Buyer says tracking number is incorrect???

[bigdeals.etc]

A buyer messages me this morning worrying about their item delivery. I haven't gotten to my messages yet today. I see the buyer now just sent me a message claiming that "the Post Office is saying the tracking number for this item is incorrect. Please refund me right away."

I checked the item and tracking shows it was scanned as delivered a week ago. They just also filed an INR saying the same thing... "PO says the tracking number is incorrect".

How is what the buyer says even possible? How would PO even know if a tracking is the wrong one for an ebay package? All they know is what they scan in/out... PO wasn't here with me when I packaged the item and created postage. Is this just a case of a buyer with tracking showing delivery and they don't know where the package is, and they are making up stories about PO?

I'll win the INR for sure. But I'm not sure how to even start to reply to this, or should I even bother to reply. Tips?? Thanks all.

[bigdeals.etc]

Normally for Tracking scanned delivered INRs I just help them locate their item by giving tips, GPS, neighbors and stuff.

But I'm not sure if that will be relevant here if the buyer claims that the tracking itself is the wrong number.

[mcdougle4248]

@bigdeals.etc 

Maybe it would help your buyer if you send them a screenshot of their order from your paid and shipped page...that would capture the tracking number and delivery status.  I would give them all of the other info too, check with neighbors, check with the PO, etc.  I myself have never had a problem with tracking numbers on my purchase history page, but I guess it could be possible that the tracking number did not upload properly to their purchase history page. 

[bigdeals.etc]

Hm,

Good point, thanks. I should at least confirm with the buyer what tracking number are they seeing to make sure it's the same that I have.

[jeannicho22]

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@bigdeals.etc wrote:

A buyer messages me this morning worrying about their item delivery. I haven't gotten to my messages yet today. I see the buyer now just sent me a message claiming that "the Post Office is saying the tracking number for this item is incorrect. Please refund me right away."

I checked the item and tracking shows it was scanned as delivered a week ago. They just also filed an INR saying the same thing... "PO says the tracking number is incorrect".

How is what the buyer says even possible? How would PO even know if a tracking is the wrong one for an ebay package? All they know is what they scan in/out... PO wasn't here with me when I packaged the item and created postage. Is this just a case of a buyer with tracking showing delivery and they don't know where the package is, and they are making up stories about PO?

I'll win the INR for sure. But I'm not sure how to even start to reply to this, or should I even bother to reply. Tips?? Thanks all.

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I'm not really certain I would even reply.  When I see a buyer exhibiting signs that your buyer is, my spidey senses start going off.  The hurry hurry and the answering with a pat answer that gives no further information are what is bothering me.  I think I would 

a. block buyer

b. enter the tracking in the case and be done with it.

[escuintla]

If you printed the shipping label directly from Paypal, well, you did your homework, the buyer doesn't have any claim here. You can tell him to look under the tires of his car or whatever, but you did your job. 

Now, if you went to the post office and wrote down the tracking numbers and they were wrong....well......I think of a rope and the highest tree waiting for you. 

I did that yesterday, I input a number, I ate 2 digits, the item showed still "shipping label created". It's already somewhere else. I was on my way to the PO to yell at them   

[bigdeals.etc]

Yea, I use stamps.com for my postage. So no USPS employee was present when I created the label. I don't think there's any way USPS could ever tell that a tracking number was incorrectly given for the package the buyer bought from me. Especially since the tracking shows that it was delivered to the buyer's zipcode. That would be a crazy coincidence.

I confirmed with the buyer that we are both looking at the same tracking number. The buyer also replies "She said I have no package." I'm assuming "she" is a USPS employee of some sort. But I don't understand the rest of the message. Either the buyer misheard the employee, or the employee simply looked up if she had the package with her currently (which she obviously doesn't since it was scanned as delivered days ago). I'm beginning to think the USPS didn't actually tell the buyer that the tracking is incorrect... it's just the buyer's words and she just doesn't know where her scanned package is.

[this*old*attic]

I think your buyer is confused. Could English be a second language?

Theres no such thing as a wrong number, only an invalid one - which yours isn’t.

[bigdeals.etc]

Their English is perfectly fine. They don't have any grammar issues in their messages, unlike a typical non English speaking person.

Anyway, so here's a final update. The buyer closes the INR and messages that she got the item. I replied to her "What happened? Is the tracking number still incorrect?" She replied that the item got forwarded to her PO box and that the tracking number is now correct.

hahaha. It's just as I thought. She uses the word "incorrect/correct" very loosely. I decided to google map her address to see if it's a Post Office to begin with. This has no relevance but it's literally a crazy large 8000 SF mansion!! Goes to show you that just because you may be uber rich, doesn't mean you have the smarts to do along with it.

[parkersparrow]

It could be they are lying, the post office miss delivered, or it was stolen off the porch. They must have gone to the post office looking for the package and since it was already delivered they told the buyer there was no package there. The buyer could have also given the wrong tracking number. Anyway it doesn't really matter since it's marked delivered.

[bigdeals.etc]

True on all points.