Fraudulent claim - can you use social media posts!
Hi Guys - received a message from a customer yesterday , said he had received his shorts but there is a hole in one pocket , however as he has recently had ankle surgery he cant return them - so he just wants a full refund.
As a “seasoned” seller i think we immediately know a scam when we see one !
Replied to him this afternoon and said that as he is not currently mobile we would arrange for royal mail to collect the package and postman will have the return address label
Thought that would have him stumped - but received a new message at 3pm to say that he has had a fall and is now back in hospital on a drip and has no idea when he will be back home , and again just asked us to send him a refund - we have had no evidence of any fault
My next reply will advise him that there is no rush - we will arrange collection when he is back home.
I then checked the customers facebook page - he uses his middle name on amazon account - comes from Blackpool - and i found someone same name from blackpool - posted a pic on facebook on june 6th showing his cast after ankle surgery (3 weeks ago) - so it is 99.9% same person.
At 2pm this afternoon he posted a pic of him sitting in a cafe in blackpool having lunch !!
My question is (after that long winded story) is can i use these social media posts as evidence against him and make him aware that he has caught himself out by saying that he is housebound and now back in hospital
Shorts are not too expensive - but it is just the principle here , these people leave me raging , i am sure you will all know the feeling !
0 replies
Seller_77IcbQKVGdZo0
I really don’t think you can use the Social Media post as proof. You would firstly have to get Amazon to accept that this was the same person and if you managed to get over that hurdle then I really don’t see them accepting it as proof. If you were to confront the customer about this in a message you would likely get a warning.
With this surely all you need to do is ask him to raise a return request and leave it at that. If it goes to an A-Z you maybe more inclined to take things further but for now I wouldn’t do any more.
Even if he was house bound due to ankle surgery I am sure he has someone who helps him or lives with him who could pop the item to the post office. So there isn’t even any need for you to arrange a return.
Seller_B4VbHpnDLDLAU
It’s a tricky one by amazon standards, we have done it on our own website claiming non delivery and then on a Facebook group stated how good the item was. She backtracked pretty rapid.
I would just repeat one last time and quite clearly state as per both amazon terms and condition and Consumer rights no refund will be issued untill goods are returnd. And ignore all future messages.
This type of claim I generally have very good success rate via A-Z amazon seem to see sense in this scenario.
Seller_FkfPzn8kFMbY3
As Outdoor_1 said, terms and conditions apply and their personal circumstances are pretty irrelevant.
As a seller, if you had outstanding orders to post and suddenly was taken ill and hospitalised, Amazon would still expect you the seller to fulfil your orders, and would not care if you was halfway to the morgue… you have orders to fulfil !!
You are responsible for supplying them the means to return the item for refund (postage label)
Any A-Z claim should be easily defended with a nil return claim and if Amazon refund without return, they are liable for a Safe-T claim for breaking their own T&C.
Seller_xUKHc5xSYJmI4
We all have friends or family or neighbours who will do things for us so I am puzzled in the event he needs to return something he hasn’t found a way to organise a return.
Seller_ZQyopdiwkUHOZ
I don’t see why you need proof at all. Just say that as per policy they’ll need to return them to you to get a refund. If they insist they’re not mobile then they’ll just have to get a friend of family member to sort it out for them. It’s not your responsibility.
Seller_DROodOAYHftnc
Totally agree with above.
‘As per Amazon’s return /refund policy, you will refund on receipt of returned item’ - end of …!
Seller_lljyzgTxr5fgI
Just had one ourselves three days ago, though never had one before. Ours was a vinyl record which the buyer says is not an original 1st pressing (we know it is, of course). Said it was in poor condition (which it wasn’t) and that he works 6 days a week and can’t therefore get to a post office. Advised that Royal Mail will collect from him, free of charge and will even bring a label and that he will be refunded on first scan.
Still trying to say that the item was not what was listed but “couldn’t” return it. Then said Amazon had emailed him to ask him to write a “review” (probably code for negative feedback threat). I said he should write whatever he saw fit but that no refund would be issued until the item was sent back. I then threw in the “hand grenade”…told him the item was security marked to identify it (which it is). Not heard any more 
Seller_AosJD54bRJJWc
ask him if he thinks a high street shop would refund him if he phoned them up saying there is a hole in a pocket and he couldnt come back to return the item
Seller_VJFloi7Cs0iaR
You sound like a bit of a stalker if I’m honest, I’d keep an eye on that, as a lot of serial killers have started out in this way 
On a serious note, keep it simple, use the Amazon guidelines in your favour, as others have said, no return, no refund.
Just be professional and courteous about it, is all this amateur detective work really worth the couple of quid pair of shorts?
And for the record, if you go telling Amazon that you are using customers personal details to go snooping around their Facebook pages, your next post is going to be about you account deactivation, check your terms and conditions.
Seller_WIndmNYDp7rQF
I would be blunt
“No return no refund” and then end communication.
