Shipping Woes...I might have a fraud charge

[Achika]

So, the first bidder of my MD player backed out about a month ago, so I sent a second chance offer to the next bidder and he stepped up to the plate. He was prompt to pay, but paid with a check. I said that was ok, as long as it was ok for him to wait a week or two for it to clear the bank. He said ok. It cleared, so I shipped the package out on April 10th. It was a gift, so he's having it shipped to his friend in Indonesia as a gift. I had everything ready at the post office: package, express form, customs form. etc. The total was about $20 or so, which since I don't ship express all that often, it felt normal. I kept saying it has to go Express to the lady.

So, I've also been checking the progress online, but it's never updated. So, last night I decided to take out the reciept and recheck it.....the stupid ass postal worker sent it fucking SURFACE MAIL. For those of you not in the know, the transit times are 5 days for express and 4-6 weeks for surface.

I go in today and tell the PO they screwed up, and the lady who took my package in the first place (with Express sticker and tape all over it!) was like "What do you want me to do about it?" "I look flat at her and said "This is your screw up--you tell me what you're going to do about it" So I spent an hour with the Post Master trying to figure out where the package is. All I know is that it left the country, but I don't know where it is after that. It's got a tracking number and I've got the reciept & stuff to prove I sent it out.

I was wondering if I should email the bidder with the info and ask if they had gotten it yet, and then explain the situation to them.

Please let me know if you (your friend?) has gotten
the MD Player. There has been a bit of a mix up here,
and I am trying to get the situation straightened out
to the best of my ability. If you've gotten it,
please disregard this.

As you know, I sent the package on April 10th via
Express Mail, that should have shown up in like 5 days
or so. I've also been checking the status of the
package, so I knew when it was being delivered. Since
the status hasn't been updated I checked the reciept,
because I was going to go to the post office and see
what the problem was. Apparently, the clerk put the
package in the system as going SURFACE ECONOMY Mail,
but still scanned the barcode on the Express reciept.
The difference is, surface mail takes about 4-6 weeks,
but costs around the same as Express. I talked to the
Post Master, and she told me that it was on a plane
and has already left the country. She wasn't sure
where it was after that. So there's a chance that a)
it might be sent back to me for the little bit of
postage that is missing between the cost of Surface
(which it went) and Express (which it was SUPPOSED) to
go. At this point I will reship it, and make sure it
went Express before I leave the post office. Or, b)
they might disregard the postage discrepency and
deliver it anyhow. If it does option b) but they
charge the person they delivered it to, please let me
know and I will reimberse you for it.

Again, I am SO sorry for this problem. It's a total
freak accident that is out of my hands, but I'm doing
the best I can to get it straightened out.

thanks
adrienne
achika!

And I got this from him in responce:

Dear Adriienne

I have pay you, and know you tell me that was a problem with the
shipping
???? nice, cause you are tryng to get the cheap shipping thats why you
choose it, i dont wanna know about it, i think you must re ship the
item
by FedEx and i dont care, and make it as a gift that wont make my
friends
get high invoice there, if you not doing like what i'm saying, i will
tell this as a fraud. thanks

regards

So, what should I do? Wait for everything to right itself? Can he really charge fraud? I've got proof & tracking numbers to back up that I've sent it out...it really was an accident.

[Achika]

Here's something else:

Have i need care about this??? is this my false??? tell me? have i need
to take the risk??? wasnt i have pay you? and what you suposed to do if
i
have allready pay you? I dont care what happen i just want my friends
get
that MD player, soon not until the post resend you the item. have i
need
to responsible for your mistakes??? let me tell you know, if the post
office will returned the MD player to you! why dont you get another MD
player and sent it now to my friends, and you can take it back the MD
player that you've been send it before by waiting the post services? my
friends not supposed to be get this problem!!! cause we are a customer
and we pay not free, i will wait for 24 hours to you to sent the MD
player without waiting the post returned to you. thanks

I don't want to send him another MD player or a refund until I have this one back, so do I tell him, no refunds or what?

[neschampion]

Since you sent it and have the tracking info to prove it there is nothing he can do but wait and complain.

[Achika]

So how do I respond? Tell him I'm not shipping anything else till I have something in my hand? Ask if his friend rec'd it yet or not? I don't know what else to do...I've tried by now I want to cry....

[MyNameIsBoB]

To me it sounds like he doesn't believe you. But again, it isn't your fault and he has no reason not to believe you. From his two e-mails, it sounds like he isn't very smart and is just saying that stuff to scare you. Just ignore him until things cool off for now.

[Kairi]

I can't really understand too much from his e-mails anyways-the English is too broken, I personally wouldn't send anything else out, because it wasn't your fault.

[jonjandran]

How much is another md player like it? Can you still buy them new ?
If you can , let me know and I'll buy one and send it express to his friend.

