First negative feedback

[aeparts1]

So, on my work account, I got my first negative feedback. Of course the buyer never contacted me with a problem. I would have bent over backwards to fix the problem if they had contacted me, we have the part in stock & I would have shipped it out Next Day Air, no charge. But, the buyer would rather leave a negative.

I'm pretty sure I have no options to get it removed, but I did see a "request revision" option. Does that do anything? Worth trying?

I'm inclined to send a refund to the buyer for the part that was damaged in shipping, even though they didn't contact me. Not sure I should.

I'd like to send a polite message to the buyer apologizing for the problem, but pointing out that they should contact the seller if they have a problem.

Aside from leaving a reply to the negative, what would you do?

I've been selling for 20+ years on my personal account with maybe 2 negatives out of 10,000+ transactions, so this is new territory for me.

Thanks for your help & advice!

[heckofagame]

Don't sweat it. It really won't change your life or affect business. 

Do not refund the buyer unless they initiate some sort of claim. Chances are they will not change the feedback anyway and then you will have it and less money.

Get a snack, something to drink and move on. It happens. You will be fine. 😀

[eye_of_the_tiger]

Hi @aeparts1, 

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@aeparts1 wrote:

I'm pretty sure I have no options to get it removed, but I did see a "request revision" option. Does that do anything? Worth trying?

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You should only do that when the buyer is satisfied with the order. If you send it when he still has that "defective" part, he'll obviously decline your request. 

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@aeparts1 wrote:

Aside from leaving a reply to the negative, what would you do?

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If you believe the feedback you got was unfair, ask eBay to remove it, and they will only under certain circumstances. 

Request feedback removal  

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@aeparts1 wrote:

I'd like to send a polite message to the buyer apologizing for the problem, but pointing out that they should contact the seller if they have a problem.

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Go for it. Despite your customer leaving you negative feedback, you should always do your best to make your customers satisfied. Out of all the sellers on eBay, they chose you. 

And sure, you can tell them that they should contact their seller if they have a problem. 

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@aeparts1 wrote:

I'm inclined to send a refund to the buyer for the part that was damaged in shipping, even though they didn't contact me. Not sure I should.

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As most sellers say, "Return for a refund." You can contact the buyer, apologize for the issue, and ask them if they would want to return the item for a full refund. Your second choice is to let them keep the item, and refund him, so you would be out the item and the money paid for it. 

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@aeparts1 wrote:

Thanks for your help & advice!

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No problem. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

Yeah, that first neg sure stings.

The "Request revision" option goes to the buyer, so there's no point in sending that unless you think the buyer is in a mood to change their rating.

"I'd like to send a polite message to the buyer apologizing for the problem, but pointing out that they should contact the seller if they have a problem."

Send a message, but don't scold them.  After all, you said "I would have bent over backwards to fix the problem if they had contacted me, we have the part in stock & I would have shipped it out Next Day Air, no charge."  Just tell them that you would like to make it right, either with a replacement or a full refund. Don't mention feedback.

A reply to the negative should wait untl after you've exhausted the other possibilities.

[inhawaii]

Your response to that feedback should be similar to the first paragraph of your post. 

It kind of says it all. It makes you look really good  and makes the buyer look really bad. 

"Buyer left this negative feedback without even  contacting me that there was a problem. I have several of these in stock. I would have gladly sent another one Next Day Air if they had only contacted me."

[jayjaspersgarage]

"I woke last night to the sound of thunder. How far off I sat and wondered?"

Uh, for every second from the flash of lightening to the sound of thunder is supposedly a mile.

Nice Bob Seger  quote, btw.  "Night moves"

[jayjaspersgarage]

Yep, I had one neg back in year two (2012).  I was upset for a week and then ignored it until it dropped off after one year.  Don't even remember wat the reason was.

[gosimus]

@jayjaspersgarage 

< Uh, for every second from the flash of lightening to the sound of thunder is supposedly a mile. >   

If the lightning is a mile away, the thunderclap would arrive about 5 seconds after the flash.  

