Buyer says that they didn't receive an order
I received an order on the 14 July for around £26. Book. Sent via royal mail on the 15th, 2nd class post. Just had a message today that they want a refund as never received the book. Royal mail says it should be delivered within 3 days. They say that they are moving and will reorder when they can safely receive packages. What can I do to avoid this? I will never get the book back … Should I put my return address on the front in future? I have found the Certificate of posting.
15 replies
Seller_DROodOAYHftnc
For a £26 book I would have sent it ‘signed for’, as even if you claim from RM you will only get £20 as that is the level of compensation for basic 2nd Class.
Don’t give in too easily as this is a well know ploy/scam to get a refund and the item (though as a bookseller myself I have had very few claims of INR). Ask them to confirm their address, and say you will ask RM to investigate (I am not saying you need to actually do it, but this does often weed out the scammers !, and I am not saying that is the case with your customer, but just for you to be aware.
Yes, ALWAYS put your return address on your parcels - if genuinely lost they will come back to you - eventually !
If you have the proof of posting you can claim from RM - either online or pick up a form at the PO.
Seller_zMdVY1OvvxqwA
If the book was sent as a parcel, as opposed to a thin book sent as large letter, there should be a delivery confirmation code on your post office receipt. If you go to Royal Mail’s website and check tracking, the code will say whether or not Royal Mail considers the parcel to have been scanned and delivered. I must add that this is only a guide- items can be scanned and delivered to the wrong place or left with a neighbour or in a safe place, or they can deliver something but fail to scan. But if it says delivered, I would mention this to the buyer and ask them to check around with neighbours and behind bins, etc. Sometimes scammers are deterred from pursuing further if you have something saying it’s been delivered, even though Amazon does not accept this type of delivery confirmation as actual proof of delivery.
If it says undelivered, it seems more likely the buyer is telling the truth.
If you claim from Royal Mail, they only allow you to claim for the cost price of the book, not the sale price, so depending what you paid fo the book, you may not get much back.
Seller_drLRJgrBPnFBI
Concurring with other posters here - I would used Tracked 48 for a book of that value. If you start using RM’s Click and Drop, your return address will automatically be printed onto the postage label. Be aware though that the PO do not accept Tracked 48 or Tracked 24 parcels - I just pop them in the post box and they get scanned at the nearest depot. You could, however, drop them at the nearest RM sorting office.
Only option is to refund unfortunately and claim from RM.