[Achika]

How much is another md player like it? Can you still buy them new ?
If you can , let me know and I'll buy one and send it express to his friend.

The close price was $125 with 15 discs. It was all used, and a few years old...so you can't buy them new. So there's no option to go out and buy another and simply "take this one back"

[godsey1]

I had a similar experience about 4 month's ago. A guy bought a Game Cube from one of my auction's and wanted it shipped Priority, it was going to be a birthday gift. I sent it Priority, but the "GREAT" people at the post office sent it out in the bulk rate. After 1 1/2 weeks, he was e-mailing me every day "Where's the system". I went to the post office again and spoke to the post master, he said that the shipping charge was going to be refunded, but there wasn't anything they could do about getting the stuff in priority after it got mailed. What I did was tell him that the shipping charge would be refunded. That got him to be a little more patient. He got the system after about 3 weeks(he was in the USA), and was happy. He didn't leave any feedback, but that could be a good thing. You migh offer them a refund on the shipping, and give it another week or two to see if it shows up. I don't think that they can get you on any fraud charges, as long as you keep all the receipts.
Tony

[Chunky]

what i do now is only ship UPS. and i have had some problems with some people on thsi bored about it. but you know what, they not as bad or stupid as the post office. Anything i send out i sit there and say i want it post marked and stickered so i see it./ do not send out 3rd party on a check.

Anyways you need a disclaimer in your auctions that as soon at it leaves your hands, it's out of your hands, i actually do this only if they force me to ship USPS, UPS i will never have a problem with.

3rdly(wtf did i just type) i wish more of yous guys would post what your selling, or even what kinda auctions your auctioning in the buy/sell thread, since i been looking to get a MD player(ran into some demo/promo MDs)


All you can do really is ask for a refund and offer him a refund on the shipping.

[stonecutter]

I know this isn't a funny situation for you, but I would wait it out, I don't think there can be any harm in that. BUT if you want to have fun, email him and say

" how come for why? me no understand what you me tell "

[Achika]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...015443449&rd=1

I offered a refund for shipping only (which was like $35) It was sent, so it will be there, but just a bit later. Hopefully this will get him to shut his yap. I thought I had left him feedback, but I guess not--what concerns me now is that he's not a registered user anymore.... :/ And luckily this was one of the auctions that I put "not responsible once it leaves my hands' Take it for what you will, thanks for the advice....

any more is still solicited.

[SoulBlazer]

ROTFL!

I have to agree -- refund the shipping costs and provide evidence that you sent it Priorty but the post office screwed up. (Thank God I never had that happen to me -- living in a apartment I prefer everything to come by USPS)

[Felixthegamer]

I think all you can really do is what you have done. Refund shipping and provide proof it was shipped. Wait and see what happens. It is bound to show up sooner or later, right?

[nesman85]

even if the guy files fraud, nothing will happen to you. me, and at least 2 other bidders on a sellers auctions filed fraud against him after paying and not receiving our items. nobody got their item or a refund and he got in no trouble whatsoever. they just sent him a letter telling him to try contacting me and work it out, it didn't threaten any kind of punishment or anything. i think you did the right thing by sending his shipping money back, now he can't say that you were trying to "get the cheap shipping".

[punkoffgirl]

I think it's generous of you to refund the shipping, and should go a ways to demonstrate your goodwill. And I hope he eats a HUGE serving of crow when his "friend" gets the package and sees that there IS the express mail sticker on it, even if the stupid Post Office shipped it surface that sticker should still be on there. The plus side of him not being a registered user means he can't mess YOU up with any negative feedback, either.

ps- if you happen to ask him WHY he's not a registered user anymore, I hope you share the reply with the board! That ought to be an interesting answer.

[mcgrail0007@netzero.net]

I would not worry about it. For one, he paid by check. This means that he can't file a compaint with PayPal or his credit card. He also is no longer registered with eBay so he can't file a fraud complaint with them and he can't leave you a negative feedback. In addition to this your feedback rating is 99.8% and you have tracking information. I have heard that customs in Indonesia sometimes do steal things, so you can always use that as an excuse as well. It also is possible that since he has you shipping this item out of the country that maybe he is not legally in this country and if that is the case he won't cause you any problems anyway.

[Vlad The Impaler]

Shipping to Indonesia = very bad things. Even if he paid by cheque I would never ship somewhere else especially Indonesia. it is notorious for fraud. The fact he has been NARU'd should set the alarm bells ringing. I would send him nothing and see what happens.

[Achika]

actually, I was hoping this would just get shifted down the list. He sent me a huge apology friday morning stating he was very sorry for what he said, he realizes it's not my fault about the shipping & finally it showed up.

[Sylentwulf]

I didn't read many replies, but since you sent it to "A friend" All the tracking in the world won't help, even if he DID receive it, he can say he didn't, since it wasn't sent to the registered mailing address.