Some thoughts on handling WSO issues - for buyers AND sellers

This question was posted by a member who had been banned temporarily for excessive and abusive posting about an issue with a WSO. He created a new account and asked this in main discussion. It's a question that warrants a useful answer, so... Support questions do not need to be answered in the forum itself. They should generally be handled through the seller's off-forum channels. Unfortunately, that doesn't always work. And we may not always be able to do much about the problem.

The absolute worst way to handle any issue here is to stalk the seller through one thread after another, posting insults and commenting in threads that have nothing to do with the problem you're discussing. Which happens all too often.

Good ways to handle problems exist, and they work when you use them. The most useful approach is to be sensible and patient with the seller/buyer. If you start off firing nastygrams and obscenities at someone, they may well just decide you're an unreasonable flake and ignore you. That's not always the wrong decision.

The thing to do if you want the mods to look at a problem is to type up a rational description of the situation, with enough details for the person reading it to understand what's going on. Then use the Report Post button.

If it's something we can verify immediately, like someone selling old PLR as a WSO, with a link to where we can see that it really isn't an original product, we'll close or move the thread, as appropriate. If it's "she said/he said," it probably won't get an immediate resolution. We will normally ask the other person for their side of the story. Keep in mind that what you (the buyer) think is a scamming seller might be something else entirely.

Example from yesterday: A member had been following a seller around, posting about how he was refusing refunds. The customer did not contact the seller through any channel but WSO threads, and posted some rather angry stuff. Seller explained to the mods that the customer had bought through an affiliate, and he had contacted the affiliate about the refund.

I explained to the customer what needed to be done and what had caused the hold-up. Suddenly, he became quite reasonable. All he needed was a clear and sensible explanation of the problem and a path to getting it resolved.

Don't ask me why the seller didn't explain that to the customer himself. I have no clue.

Flip side, also from yesterday: A seller had ignored a refund request that was within the stated refund policy. I PM'd him when the customer brought it to my attention after having gone through the seller's non-WSO channel and then through the WSO. Seller did not reply, despite having logged in quite a number of times after I sent that PM. Closed his existing offers until that and several other refund issues were addressed. That got his attention, and the refunds were issued. But it wasn't immediate.

Sometimes there simply isn't anything we can do. Some issues aren't appropriate for us to get into, and sometimes a seller just disappears. In some cases, you'll need to go through other channels, such as the payment system you used to give them the money, or WarriorPlus or JVzoo or whoever.

And sometimes, if you've been running around ranting and screaming and shouting about #*&#*%# scammers, you may have so badly screwed up the situation that we couldn't do anything even if you originally had a legitimate beef.

A note to sellers: Do NOT report a refund request made in your WSO threads with some note like, "This doesn't belong in my thread." If you don't make it clear that either no refund policy was offered, or that you have issued the refund, the request is legitimate and should stay posted. That is to encourage people to handle these things in a prompt fashion. If you don't, you're going to have the problem of cascading refund requests.

Also, if someone leaves a negative review that is within the rules, and includes a brief refund request note in it, that post should not be deleted. If the review is within the rules, the buyer has the right to post it.

Warning: Do not tell a customer that you will only honor your posted refund policy if they remove a negative review. Trust me, if we can verify that as a fact, you will not like the response.

And to buyers: WSO threads are not the best place to submit a first request for a refund. Simple courtesy suggests you use the non-forum channel for contacts that all sellers are required to have. If they fail to reply within 2 business days, then posting in the thread may be appropriate.

Also, look at the email address and name in the receipt you got when you purchased. If those are an affiliate's details, contact the affiliate. Do not start accusing the merchant of being a crook because an affiliate is slow or unresponsive.

And, again, be patient. Folks who think that everything can and should be replied to instantly need to grow up.


Paul