Buyer Intended Deception?

[nuclearomen]

So as a seller I feel compelled to run this recent little story across for you... this was new one for me...

December  8th, get an order for a collectible SDCC limited figure, total with shipping just over $40, great, package up the item and send it on it's way, fabulous so far right? Well not exactly... 

couple weeks go bay hear nothing from the buyer and I get email stating the buyer has opened a case with ebay for not receiving the item. First time for me, so I emailed back and told him I would refund his money AFTER USPS investigation is completed and the package is determined lost. Then I called ebay, and ebay tells me "No, your not responsible for the refund because I fulfilled my end of the transaction and the tracking # is all we need"... OK, here is where the whole story starts to really pick up. 

I checked the tracking, package arrived at destination Atlanta post office Dec 12th, but the tracking says "unexpected operations issues, your package will be delivered the following business day"... then nothing, no update... this is Xmas season, and it is actually common for USPS to NOT scan all packages as they normally do when they deliver to recipient.. it happens anyways. So, back to the buyer, opens a case, ebay orignally makes decision in my fav, then almost week later reverse that to favor of the buyer and take the money from my paypal. 

I call ebay, they tell me now "do you have documentation?" I say "yes, the tracking number" they say "that's not enough, we need actual documentation stating what happened to the package." 
OK - btw, ebay provides you ZERO help - it's all you! 
So, from then to now, I open a case with USPS, few days go by hear nothing, hop on the cell and start calling numbers to Atlanta post office, lady tells no useful information and cannot give me anything, "hey, you need to call this number, someone there can help you with what you need." Bare in mind also, tracking is now updated at this point since opened the case, states "FORWARD PROCESS" January 9th TAMPA, FL - but this lady can not tell me where the package is going, only that forward process means the recipient has issued change of address. 

OK, call the new number, no, can't get no one, wait til today, call the number, nope all day can't get through. Finally get through and what I said above turns out to be correct, the recipient at the address they are ordering with on paypal/ebay is not where this clown is, instead he/she is in FL... 

Is this not a deception to sellers / paypal / and ebay? Ordering products with a mailing address not active and then opening claim to ebay / seller stating they didn't get the package and so ebay refunds them money from your seller account and they walk away with the money AND the product! 

I finally got my money back and the decision reversed to my favor today, but I had the USPS send me a email stating that the address the package was sent has a issued forwarding address in FL. Make email into PDF and upload it to ebay and they finally reversed the claim to my favor. 

Sellers be weary and aware - before this all happened I always figured "address confirmed" on an order was no reason to worry, but now after this idk!  

[jennieaa]

I have several friends who spend 3 or more cold months in sunny Florida.  I never thought to ask, but I bet they have their mail forwarded to Florida.

You can have mail temporarily forwarded for extended vacations.

I would not jump to claim the buyer did this on purpose.  For all you know, this is the first time they have had their mail handled this way and were not expecting all the delays along the way.

(then again, I am often accused of thinking the best of people) 

[couldabeenworse]

Since the buyer waited over a month before submitting a forwarding request, it seems quite a stretch to suspect any sort of "deception". 

You lucked out and won the claim specifically because the buyer did so.

[nuclearomen]

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@jennieaa wrote:

I have several friends who spend 3 or more cold months in sunny Florida.  I never thought to ask, but I bet they have their mail forwarded to Florida.

Notice the (?) in my topic title, really idk, it is possible, but behold: if this was the case why did the buyer not tell me or ebay of the forwarding address? Ah ... so you see first natural reaction is that the actions of the buyer are misleading to begin with. 

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 I would not jump to claim the buyer did this on purpose.  For all you know, this is the first time they have had their mail handled this way and were not expecting all the delays along the way.

(then again, I am often accused of thinking the best of people) 

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I've been in business of selling for over 25 years, don't automatically assume everyone is a good and honest consumer - cause they are not - many are, yes true, but not all.... sad but that is the way it is. 

[nuclearomen]

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@couldabeenworse wrote:

Since the buyer waited over a month before submitting a forwarding request, it seems quite a stretch to suspect any sort of "deception". 

You lucked out and won the claim specifically because the buyer did so.

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no, they waited little over a week and a half, not a month, it took ME a month to get documentation of it from USPS.

[nuclearomen]

also, forwarding address stays in effect for 12 months, what makes you say they waited a month to do so? That is not the case, the was confirmed by USPS, they can tell you if a change of address is filed and when it was filed, they cannot however provide you an forwarding address - private policy.

[adkhighker]

Wow, that's quite an ordeal you went though over an extended period of time. Thanks for sharing that.

It's great that you ended up getting your money back, but as the old saying goes, time is worth money, and all you got for so much time invested was the sum of money that was deservedly yours right from the start. 

[pauls-parts]

Something sorta similar happened to me. Item was shown out for delivery but no delivery scan. opened a lost item on usps. I did not hear anything for a week. I called USPS. Waited on hold for (No LIe) 1 hour and 37 minutes. I was told at that time when you file for the tracking online it is sent to the lost mail in Atlanta and not to have the local station run a track on it. They (CSR) have to fill out a form and send it to the local post office that the last tracking showed. Mine was in florida. Well she screwed up and filed it with the one that the package originated from. 1 week nothing. So I called back. Over an hour wait again. I was then told the csr filed in the wrong location and that she would re-submit it. She did but to the wrong location again. One week again and nothing. I call back. The lady said yes she did re-open the trace but the wrong location. She was supposed to close that one and start a new one for the right location in Miami. Another week nothing. I went ahead and had to refund the customer. I also went ahead and filed an insurance claim. I did get paid for the package from USPS and did hear from the Miami post office after I received the insurance check. Almost 3 months total time. I feel your pain.

Paul

[couldabeenworse]

no, they waited little over a week and a half, not a month, it took ME a month to get documentation of it from USPS.

I thought you said tracking shows the "forward process" began Jan 9, which is a month after you mailed it.

[nuclearomen]

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@couldabeenworse wrote:

no, they waited little over a week and a half, not a month, it took ME a month to get documentation of it from USPS.

I thought you said tracking shows the "forward process" began Jan 9, which is a month after you mailed it.

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yes, but the address forward was not filed just now, it's been active before the order was even made in December.  

[luckythewinner]

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@nuclearomen wrote:

Sellers be weary and aware - before this all happened I always figured "address confirmed" on an order was no reason to worry, but now after this idk!  

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You were mistaken. That has never been the case. 

[nuclearomen]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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@nuclearomen wrote:

Sellers be weary and aware - before this all happened I always figured "address confirmed" on an order was no reason to worry, but now after this idk!  

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You were mistaken. That has never been the case. 

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obvious I am, though this is the first situation I have had with this issue. But i know sellers who will refund orders if the address is not confirmed. 

[castlemagicmemories]

They may be placing their selling privileges in jeopardy.

[luckythewinner]

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@nuclearomen wrote:

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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@nuclearomen wrote:

Sellers be weary and aware - before this all happened I always figured "address confirmed" on an order was no reason to worry, but now after this idk!  

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You were mistaken. That has never been the case. 

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But i know sellers who will refund orders if the address is not confirmed. 

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I'm sure that plenty of sellers have the same misconception about confirmed addresses.  

[disneyshopper]

Hasn't it been YEARS that a "confirmed" address has not been required?

All a seller has to do is make sure they send to the SHIP TO address attached to the Paypal payment, right?