Question
I sold an item, an old used item that isn't made anymore, and hasn't been made in probably 50 years. I'd say 999 out of 1000 people would be thrilled to get, if they were looking for one, that is. I've sold scores of these over the last few years. The total the buyer paid was less than $15 including shipping.
He emails that he wasn't happy with it, that it wasn't perfect, but he wanted to keep it, that he could get a mint one for the price he paid, that he was sure I would make this right, yada yada.
I answered back that I wouldn't do a partial refund so he could have it for $5.00 or whatever, but that I would do a full refund only (I think he should have that perfect one for the same price, don't you?)
He emails back to say he would take me up on my generous offer and could I please Paypal him the money.
I told him to please re-read my previous email, which I suppose, should have been worded better, but I DID say I CAN'T do a partial. I'm sticking to my guns on this one.
I am so sick of this crap.
Answer
Are you asking for the item to be returned. I think he thinks you are going to refund all his money. I'd make him ship back the item before the refund.
Answer
I'm asking for it to be returned IF he wants a refund. I told him "I can't do a partial refund so you can keep the knob for only $5.00 or whatever".
He misread that and thought I was offering him most of his money back, and seemed estatic about that.
He's being ultra picky. I'll glady give him a refund and resell it. The next guy will probably be thrilled with it.
And yes, I feel vindictive enough to let him go find a "perfect" one for the same money.
Answer
reword you emails, always use a sentence like
return the item for a full refund.
they hate that.
Answer
You may never hear from him again. (Or should that be, May you never hear from him again).
I recently sold a woman six glass items. This is an item that I have several of and have sold multiple times. It consists of three pair of similar items. I wrap them in packing paper and ship them in a box with peanuts. She does not elect to insure them. This person lives within 60 miles of my location.
So she receives them and tells me that she loves the items but that, unfortunately, 3 of them have arrived broken. I express amazement, but tell her to mail me back the broken pieces and I will return her 3 replacements at no charge plus I will reimburse her for the shipping back to me. I get an e-mail back saying that this would be very inconvenient for her to do – has to find a box, packing materials, go to PO etc. I e-mail back that it is up to her – my offer stands and I am in no rush, she may take as long as she likes. She replies that she hopes that I will make this right – she loves the items. I reply that my offer stands with no time limit. She replies that she is disabled and has to rely on others to take her to PO, etc.
I check her buying and selling history. She is selling regularly on eBay and buying like a fiend as well.
She sends one more e-mail saying she hopes that I will "make this right". I ignore it and add her to my blocked bidders.
About a month later I get a positive feedback that mentions that she loves the item even though half of them arrived broken.
I think that this is just the way some folks operate and that we are sometimes unfortunate enough to encounter them.
Answer
"I can't do a partial refund so you can keep the knob for only $5.00 or whatever".
It's the wording of this sentence...he read the "so you can keep the knob for only $5.00...".
It seems that we have to write our emails at about a 3rd grade reading level.
"We cannot give partial refunds." "Please return the item if you want a full refund."
Remember my buyer of a $1 tube of wrinkle cream who emptied and weighed the contents and said it was 2 grams short. This was a tiny ½ ounce tube. That nice buyer left me a neg.
Answer
good gravy
Where are you getting these bidders????
Doncha just wish you could get the satisfaction of sending an email like:
Dear stupid bidder, if you didn't want the friggin' item, then why in the f*** did you bid? You wanted a brand new one? Go get it. Send back my f***ing whatchamacallit at your time and expense and you will get your money back when I damn well feel like sending it to you.
Maybe I'm just grumpy today, but I sure would like to say that.
Answer
You may never hear from him again. (Or should that be, May you never hear from him again).
LOL. I haven't heard back since I asked him to re-read my email.
Remember my buyer of a $1 tube of wrinkle cream who emptied and weighed the contents and said it was 2 grams short. This was a tiny ½ ounce tube. That nice buyer left me a neg.
Yes, I remember that one. It really takes the cake, and is probably the unoffical All-Time numero uno strangest complaints. And to leave a neg for that. Did you offer a refund? If so, how could she have put the cream back into the tube in order to send it back? Crazy. Of course, by the time she would have tried to get it back into the tube, it would have been another gram or two short.
Answer
The weird thing about my wrinkle cream buyer was how she complained. She never asked outright for a refund, she just launched into her "I weighed the cream and the tube..." nonsense.
Since I had not misrepresented the item, I didn't offer a refund. I did check up on her previous auctions and feedback left, and saw that she had basically done the same thing to a few other buyers. Those who had refunded her money got a weak positive, those who would not play the game got negs. Some of the negs she left were for people who had refunded her, so it seemed there was going to be no way to please her.
I felt I was being played, and it ticked me off. It looks now like she has stopped using that ID. I guess 3 negs in less than a year with a net rating of 91.4% was enough to make her want to start over. If I saw that kind of fb on a bidder of mine, I'd cancel their bid in a heartbeat.
Answer
What do you do when you're finished weighing it? How do you get wrinkle cream back in the tube without losing some of it? I would think she wouldn't want to lose one microgram of it. Or does she just leave out the piece of wax paper with a big gob of cream on it and dab it off as needed or until it dries out?
What a bizarre and unreal thing to do. And then to leave you a neg no less!