The speed of light is about 186,000 miles per second, so at Earth distances we can consider it instantaneous.  

The speed of sound in air is somewhat less than 1,100 feet per second.  Call it 1,000 feet per second to make it easy to calculate in your head.  So if the sound comes 5 seconds after the flash, the lightning was about 5,000 feet away, or approximately a mile.  

If the sound arrives 1 second after the flash, the lightning was about 1,000 feet away. 

[aeparts1]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I knew a neg would come, & it isn't too big of a deal to me, but I do want to try & take care of the customer, even if they didn't contact me.

To clarify, the item had a small part on it damaged in shipping. The rest of the $225 item was fine, it was a $15 part on the item that was broken. We stock that part & could have shipped one immediately, if I had known there was a problem. I am considering refunding what the buyer says, in their neg feedback, they had to spend to get that part.

I'm not a Segar fan, but Night Moves is a good tune. It takes me back to the summer it came out every time I hear it.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@aeparts1 wrote: .... I am considering refunding what the buyer says, in their neg feedback, they had to spend to get that part.....

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That's a good idea.  Issue the partial refund, then send an apology message.

[randysauto01]

I received my first neg yesterday as well. I sent out a transmission to the customer. Confusing part is, in the negative he said his mechanic installed it and they found something was broken after installing. The pictures he sent after the neg, show it still sitting on the pallet tied down in the same fashion we sent it out.

Nothing in the pic shows what is broken. I sent him a message and asked if he could point to the damaged area and have someone take a pic, or mark it in some way so I could see it.

For all I know "if" his mechanic did install it, but didn't notice the damage until after the fact (most reputable shops would do a thorough inspection before installing) maybe the mechanic broke something when installing, but won't fess up to it.

Being a used transmission, it should be pretty easy to see if it was a fresh break.

So far, no response to my message, and no formal request for return or refund. I guess I will see.

Sorry this happened to you, some buyers are just so quick to write a neg I guess. They don't look at or don't care that you have a 100% positive feedback, or take note of how many you have had, and which should ensure them that you take care of your customers.

[aeparts1]

I sent a refund for the part the buyer says was damaged on the item they bought.  Here's the message I sent:

Hello,

I am sorry that UPS damaged the heater you bought. I ship the heaters in the packaging the manufacturer ships the heaters in, but UPS still finds a way to damage them.

If you had contacted me when you saw the damage, I would have shipped you a replacement thermostat right away Next Day Air, as we keep a couple of the thermostats in stock. Regardless, here is a refund for the thermostat you bought.

Again, I am sorry the heater arrived damaged & apologize for the inconvenience. If you purchase anything else from us & have a problem, please contact us right away so we can fix the problem.

Stay safe, AE

[randysauto01]

Sounds about perfect! Not much more you can do than that.

[intheclover]

My dad used to say that negative feedback -- especially untruthful -- carries pain with it, because no one will care about your business more than you, and rightly so.

Just a guess, but this buyer behaved like someone wanting to keep the item and get a refund (maybe two, if they first approached UPS).   

But as a good seller what more could you have done? Ask for photo proof of the damage? No. This buyer had already ignored eBay's advice and gone over your head, despite eBay suggesting to unhappy buyers that they first contact the seller and try to work things out. If you had known, you would've probably given a refund, which would've made it harder for the buyer to leave a complaint.  

Now that this buyer has identified their extreme style of problem-solving, you could consider whether it's worth your time and money to block this buyer. It's your shop; no one can decide that except for you. 

Have confidence in all your positive reviews. And consider that there are probably a lot of your buyers who liked their purchase but never left a positive review because they got distracted, for any number of legitimate reasons. 

[gloryglorygifts]

Ugh, I feel ya. I got a neg back in March of last year. I had actually worked with the customer and got a replacement out to her and received a nice email from her. I then sent a revision request that she totally ignored. What I did was respond to the feedback and include a quote she said in her email to me. (Ebay was fine with me doing that.) Sometimes it's all about how you respond to the feedback because ebay will not do much to remove it. I'm sorry that it happened to you. Just take a deep breath and don't let it ruin your year.