EddScott

I recently had a big clearout of toys etc and put them on ebay. Out if the 30 items I sold, one appears not to have arrived at its destination.

The item was sent by recorded delivery 1st class on 16th Feb. On Friday I get an email from paypal stating that the winning bidder has filed a complaint against me. I've spent the last 2 days waking up to this guys emails accusing me of ripping him off and I'm having to defend myself.

The bidder has sent me a number of emails all with accusing undertones and has stated twice that the tracking number given to him is false. I've given him the number twice now and I've contacted RM myself who can't tell me where it is (surprise suprise!) but they do confirm that the number is genuine.

I've had to give all the details to paypal who I assume will make a decision on whether I'll have to refund the guy (which would really suck as its not my fault the item is missing in the post)

I would have refunded the guy 50% (we are only talking £30 all in so I would give him £15 back) but becuase he has made a complaint and accused me of lying to him I don't really feel like giving him a penny.

From now on all my ebay items will be sent special delivery irrespective of cost becuase recorded delivery seems a complete waste of time if anything goes missing.

Has this happened to anyone on here?

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

Anything over £20 i send recorded delivery,I sent an xbox game before christmas which the **** said he never recieved when i pointed out it was recorded delivery he went strangely quiet never left me any feedback though

supna

Surely if you sent it recorded then it would show a signature at the other end to prove it has ben delivered. Have you not tried an online tracking of the parcel?

EddScott

According to Royal Mail it hasn't been signed for yet so I can only assume it hasn't arrived. I don't think the guy is trying to pull a fast one by saying it hasn't arrived.

My problem is that the guy has made a complaint to paypal and requested his money back. If paypal find in his favour I will have to repay the money plus an extra £7 handling charge.

Had he discussed this with me we may have been able to sort something out but at least twice he's accused me of giving him a false tracking number. He says Royal Mail don't have any records of the tracking number which is clearly garbage becuase I made a point of asking them if they could tell it was genuine and they know its a genuine number.

He also says he's spent hours on the phone to RM which is nonsense becuase they answer pretty quickly and all they can say is that it hasn't arrived - how that takes hours I don't know.

I asked my postie what he thought I should do and he said its not unlikely that the postie forgot to put a delivery slip through the letter box when he tried to deliver it and no one was in. I suggested the guy speak to his local office yesterday morning but of course according to him he's already spoken to them and they haven't got any parcel waiting to be delivered.

Clearly the guy has decided point blank that I'm trying to con him and nothing I can say will change his mind. Like I'd really want to affect my 139 +ve feedback over a £30 item - tw*t!

paulr

Even not recorded you have a receipt,send him a copy of the receipt.Then get RM to investigate.

MikeCardiff

iTrader: (2)

Sounds like the guy is being a bit of an **** about it but....

As the seller its your responsibility to get the item to the buyer. You did the right thing by sending it recorded, but if ( as looks likely ) it has got lost, you refund him ALL the money he has paid, including the P&P, not half of it - how would you feel if you bought something and it got lost, and the seller offered you half the money back when you had paid for an insured delivery service ?

Then you claim from the Royal Mail for compensation - if the service you chose to send it doesnt cover the value of the item, then thats your loss unfortunately.

If he continues saying you havent sent it, scan or photocopy the RD slip you have - this will show the ref number on the front, and on the back will be stamped with the date of posting and place - this should put his mind at ease a bit.

Bad news though is that Paypal will more than likely find in his favour anyway and just refund him.

EddScott

I understand what your saying but what happens if I refund him all the money and then the item turns up? I'm then out of pocket and without the item itself.

According to the Royal Mail website I can't make a claim on a recorded delivery item until after 15 working days and only 6 have past so far.

Fortunately the items worth was £26.55 plus £4 P&P so it will be covered but sod it, I'm not just rolling over for this guy as he has behaved like a complete **** over this.

Like I said, I would be well pi$$ed if paypal refund him the money. I've got proof it was sent and I will have sent paypal proof it was sent by tomorrow via fax.

ScoobywagonGl

so you explain to him that you can't put in a claim for compensation until 15 days have passed and then if the parcel has still not arrived you will happily claim through RM and refund him. Paypal states that they have to give upto 10 working days for parcels to arrive no matter wether they are first class or second. e is hardly being fair only giving it 6 days!!!

