"No good deed goes unpunished"

[movieman630]

Today I have proof why that saying exists and all it does is reinforce why you should stick to your own business policies.

So a few weeks back a customer bought a small item, a patch they needed for their uniform ($5.00 free shipping).  They sent me a message the same time they purchased begging me to get it out ASAP as they needed it for an event on the weekend (it was a Tuesday).  They were only a couple states away so I figured I would try to help them out. 

I do a lot of business with active duty personnel and veterans and am always trying to help them out when I can.  I printed a label, (which at $5.00 with free shipping had to be the ESE) and dropped it in the mail in less than 2 hours.

Today, I received a NEUTRAL FB from them. 

I have no idea why in their mind I deserved this.  And all it does is reinforce the idea that there's no point in trying to help someone out when they ask for "special considerations" despite your 3 business day handling time, etc.  There's really no point because all people do is disappoint you.

If a seller EVER bent over backwards to help me I would be mortified to find myself so rude as to leave them anything but positive FB. 

Sometimes the little sayings we grew up hearing are true.  "No good deed goes unpunished". 

Bottom line is, I would have gladly lost a $5 sale to avoid neutral FB.  Instead of trying to help them I should have cancelled their order and told them it was impossible for me to get it to them in time as I have a 3 business day handling time.  In the future, I'll be sure and do this instead.

[vintagecraze50]

Never EXPECT people to appreciate your kindness. Some have no idea what being APPRECIATIVE means at all, at any level whatsoever. The world is full of people of entitlement.

[chevymontecarlo88]

That is a bummer. Always stings a little more when you do everything plus more to help them with special requests. Especially on a $5.00 item where you did not make any money on it. Sorry to hear it happened to you.

[tsme35]

I get that a lot since i sell fishing gear, "can you get the item here by the Friday, I have a tournament". I just tell them I'll ship right out BUT make no guarantees, especially this year, USPS is losing or sending packages to the wrong state.

[movieman630]

I'm guessing that's what it is, the USPS (our silent partner) dropped the ball and didn't get it to them "on time".  So of course they blame me for not spending $4+ to ship it to them Ground Advantage (which probably would have taken just as long) or spending $8+ to get it to them Priority Mail. 

[the-hook-and-the-loop]

All of the negatives, neutrals, returns, and any other problems come from the ones who got a special discount or treatment.

[the-hook-and-the-loop]

I once heard a seller mention that if a potential buyer starts messaging you and asks more than 3 questions, you should block them and not do any business with them. It may be time to edit that to one question is too many.

[brightlightbookseller]

It does depend on the nature of the question.  I'll gladly field questions about the product that we failed to answer in the listing (we deal with so many items and with several employees, it's inevitable that we'll miss a detail on something), but if they start asking questions already answered in the listing, or if they start asking about things we don't do (like expedited shipping on a listing that doesn't offer it, like the OP's situation), then it's easy to just give them a quick no, and if they aren't immediately satisfied with that, I might just block them.

[vintagecraze50]

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@the-hook-and-the-loop wrote:

All of the negatives, neutrals, returns, and any other problems come from the ones who got a special discount or treatment.

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YOU KNOW, come to think of it THAT tends to happen with those types of buyers. More often than not.

[vintagecraze50]

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@the-hook-and-the-loop wrote:

All of the negatives, neutrals, returns, and any other problems come from the ones who got a special discount or treatment.

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One of the reason I cringe every time I get a message for special treatment. LOL!!

[tsme35]

Its the GA that's killing me, I'd ship priority but order boxes twice, April 21 and again May 7th, neither have been shipped. I had to open a missing mail report on the USPS, its getting bad.

[luckythewinner]

No good deed goes unpunished

Based on my selling experience, I agree that not all of eBay's 135 million active buyers are great customers.

And based on my buying experience, not all of eBay's 20 million active sellers are great sellers, either.

[tdl_collectibles]

I feel you. I had a buyer in California purchase a postcard on a Wednesday that her daughter needed for a School Project presentation the following Monday.  I just happened to be home that day and was able to drop in the mail but total crapshoot that any piece of mail just "gets there" from PA to CA in a set number of days.  

Tracking shows she got it AFTER the project was due, but she never reached out for a refund and/or complained, but think I dodged a bullet there.

[stuff4divas]

@movieman630   send them a feedback revision bc i think they did not intend to leave u a neutral, especially considering their comment.

what does their feedback profile look like?

don't let one 'kind of bad' experience ruin it for your future buyers.

[dbfolks166mt]

      Always remember the saying "failure to plan on your part does NOT justify an emergency on my part".