what my thoughts had been re: hospital, yep, that was the first thing that had popped in my head.

For that I could throttle every buyer I had use the "Oh I was in hospital", "my grandma died" excuses years ago, when I actually had to deal with the very damn thing they used and heck yes, you don't realise how much energy you need with 4 kids and doing all that at the same time, then spending your spare time trying to think of ideas of how the heck to help someone who HATES hospitals and is stuck in a bed & not allowed to move in one.

All I can say is Thank God for pay tv....what can I say - my mum loves Home & Away so she was happy 🙂

[cathyjoyjoy]

I do hope your message to the buyer only included information about the ebay item.

I do hope that you kept your message brief and to the point.

[berrmamdarre]

Phew, even better - a colleague was just heading out and I jumped them lol.

So parcel posted OVER THE COUNTER (and hell no, no more post boxes - I've just had few people say here they have had stuff go missing all the time using the post boxes, what's with that?!) so thankfully buyer should get them tomorrow, and hopefully enjoys the leggings too as those things are seriously comfy, I get the whole Spanx love fest now 🙂