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When buyer claims order never arrived but tracking says it did.

by onlinecommerce
6 replies
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I shipped the order by USPS Priority Post and out of the blue exactly 2 months later the customer sends an email saying they never received the order and is asking me to send their order out again. I check the tracking number which indicates it was delivered 2 days after I had sent the package out.

Now usually I give the person the benefit of the doubt and will reship their order but I don't trust this person for several reasons. 1st they took 2 months before even sending an email which usually if I have a customer not receiving their order within a week I am getting emails and phone calls. 2nd in their comments they said "No signature required upon delivery; please leave at door". 3rd in their following emails they claim there is a problem with USPS in their building and demanding I send a new one by UPS because USPS is unreliable.


I then tell them I will have to file a USPS claim which they say ok but want me to either refund them or reship the product before the claim gets worked out.

This all just seems too bizarre to me, specifically asking for no delivery confirmation while knowing it is being sent out USPS and waiting 2 months before even asking where their order is which also happened to be the exact cutoff date in which you are allowed to file USPS claim.

Would you trust this person?
#arrived #buyer #claims #order #tracking
  • Profile picture of the author Entrecon
    Depending on the value, in most cases I wouldn't do it. It was something worth only a few dollars, it isn't worth the hassle and easier to just refund them. However, for more expensive items, there is no way I would refund them.
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  • Profile picture of the author SmallRevolution
    I think your problem is actually your store's Terms of Sale, not the customer.

    If you have your own store and you have a comprehensive Terms of Sale then you can simply point the customer to the document and take it from there.

    Most ToS will ask for a customer to contact them within 14 days. In this case, the customer would be out of the valid time period, and he/she purchased the product in accordance with the ToS.

    If you are selling the product via Amazon or eBay then you will need to comply with their Terms of Sale, otherwise your account can get banned. And that's not much fun is it!

    I've just opened up one of our members-only how-to guides for you to use. I will lock it down again in a couple of days (if I remember!) - How To Write A Site Terms Of Use For Your Store - Small Revolution

    Hope that helps,
    Katrina
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    2 months is a LONG time to wait before complaining. I think it is suspicious but you have to decide what to do for yourself....what product it is and worth, etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author serpyre
    What, how do people run businesses with this type of advice. You file the claim, and then wait for the result - of course it is likely to be fradulent - sure there are risks from reputation to chargebacks - but you shouldn't be running a store if you have sleepless nights about it. Just do the right thing - not more - not less - in this case be neutral.
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    • Profile picture of the author LABEShops
      You mentioned "in their building" so I'm assuming this might be an apartment?

      What I usually do is suggest they check with their apartments leasing office, maintenance, or other office in the complex. Very often, packages are delivered to them when no one answers the apartment door and then the staff forgets to inform the person the package is there. Some apartments have package boxes at their mail boxes and it has also happened that the key was never put in their box, so they should ask their local mail delivery clerk to recheck all the package boxes and make sure it is not "lost" in one of them. Describe the package as best as you can - was it a "priority mail box" or tyvek envelope, what size what it, etc. To aid in the hunt.

      I also always suggest they check with neighbors to see if it was mis-delivered (especially if it's an apartment complex that has the same apartment number on different floors or in different buildings). I had a customer notify me 3 months later that a neighbor found it in their closet having forgotten all about getting it.

      If neither methods locates the package (90% of the time it does I find), file a claim with the post office. Then it is up to you if you want to do a reshipment (I do if it's a small value item), wait for the results of the claim (which can take a LONG time), or issue a refund. If you reship, notify the customer it will be sent with signature confirmation required and ask them to notify you if the original shipment is found.
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