Buyer opened a case on my shop and ended up recieving package on time.

[svonburg]

This morning I woke up to 3 furious messages from one of my buyers. I shipped her item out on Saturday the 2nd and she still hadnt gotten it. Yes, this is a little delayed for first class but i tracked her package and it was sitting in a post office for 3 days in NJ. She immediately opened a case on my shop claiming it got lost in the mail, not to mention left me several ugly messages on how this was my fault. After I gave her a full refund on her item and shipping costs she told me that she still wanted a set and lets wait a few days to see if it gets there. I then, tracked it again 30 min later and TA DAH! its out for delivery today.

I feel like I have been robbed. She just got a free item. Why did she jump to conclusions so quickley? Has this happened to anyone else? Any advice? Im trying not to blow a gasket here!!! I understand she was upset but there was no reason to take action so quickly. If she knew she still wanted a set she should not have DEMANDED a refund so quickly. Ugh, this ruined my day.

Sarah

[Former_Member]

The 2nd of March? OMG they need to earn some patience.
So sorry for you :o( I've had this kind of thing happen to me a couple of times it's very distressing and they simply don't care. Maybe do what I did and chalk it up to experience :o

[tangente]

Try sending her an invoice. If she's an honest person maybe she'll pay it. I also don't think you needed to refund her immediately.

[CatherineMarissa]

I feel like a broken record, but I have seen SO many thread lately about buyers either sending rude messages or leaving negative feedback and sellers quickly refunding only to have the buyers keep the product. I don't know if it's a scam or just something that happens more as more traffic is driven to Etsy.

As sellers, we need to think about our policies on these things and stand by them. It had not even been one week and your buyer is already angry? If this happens in the future, having a policy in place is good for you. You could say, "if delivery confirmation does not show delivery within two weeks of purchase (domestically), I will offer a refund."

I'm sorry this happened to you.

[svonburg]

Thank you! She needed it by today for a photo shoot but i dont control the mail! I feel like she knew what she was doing and just wanted to cheat me.

[Former_Member]

Yes I'm seeing loads of this too, I think it's passive emotional blackmail, the threat of negs etc, don't like it, and it makes me feel uncomfortable :o(

[svonburg]

thanks for the advice. I will update my policies and in the future not issue a refund so quickly. I have never had this happen so I panicked.

[Former_Member]

Sarah we all react that way the first time something like this happens, don't beat yourself up about it, no biggy :o)

[chattypress]

Hi sarah-
Sorry this happened to you. It's always so hard to wait for packages you are excited about , or need for some sort of deadline. I've been on both sides of this!

My question to you is, did you provide her with the tracking number via etsy? so that she could track the package herself?

[HullStreetStudio]

In my experience the best thing to do is just walk away from the computer and let it mull around in your head for a few hours. Yes, it feels like you need to respond immediately and 'fix' this but who's going to know you sat on it for a few hours? No one. Let yourself calm down and maybe discuss it with your partner, friend, parent. Whoever you think would give you the best advice (because they're not the one freaking out and panicking). And after all that I find I can deal with it better, more calmly and rationally.

[svonburg]

Yes I did provide tracking through etsy. I will say she did not tell me that she needed it by today until 2 days ago. I sent it on the day my estimated shipping time stated in her reciept.

[Former_Member]

I think we all get "christened" by one such experience. I learned to make myself wait a few hours and check the forums for advice. Don't thrash yourself. Mark it up to experience and make a plan for the next time.

I do like the idea of sending her an invoice!

[svonburg]

She paid through direct check out. How would I send her an invoice and how would you explain the invoice? Shoudl I just let it go?

[Former_Member]

Sarah-
Like everyone has said "we have all been "slapped" be such an experience. I also agree with sending her the invoice if you do that though I feel you need to add a slight apology (keep reading and do not be mad yet!) and your shipping policies. That way you are saying look here lady in a very subtle way...also add that you are sorry that the mail system did not work in her favor but, maybe it will on other purchases. Anyway, good luck and I hope you feel better.

[rusticcraftdesign]

I don't think an invoice is a bad idea.....but i sincerely doubt you'll ever receive payment for it....or ever hear from her again.

[svonburg]

How do I send her an invoice?

