A recent buyer experience

[yennefer10]

Just wanted to ask the community for some advice. I sold a very inexpensive item in January, buyer paid and the item was delivered 7 days after despatch (Thanks Royal Mail). Yersterday (7 weeks after delivery) the buyer opened a request saying they had not recieved the item. 

The tracking shows the item literally being posted through the buyers door, with location coordinates of the buyers address. 

I exhcnaged a few messages with the buyer, perfectly polite asking why wait 7 weeks, how come it's shown as delivered ETC. But the avoided my questions, only then to leave negative feedback on my profile.

Live chat can't/won't help, i've put in a feedback removal request that got denied because of the case was open, so in the end rather than wait for ebay to pul their fingers out i've sent the buy as refund. So where do i stand now with getting the feedback removed? I want to list some things this weekend but with negative feedback i'm losing potential bids.

[jckl1957]

Personally, with proof of delivery and with the buyer being out of time to open a case through Ebay, I would not have refunded.

That aside, you can send them a feedback revision request by going to your feedback page.

Hopefully, as you were kind enough to refund them (you didn't have to), they may be prepared to change the feedback.

[arkwebus]

In my view it is utterly pointless to deal with the buyer. All problems must be dealt with by the buyer simply opening a case.  [EBay used to say "contact the seller by opening a case"; they may still do so!]

EBay only covers up to 30 days in any event.  He should have opened a case and if that was possible after 30 days you could have closed it,

You had a tracking showing delivery and - even though I am a softy - I most certainly would not refund. 

It does away with the eBay principle that tracking showing delivery means no refund!

@yennefer10 

[yennefer10]

Thank you both, I sent the buyer a feedback revision and they just made it worse. I didn't want to refund out of principle but it was literally £2.55 they buyer was after. I only refunded so I could ask eBay to review the feedback and see where exactly I was rude in my messages as they wouldn't remove whilst the case was open, I have things to list this weekend too grrrr!

[papso22]

The case would have been closed in your favour, the buyer would not have been able to ask ebay to step in as they opened the case more than 30 days after delivery, and you had proof of delivery.

Closing the case that way would have meant ebay removing the feedback.  You refunding to close the case looks like an 'admission of guilt' and will have scuppered the chance of getting the feedback removed.

I am sorry but you went about it the wrong way.

[m25jet]

As has already been said, you've gone about this completely the wrong way.  What you should have done when the buyer opened a case against you was to send a reply saying something along the lines of "I am afraid I cannot provide you with a refund as the tracking number clearly shows that the item was successfully delivered to the address that you provided when you made payment", or words to that effect.  Be sure to include the tracking number in the message to the buyer, urging him/her to check it for clarification.  In most cases this should be sufficient to deter buyers who are just out to scam you, but in the event that it does not then when the case is opened against you contact eBay about the matter yourself and tell eBay that you can prove that the item was successfully delivered to the buyer's address and provide them with the tracking number, urging them to check it for themselves.  So long as the tracking proves that the item was successfully delivered to the buyer you would be able to blow the buyer's allegations of non-receipt out of the water and eBay would close the case in your favour.

If at any point during the case the buyer leaves bad feedback for you then your next move would be to get onto eBay Customer Service as soon as the case has been closed in your favour, stating that given that they have closed the case in your favour, having found you not to be at fault, could they please remove the unjustified negative feedback?  By approaching the situation this way eBay would remove the unjustified negative feedback left by the buyer, as well as the associated defect on your account.

If you have not already done so make sure that you add the buyer's User ID to your Blocked Bidders List so that he/she cannot purchase anything else from you in the future and screw you over again.