USPS DENIES CLAIM Because Buyer Will Not Take Damaged Item to PO for Inspection. What do I do?

[a_happyhoarder]

I have shipped hundreds of fragile items and can count on one had the times something was damaged during shipping.

Well, and eBay Newbie received an item that was damaged and filed a refund request.

I told them that the package was insured and a claim could be filed for a refund. They messaged me telling me that they did not think they should have to do the filing, so I refunded their payment and I asked them to please hold on to the item  and packaging in case USPS requests an inspection.

Well...guess what? USPS DID REQUEST AN INSPECTION!

I have contacted the buyer several times asking them to please take the item in to their local PO for inspection.

BUT THEY WILL NOT REPLY!

It clearly states on the USPS website to NOT return the damaged item to seller and that the item may be requested by the USPS for inspection.

I took photos and copies of my correspondence with the buyer to my PO and they said they had to see the item in order to agree to the claim.

What I'm supposed to do? 

[chinohighcowboys1963]

Buyers are never required to cooperate with a seller filing an insurance claim.

[emerald1830]

" to please take the item in to their local PO for inspection."

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I wouldn't do it either as a buyer..It would mean taking time off from work and stand in line in a very crowded post office..

[kensgiftshop]

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@a_happyhoarder wrote:

What I'm supposed to do? 

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If buyer doesn't want to help, there isn't much you can do.

[johnrj1226]

You lost your  bargaining position when you -

1.  did not request from the buyer picture of the damaged item, packaging  and clear, readable  shot of the shipping label  - the buyer  is not obligated  to do this but most  people of goodwill will do it.

and/or

2.  refunded the buyer before asking they take the item to their local PO for inspection

Unfortunately some people will  try anything to get something for nothing.

[Anonymous]

I have to agree with johnrj1226, in that you lost some footing in the process--hindsight, right?

I'd hope that you eventually receive a reply/cooperation but, in the event that you get neither, the least you might consider doing is to add this buyer to your BBL. Why risk even more potential loss if another claim were to go south?--it sounds more like a "when" than an "if" with this particular buyer.

[a_happyhoarder]

Had I NOT refunded them...they probably would have left negative feedback.

A buyer can file a claim but they refused.

I filed the claim and refunded them out of common courtesy because they did send me good photos to include with the claim.

How silly of me to think that someone would extend the same courtesy to me!

[mrdutch1001]

There is never any guarantee regarding refunding or not refunding ... just as there is never any guarantee a buyer won't leave negative feedback regardless of the outcome of any transaction...

it's best to try to work with the buyer before issuing any refund, but no seller should feel they have to be bullied into refunding just to avoid a negative feedback.

[Anonymous]

The OP did exactly what they were required to do when a damaged item case was opened, though they could have asked for the item to be returned before refunding that would have also been at their expense.

eBay does encourage buyers to facilitate in an insurance claim but does not require it nor do they require photo evidence. Had the OP not refunded or provided a prepaid return shipping label in 3 days the buyer would have escalated and would have been refunded keeping the item anyways.

One thing that can become a catch 22 for the buyer when agreeing to relinquish the broken item to the USPS (fedex,ups) for insurance is that they no longer have the item to return if the seller refuses to refund.

Since the OP did in fact refund, maybe the buyer is now on a holiday vacation or mulling over whether it is worth spending an hour or so in line at his PO or even taking time off of work to get to the post office, mine is only open 9 - 4:30 with extremely limited Saturday hours, plus it is a drive I only make bi-monthly. I can also guarantee that for the next 2 weeks my post office line will be out the door with people returning all their ugly amazon gifts.

Sam always said insurance was a bad bet, where is she now?

[fuzzface50]

Start self insuring like a lot of us do.  You already said you shipped hundreds with only a few problems . How much have you spent on Insurance that you have never used? And as you just found out even having an item insured doesn't mean they will cover it. 

My self insurance is every item I ship I put a $1.00 away which is cheaper than buying it from a third party. 

[Anonymous]

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@fuzzface50 wrote:

My self insurance is every item I ship I put a $1.00 away which is cheaper than buying it from a third party. 

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Same here, except I invested those extra dollars into a long term self-storage beer system, hence the need for a 4-foot shoehorn.

[labs118]

Contact ebay CS
Per ebay community staff Trinton  post #33 here

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping-Returns/USPS-Insurance-claim-denied-buyer-lied-will-not-surre...


We do have protection options if a claim is denied because the recipient of the package does not cooperate with the insurance claim, but these options still require the seller to follow our standard eBay Money Back Guarantee timeframes and let us know there are concerns within 30 days of the case closure.



And post # 72 same link

While I understand that you were waiting on the buyer to take steps on their end, we do ultimately need an appeal to be pursued within 30 days of the case closing so we retain access to the funds and can explore an appeal. After this time, we are not able to ensure protection. Though we do have protection options available to a seller if the recipient of the package does not comply with the insurance claim and it is denied, this would not be in the form of eBay contacting USPS. We do not have authority over how USPS decides their insurance claims, only the ability to offer protection to sellers who purchased insurance and then were unable to pursue compensation due to a lack of cooperation from their customer. Since we do not have requirements in place for a buyer to cooperate, protection would be between the seller and eBay within an appeal.

[ga-8370]

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@labs118 wrote:

Contact ebay CS
Per ebay community staff Trinton  post #33 here

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping-Returns/USPS-Insurance-claim-denied-buyer-lied-will-not-surre...

We do have protection optionsif a claim is denied because the recipient of the package does not cooperate with the insurance claim, but these options still require the seller to follow our standard eBay Money Back Guarantee timeframes and let us know there are concerns within 30 days of the case closure.

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Silly goose! That was barely a year ago, so obviously eBay no longer "do have protection options" if the buyer "does not cooperate with the insurance claim".

Instead, just 38 days ago (we should try to keep up) the policy is now:

Hi @southern*sweet*tea, while it's very uncommon for a buyer to not work with their seller and shipping carrier to resolve an insurance claim, we are not able to cover a seller if a buyer does not cooperate with the carrier. [W]hile this may have been something we could review for additional options in the past, at this time we do not offer protection in this situation. The seller would need to work with the recipient of the package and the courier.

[Anonymous]

Ouch, there it is... "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink."

[mesodude]

“Well, and eBay Newbie received an item that was damaged and filed a refund request.

I told them that the package was insured and a claim could be filed for a refund. They messaged me telling me that they did not think they should have to do the filing, so I refunded their payment and I asked them to please hold on to the item  and packaging in case USPS requests an inspection.

Well...guess what? USPS DID REQUEST AN INSPECTION!”

What John said. The buyer wasn’t obliged to file the claim but in order to be refunded, he absolutely was obliged to assist you in filing the claim (by either sending you photos of the damaged item or taking it to the PO if necessary or both).  The following statement (not including my words in brackets) is from the USPS website:

“If you [the buyer] received something damaged, please hang onto the original packaging and the damaged item until your [the sender’s]claim is settled. You may be asked to take them to your local Post Office™ for inspection later. Please do not reship the package.”