"Customer claims package is lost despite USPS showing 'Delivered' status - what i should do ?
I have a customer's order that shows as 'delivered', but then they contacted me using another account saying it was lost. I just want to know what to do when USPS shows the package has been delivered, but the customer insists they didn't receive it. How should I handle this case? I'm using USPS Advantage."
20 comments
rokkworks
·1 year agoHow long has it been since it was scanned as delivered? It’s possible that the carrier scanned it early, and then didn’t actually deliver it yet. This happens frequently - it may get delivered in a few days. Or, another possibility, it has been misdelivered or porch pirated.
Presuming you feel the buyer is honest, and the item low scam, I’d help the buyer figure it out the best I could.
sextons-sweet-deals
·1 year agoDo not refund.
Instruct them to contact their postmaster to put a trace on it. They can use time of delivery and GPS to pin down the address it was delivered to.
simply-the-best-for-you
·1 year agoThis. However, be aware that the GPS will not help much in the case of a misdelivered to a cluster box. It will only tell the location of the group of clusters, not the individual box within the cluster. Real misdeliveries are usually a cluster box situation & it's not just condos/apts, most newish (30 years or less) homes have cluster boxes, these days.
You will not be responsible in eBay's eyes b/c you have the delivery scan. If they open an INR case, you MUST upload the tracking info into the case! Ask the person to check w/neighbors & other family members, most of these resolve themselves in a day or 2 when a neighbor brings over the misdelivered pkg. It's your choice whether to refund, if you decide to though, give it a week cuz like I said, these situations almost always resolve themselves. IME, 99% of the time the buyer is telling the truth. Even the times I've thought they were lying, they were telling the truth, which we've found out b/c someone brought the pkg over.
autosol15
·1 year agoI'm dealing with one of these right now....eBay has put a hold on my funds. Item shows delivered in tracking, yet customer claims it wasn't.
eBay will side with me (the seller here), if history is any indication. This happens occasionally. Someone will get screwed one way or the other....I wish there was a better way but there isn't.
autosol15
·1 year agoAnd, less than 2 hours after alerting me to the claim and putting the hold on my funds, eBay has taken my side, released the funds, NOT issued a refund to the customer, and will remove any feedback associated with this order.
See, they're not that bad.
pls-consignments
·1 year agoOr... you could try to be helpful and offer to file a lost item claim with the carrier or provide links to do so. perhaps it might take some of the heat off you.
colfaxstation
·1 year agoAlso report the buyer as asking for something not in the listing. Helps to slow down eBay automated actions.
dhbookds
·1 year agoI would do the polite.......check with family/neighbors answer and if not found you (buyer) need to check with the PO.....
a_c_green
·1 year agoI would be curious to know (first) why the buyer can't send a message using the account with which he made the purchase. That would be the only reliable way to know that you're even talking with the buyer and not an imposter.
onlinecentral
·1 year agoEncourage your buyer to file an Item Not Received case with their legitimate account and cease communication with the flimsy account. The Delivered scan will ensure the case gets ruled in your favor.
reallynicestamps
·1 year agoHaving won the eBay Claim would also be useful if the customer goes to chargeback route, because you have already won the Claim and eBay will be on your side.
If you are asked for the tracking number, do NOT assume eBay already has it. Manually insert it in the Claim and if asked in the chargeback.
Chargebacks also often ask for the address you sent to. This should of course match that on the eBay order.
caldreamer
·1 year agoI would tell customer that you have tracking# proving package was delivered. Advise them to check with neighbors and if that doesn't work, they should go to post office (with tracking#) and ask them where package was delivered.
Seller is NOT liable for porch pirates. As long as you have tracking# proving item is delivered EBAY will rule in your favor. If customer opens "did not receive item" case against just provide tracking# and case will close in your favor.
squishyglam
OP1 year agothank you very much. because they sent all the details from a new account , i contact the original account attached to the order and waiting for the reply .. it is nice to know wont affect my account
bennotbill
·1 year agoIf they contacted you using a different account are you sure they are your customers?
jonathanbrightlight
·1 year agoThat was my first thought, an attempted scam. @squishyglam , I would simply respond to the customer saying that they needed to contact me from the account they used to make the purchase or I could not help them.
squishyglam
OP1 year agoI find it very strange too, but this new account knows the order number and the messages sound very similar. They were able to send the order ID directly, and I was able to match it. I just sent a message to the normal account that placed the order, but that account is also suspicious - it only has 1 purchase record, which makes me doubtful. Now I'm worried that my information might have been leaked, because the shipping address I provided is my home... 😑 I'll wait and see how the account that placed the order responds
jonathanbrightlight
·1 year agoIt's entirely possible the purchasing account is a guest user account they accidentally or intentionally used. It's not a guaranteed scam, it's just enough to be cautious (which it sounds like you are). You're doing fine.
squishyglam
OP1 year agothey send me the details .. and i can match it perfectly
an-57470
·1 year ago@squishyglam
Ugh. This is always a tough one.
If you have a “delivered†scan, then you will win an INR case on eBay.
But your buyer also has the chargeback route, and the buyer may well win that one, and if you fight it, and lose, then you’ve lost the money (eBay forces you to refund), the item (credit card company will not require the buyer to return it), and you will also incur an additional bank fee of $20.
When it happens to me (rarely), I consider the price of the item against all the above. And I also consider if I feel the buyer is being sincere. I know from personal experience that mail carriers mis-deliver packages, especially to apartments or condos, which frequently have a series of “cluster boxes†for mail delivery. It is very easy for them to place a parcel into an incorrect slot.
If it’s a low cost item, I refund as a courtesy and record the loss on my taxes.
I always prefer to “take the path of least resistance.â€
Good luck to you.
squishyglam
OP1 year agothanks for the informative reply , it is not an expensive at all and i can absorb the cost . Many large sellers choose to refund immediately, so I'm wondering if I should do the same. However, other eBay friends have suggested this might be a scammer, so I'll contact the original ordering account first to confirm. But what concerns me more is the potential leaking of my personal information if the person turns out to be a scammer.