You have proof it was sent and make sure you show Paypal that you have the proof! just sit back and claim from RM. If he keeps hassling through paypal you need to keep saying that you cannot claim till after 15 days and that you will happily do this once you are able to.

wwp8

i send all items regardless from 50p to £100 at recorded,

i state recorded too,
it just covers my back,

BUDWRX

as long as you send the tracking no to paypal they will sort it out...
as you can show proof of postage! give paypal a few days to sort it out...
DONT RE FUND HIM MONEY!
i have had this problem myself.. buyer had recived item was just trying to rip me off...
good luck

Freak

As you long as you sent recorded you are covered- paypal will not make you refund.
Wait 30 days, then file a claim with royal mail. Recorded first class covered up to £30 for non delivery

Warwick-hunt

i had similar problem, buyer off ebay said i hadn't sent the parcel, i scan my recorded delivery slip and sent him both sides showing the post office stamp, still wouldn't believe me so asked for my details from ebay, then after two weeks, he found out a neighbour three doors away had the parcel and hadn't bothered to let him know

its obvious you've done everything properly, paypal will ask for the recorded delivery slip, so don't lose it. if you show them that, i don't think they can file against you. recorded delivery is a waste of time, you may as well save the .66p and just ask for proof of postage (reciept)
good luck

GaryCat

I had a similar problem. The royal mail had tried to deliver the package but couldn't so they postcarded the destination address. But the buyer said they never got a postcard. 30 days later the package came back to me (I always put senders address on)

In the mean time I'd made a claim against the mail and I got a cheque which covered sending the package again.

EddScott

Big thanks to all your advice guys.

I've just sent him pictures of the recorded delivery slip - front and back so hopefully that should stop him calling "shenanigans" on me.

I've explained that I'll abide by whatever paypal instruct me to do and if they find in his favour and make me pay up and it does eventually arrive he can stick it up his backside for all I care.

Can't let him be the only one to throw his toys out the pram

Alas

Some facts - sending by Recorded delivery is not recognised by Paypal as there is no online tracking, only a signature at the other end.
If over £28 always send by Special delivery.
I would tell the guy you will refund him and claim it back from RM. Its what I would expect if I had paid for something.
Just my 2 cents worth

Jamo

iTrader: (23)

I sent 4 tyres recently by parcel farce, just presumed that was it, except I got an email a few weeks later saying wheres my bloody tyres???? I contacted RM about it, and they couldnt tell me where they were anyway after 5 calls they located them in wales in their undelivered store they agreed to return them to me and said they couldnt deliver as the label was damaged. I offered to give them the address of the guy, they declined stating they could only deliver to the return address which they had.

after 2 weeks of moaning they got here, and i got a small refund. sent them friday to the guy, he will probably end up leaving me a negative for my trouble but heh ho. *rant over* nothing surprises me with royal mail anymore, just a bunch of annoying people.

Dave_68

I've had this a couple of times through ebay (always send recorded). Only difference is the buyer contacted "me" rather than ebay/Paypal. On both occasions the packaged turned up back at my door as undelivered, probably due to them not being carded....Just give it time, it's why RM says you have to leave 15 days. If not just claim it from RM & refund the guy..Keep checking the number online.

MattN

Well they accepted it when I used it. As a seller you have to povide proof of posting and RD receipts are proof.

MikeCardiff

iTrader: (2)

Paypal will accept RD slips as proof of posting, but you often have to push them a bit to admit it as they seem to have a policy of saying they wont until you kick up a stink.

TDT

Moral of the story:

Don't use Royal Mail/Parcel Farce coz they're useless! There are tribes as yet undiscovered by man who have developed a more reliable postal service!

Alas

From Paypal
The seller provides reasonable proof of postage from an independent shipper. The posted goods must be trackable online. Proof of postage should show that the address to which the item has been posted corresponds to the address on the Transaction Details page (see 3. c. i. above).

EddScott

Just as an update.

Paypal did find in the buyers favour and have taken the money from my paypal account.

However, I have received the item in question back from the post office this morning. It is marked as "Not called for" ??

That to me sounds like the postman either forgot to leave a "Sorry we missed you" slip or the buyer decided he didn't want it and created this issue of accusing me of fraud to cover himself.

As one of his emails states he spent "hours" with his local office trying to find it I would say its most likely the guy didn't want it.

What a prize c$ck this guy has been. At least I have the item back anyway.