Buyer gave her address as her local Post Office for convenient pick-up - NOT allowed!
Hi, all.
This is by way of an alert to others as well as explaining my problem!
My Buyer provided an address which came out on the Amazon printed label as ‘Local collect at Weoley Hill Post Office’, followed by that Post Office’s address. The Buyer’s name did NOT appear on the label.
Fortunately I noticed and put her name on it at my Post Office before posting, by hand.
It was a £50 book, but for once I didn’t send it Signed For, as I figured that since it was going to a Post Office it would be fine.
However (of course!) the package has gone missing, and on talking to the manager of my local Post Office, I discover that it is not possible to put a Post Office’s address down as the pick up point, unless you actually work there - which my Buyer does not. The manager says she returns several packages to their senders every week when people have ‘tried it on’ by putting the Post Office’s address.
I feel that Amazon should not be accepting addresses that say ‘Local collect’ at a Post Office - and, remember, there was not even a name on the posting details they had accepted, only on my Order Details.
I have tried to convey this to them through the Case contact option, but they don’t seem to get it.
(I often think that they should have a Suggestions Box facility, so that anyone who feels that their issue may help other Sellers can send details in to a central point for consideration.)
41 replies
Seller_amUAzjvL5uIzu
Been selling online for 20 years,never known PO to take parcels for collection by a random person.
You should have cancelled & marked as “undeliverable address”
Seller_EJIX7rqDNQJi2
Amazon is not scanning addresses for accuracy. Buyers are able to place orders using any address and it’s up to you to verify whether it’s safe to ship there or not.
Seller_vNJRtTMxd54dj
Not sure what you mean, I often order from amazon and collect from my local post office, in fact there is an option when you order to select local collect.
Seller_KrJPN0qNSVTCt
Did you not mark the package with a sender address to which the book could have been returned? I do this in every case, regardless of dispatch method, and it has paid off on a handful of occasions.
Seller_6sxtIS0RbZ5k7
Seller_vmXKMgVCpmLVt
The fact no person’s name on the label should have rung alarm bells.
Sending a £50 item with no form of traceablility is a real gamble. I certainly would not take, for the sake of a £1+…
Seller_n33KwLeg9XOvi
Surely you would send a £50 item with tracking - regardless of where it was being delivered to ?? Hopefully you will get the item back RTS from RM
Yes, sometimes the workers at the Post Office Counter no less than we do
Seller_nJqs0T8gkrQn0
Local Collect service is only available at ‘Participating’ Post Offices. 'Participating ’ being the keyword, where the buyer would select a delivery address from a drop down list and a reference number would be automatically applied. This service would be set up and offered by major retailers such as Amazon or like Ebay through Argos. Looks like the buyer took it upon themselves to just type in manually the address of their local Post Office which is not the same thing but would go through the system like a normal address until it reaches its destination and is then rejected. It can take 3 weeks before an item is returned from a mail centre. However as this is not a usual not collected item it may bounce back to you more quickly.
Seller_Rds42gzScDQFa
Recently I asked at my local post office if it was possible to have items delivered there if it was not a “Click and Drop” service purchased on Amazon or a well known auction site and was told no.
You can only have an item delivered to a post office if the seller offers this option which some do not as a collection code or number is required.
Basically, you CANNOT purchase an item and give a post office as a delivery address as they are obliged to return the item to the sender.
A while back I had a buyer who had an item sent to a post office in London. As I was unsure of what to do back then I sent it signed for. The buyer claimed INR but thankfully I had a tracking number. I replied stating that the item was shipped to the address he gave, sent signed for and to check with the post office staff. That was the last I heard. If I receive another order with a post office address I will email the customer and inform them that I cannot ship to a post office and will raise a case with Seller Support and email Seller Performance to let them know the situation.
Seller_k4H5v9VB5NnjF
I’ve had almost the exact same scenario but going to the local library. Had no customer name, spelling mistakes in the address and half the post code missing. I sorted it all out and it still came back to me as ‘not known at this address’. Customer then opened an A-Z for item not received, which of course they won because they were right! Item was not received!
Seeing this kind of thing does make me wonder how some people manage to function in their daily lives. Then I realise that they just get a management job in a public service.
