mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
albertabrightalberta
Thanks for that @my-cottage-books-and-antiques
It's hard to say since everything is case by case. Remorse or not, the buyer shouldn't ever refuse the package at all. If it wasn't for postage due the seller can technically appeal at any time if for any reason it's closed in the buyers favor.
jasmen@ebay wrote:Morning @mam98031 what specifically would you like us to verify? Just so we're on the same page I wanted to ask, thanks in advance!
The basics were explained in the post I originally tagged you on but I'm happy to try again.
The OP has a buyer that Refused a shipment. Then the buyer with the advice of an Ebay CSR opened a Return Request. It was a properly filed Buyer's Remorse Return Request.
The seller has a return policy of 30 days with buyer pays shipping.
It is my understanding that when a buyer refuses a shipment that is the same as the buyer received the item and the seller is protected. This action voids the MBG for the buyer. The seller does not have to refund the buyer unless the seller chooses to.
Then this gets complicated by the buyer opening a Buyer Remorse claim. The buyer has already voided the MBG by refusing the package. The buyer has no way to return the package because they do not have the package. The buyer refused the package which is NOT the same thing as returning it for the purposes of the Buyer Remorse claim.
How does one handle this when you have conflicting issues like this?
@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:jasmen@ebay And if it helps, here's a somewhat simplified version:
Seller has a 30 day, buyer pays return shipping policy.
Package is delivered to buyer in a timely fashion, but buyer refuses delivery and carrier returns package to seller.
Buyer has found same item for less, and changed mind about purchase, so opens return request as a remorse return. Buyer does NOT claim "item not received" NOR does he claim "Item nor as described". It's a simple remorse return, under the seller's own return policy, and brought well within the 30 days set by that policy.
In a remorse return case (NOT an MBG case), does the act of refusing delivery and returning the package to the seller in that manner absolve the seller of her responsibility to refund under her 30 day return policy?
Or is it an acceptable method of return for a refund in a remorse case? (In this case, the seller has acknowledged that the returned package ahs , in fact, been delivered back to the seller)
@my-cottage-books-and-antiques
You neglected to state the most important detail of the whole thread! The buyer refused delivery making it NOT a remorse return request!
Not everyone ships via PM. There are classes of USPS mail that they do charge shipping on the return leg when a package is refused. Media Mail is one of them.
I think it is important to remember that Refusing a shipment for anything other than it was obviously damaged or there was postage due voids the buyer's coverage under the MBG. So the buyer does this, they are no longer eligible for the coverage of the MBG on this transaction.
Now the buyer goes and opens a Request for return, IMHO that should not be reviving their eligibility for the MBG on the transaction, they lost that coverage when they refused the package. No matter what the seller's return policy is.
@mam98031 if MBG is voided it's best to have the OP reach out to CS so the case can get closed out. If that doesn't happen then they can work with the appeals team. If it's ever voided it should always be closed out and the buyer and seller can work it out between themselves.
@fern*wood wrote:I think this isn't a situation where anyone is wrong in their advice as much as it is a situation that just isn't clearly addressed anywhere. I also feel in this particular case that ebay reps have given wrong and/or inconsistent information to both parties involved. I still feel the OP shouldn't be out any of the shipping money due to their return policy, but due to fear of a bigger hit and no faith in ebay's inconsistent advice/decisions, they are out that money.
I would disagree. I think both the buyer and the seller got bad advice.
The buyer when the CSR told them to open the Buyer Remorse Case.
The seller when the CSR told them they had to process the Buyer Remorse Case.
Ignoring the fact that the buyer refused delivery because they didn't want the item and therefore they voided their MBG coverage. They don't suddenly regain it on the transaction or shouldn't regain it because they open a claim on a transaction they had previously lost their coverage via the MBG.
jasmen@ebay wrote:@mam98031 if MBG is voided it's best to have the OP reach out to CS so the case can get closed out. If that doesn't happen then they can work with the appeals team. If it's ever voided it should always be closed out and the buyer and seller can work it out between themselves.
And here in lies the problem. A CSR told the Seller they had to process the Buyer Remorse Return. The seller received the package back on Saturday and on Sunday due to what the CSR told them they processed and refunded the buyer IN FULL.
So the OP of this thread did as instructed by the CSR, but it was incorrect information given to them.
IF it is correct that when a buyer refuses a delivery because they no longer wanted it, that action causes them to lose their Buyer Protection as described in the MBG for that transaction.
Why in the world would any CSR then tell a seller that the fact the buyer opened a Buyer Remorse Return request some how revived the buyer's protection und the MBG.
That simply does not make sense.
BTW Ebay did not force the refund on the claim that was opened by the buyer, the seller processed it and refunded them in full even though that means the seller eats a pretty good amount of money. And since Ebay did not close the claim, there is no appeal path for the seller.
I have always been told that to appeal a claim / case, it has to have been closed and processed by Ebay.
