Help! Am I screwed and SOL?

[rix9321]

Buyer claims shipping damage to a laptop that I shipped him. My wife in a rush to buy the postage left with the package and went to USPS to ship the product and didn't buy shipping insurance.

The buy sent some not so clear, highly suspicious, and self incriminating photos and claims the unit powers on and can see the keyboard light and hear a chime, but no picture on the screen and wants a refund. See the hammer on the bottom right of one of the pictures? The marks on the box look like the hammer was used.

What can I do to prevent being taken advantage of? I've never had to deal with this before, so any help is appreciated!

[davidelane73]

Forklift would be quite a bit wider

[daneiac]

possibly..but it could have caugth the "corner" of the forklift blade/fork..maybe not hit head-on.. but the corner as forklift was making a turn

[lintbrush*]

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@daneiacwrote:

possibly..but it could have caugth the "corner" of the forklift blade/fork..maybe not hit head-on.. but the corner as forklift was making a turn

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And that kind of damage would've been note by USPS.  

I'm all for not jumping to conclusions and making accusations that I cannot fully support, but this one smells real funny.  

[retrose1]

Help! Am I screwed and SOL?

You are being scammed and yes,  you are SOL.

I saw laptop and didn't have to read any farther.  Prepare to lose everything, the item and the money, and postal insurance would not cover you because the buyer will not cooperate.  Those are the risks of selling on ebay.

There is a reason my signature line is what it is.

[coolections]

@lintbrush*

The buyer would not have had to smash it to get a refund. They could have just as easily just opened a dispute saying it doesn' work.

[lookng2015]

Ah, but they didn't 'smash the item' did they? Just the packing boxes.

[lookng2015]

But we're dealing with a really DUMB would be scammer here.

[davidelane73]

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@coolectionswrote:

@

The buyer would not have had to smash it to get a refund. They could have just as easily just opened a dispute saying it doesn' work.

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Maybe they are an inexperienced scammer or they think they have to show "proof" to make the claim stick.

Now I don't know all sides of the case here however if I was on a jury the hammer and the photo would be a very damning piece of evidence in my mind

[awesome-altered-apparel]

And thus we have a moniker for this thread; The Hammer Scammer.

I don't know what y'all open your tough items with, I always open stuff with my trusty hammer;
aspirin bottle, whack, open! 
new "stuck" zip-lock baggie, whack, open!
can of tuna, whack, open! 
screen door, whack, open! 
hood of the car, whack, open! 
bracelet clasp, whack, open! 
glass jar of pickle relish, whack, open! 
IT'S HAMMER TIME!

[southern*sweet*tea]

**general reply**

I am very pro-buyer. I give buyers every benefit of the doubt, but even I'm not so stupid to believe that the package was delivered with holes that coincidentally just happen to match the HAMMER that's IN THE DARN PHOTO.

@lintbrush*wrote:

Dear buyer,

Oh wow.  That box looks like it was smashed with a hammer.  (Did you use the one in the pictures to open it? ) The post office will definitely want to see it in person because they aren't supposed to deliver a box in that type of condition without indicating the damage.  They can review its travels to see where the damage took place and why it wasn't noted.  With the new APV technology, snapshots of each package & label are taken at every sorting facility.

I will open up an investigation with them.  Please hold the packaging for the postmaster.  Also, do you have a daytime contact number where the postmaster can contact you?  I can ask eBay for it, but it would be quicker this way and you might have a different daytime contact number.  Do you know your carriers name?  The more information I can include, the faster the investigation will go.

Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention.  I'll be heading off to the post office tomorrow with your photos and to start the process.   

 ^^THIS is what I would do.^^

They may just go away once they realize the royally screwed up their scam attempt.

I would also contact Trust & Safety (I'm assuming they still exist).  I'd be fighting this one tooth and nail.

[lintbrush*]

Even if they went away, I'd still submit the scam attempt to the Post Office with the pictures

[mg152]

Oh my gosh! They definitely used the hammer. What is wrong with people? I don’t understand this new world at all.

[mg152]

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@luckythewinnerwrote:

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@luxe_auto_partswrote:

The best way to protect yourself from the actions like this is to use a warranty stickers/QR codes. You can also use UV markers and mark your items before sending. I can't guarantee you'll be 100% protected, but you can at leaset prevent some scammers from blackmailing you or scamming you.

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How do warranty stickers, QR codes, or UV markers help prevent scammers from scamming you? 

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They don’t but it might stop an inexperienced scammer. I’ve heard it helps & certainly can’t hurt. 😀

[mg152]

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@awesome-altered-apparelwrote:

And thus we have a moniker for this thread; The Hammer Scammer.

I don't know what y'all open your tough items with, I always open stuff with my trusty hammer;
aspirin bottle, whack, open! 
new "stuck" zip-lock baggie, whack, open!
can of tuna, whack, open! 
screen door, whack, open! 
hood of the car, whack, open! 
bracelet clasp, whack, open! 
glass jar of pickle relish, whack, open! 
IT'S HAMMER TIME!

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😂😂😂😂😂

I use my chainsaw. It works best on delicate fragile items. 😂😂😂😂

[d-k_treasures]

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@mg152wrote:

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@awesome-altered-apparelwrote:

And thus we have a moniker for this thread; The Hammer Scammer.

I don't know what y'all open your tough items with, I always open stuff with my trusty hammer;
aspirin bottle, whack, open! 
new "stuck" zip-lock baggie, whack, open!
can of tuna, whack, open! 
screen door, whack, open! 
hood of the car, whack, open! 
bracelet clasp, whack, open! 
glass jar of pickle relish, whack, open! 
IT'S HAMMER TIME!

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😂😂😂😂😂

I use my chainsaw. It works best on delicate fragile items. 😂😂😂😂

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Me too. That's why I switches to a 58V battery chainsaw instead of a gas one - no fumes in the house!

Sometimes with a hammer you need a chisel also. Another reason for going with the chainsaw approach.