[Former_Member]

Hi Sarah - I'm sorry this has happened to you, it's the down side of this business and I go through a little panic every time I send something, especially since I can't afford the tracking.

In general you can send an invoice either via email or post (if you dare), I suppose there is no harm trying as if you don't you can be assured you definitely won't receive any payment.

Best of luck!

[Former_Member]

Sam,

If you have PayPal you can send her an invoice through there via the 'Request Money' tab. You'll need her e-mail address.

Or you can create a custom listing for your shop for her and tell her that since she was refunded the money, but she received the item, she needs to repay.

[MythOfTheWild]

That's awful. What you should do now is work out an amount of time you'll leave it before considering something "lost" and add it to your policies. People don't always read them, but it can help, especially if Etsy get involved. I'd give it 7 days, usually, and that's perfectly normal.

I don't understand quite why you gave her a refund at this point, though. You checked the tracking and saw yourself that it was in a post office - not lost, but in a post office and likely to be processed soon. Did you give the customer the tracking number? She could have seen this for herself, too. If she needed it - like, NEEDED it - by a certain date she should have bought it sooner or payed for faster delivery - like next day.
This was certainly not your fault that it got delayed.

See this as a learning lesson, because I find it extremely unlikely that she's going to give you the payment back if she sent you that many awful messages that fast. Add the amount of time to your policies - if customers don't read it, you can atleast refer them to it should this happen again.

[Former_Member]

I think if it sounds like the mails fault, which it clearly was, that's when you inform the consumer that it is out of your hands at the moment and that she needs to wait to see if her package will arrive, even they do throw a hissy fit, they are acting like children when they do this so you treat them like children; don't give into their tantrums and tell them to be patient.

[Former_Member]

If she needed it so quickly, she should have requested an upgrade to priority or express. First Class is NOT next day mail.

Playing devil's advocate here, but if you knew the package was at the Post Office, why would you rush to refund the buyer's money? Yes, the buyer was angry, but still...

[RedRiverAntiques]

I'd send her a quick convo asking for payment, and if you don't hear from her i n a couple of days, let her know you'll be notifying etsy admin, and then do it!

[svonburg]

I was confused. I did rush to try to fix it which was my mistake. When I tracked it, it had been sitting in a post office for three days in a different city so I thought maybe it had been lost too or was coming back to me. After I issued the refund I tracked it again and new updates said it was in her city ready to be delivered. Live and learn.

[RainnRoseArt]

I am really sorry this happened to you. I can't say from experiences that this has happened to me on Esty, Ebay on the other hand, it has. A woman bought a cell phone that my gram bought but didn't like - I sent it out and my gram took the receipt and threw it out before I could get the tracking number for her. she was all the way in LA, CA and I was told it would take at least a week to get to her. 3 days went by and she still didn't get her item, I told her to be patient because I was all the way in maine and it would take a few days, 2 days later she still didnt have it and she opened a case against me though pay pal, wanting a refund. I refunded her money but asked her if she did get the item later to either send me back the 60 dollars or send the item back. she did get the item and a few weeks later I got it back in the mail.Another time on ebay I bought a pair of shoes online and they ended up being to big for me so I sold them on ebay. i sent them to a guy in PA and after 3 days he didnt get them and he opened a case against me, I refunded his money and asked him the same thing, if he did get the shoes to either send me back the shoes or send me the money for them. He never contacted me again, therefore I have no idea if he got them or not.

I have it in my policies that if because it happens after 5 business days you don't receive the items you ordered I will refund the purchase price. I also do offer express shipping if you would like it and will just send an invoice for the price of the shipping after I figure out how much it was. I think that some of these people who buy off etsy that don't own their own shops think we are magical and have control over the postal serve.

She shouldn't of acted the way she did and I am really sorry that happened. I hope that everything can get worked out and that she is a honest person and will pay you for the work that you did.

[kidsstore]

I've mentioned in several threads that sellers need to update their policies on shipping when it comes to the USPS. With all of the changes being made, there have been more and more problems and most likely it won't get better soon. I would state that the buyer needs to wait at least 2 weeks for the package to arrive before I would consider issuing a refund. Once a seller has shipped a package, they are no longer in control of what happens to it. I strongly believe in giving great customer service, but the buyers must also accept some of the repsonsibility of buying online and having their items shipped to them.