BUY 3, GET 1 FREE (add 4 to basket) - threats from customer
Summary: thehungrybee shared an issue about a customer who expected a free item from a 'Buy 3, Get 1 Free' offer without adding the fourth item to the basket. Despite explanations, the customer insisted on receiving the item and even mentioned legal action. jonatjonatjonat suggested blocking the buyer, while technthread expressed frustration at such buyer behavior. cobwebcottage recommended sending the extra item as a goodwill gesture, while cbennissupplies and padanpcparts discussed using eBay's return policies and maintaining a polite approach. The general consensus focused on managing customer expectations and using eBay’s terms to support the seller.
OK, customer adds three to basket so I send them three (fridge magnets at £3.99 each)
I get an message through the night asking where the fourth is.
I explain as per 'BUY 3, GET 1 FREE (add 4 to basket)' you do need to add four to basket and they don't all need to be the same.
They followed up my reply:-
It says buy 3 get 1 free , anything in brackets is an advisory information legally, hence doesn't have to be followed
If the brackets indicate commentary or editorial notes: Whether they're binding depends on whether the parties intended them to be part of the agreement. Courts look at the document as a whole and the parties' intent.
I reply saying eBay supply the tools/wording so best contacting them (I would like to think they know how to legally offer such promotions)
The customer has replied once again
Not a problem, as my retail relationship is with yourselves as a seller, please could you provide the postal address for ombudsman or court documentation to be sent.
Thoughts....
onlineflowerseeds
·2 weeks agoI do the opposite , buy 2 get 1 free , add 2 to basket and i add a free one on dispatch
Sometimes a buyer will message " I bought one last year , this one makes 2 so make sure the free one is added"
I also do buy 3 get 2 free , so if someone bought 1 in january and 1 in february and i sent a free one , then they bought another 1 in march , would i need to send another free one under the buy 3 get 2 free offer
which is why it says clearly "buy all you need in one go , previous purchases do not count towards free offers"
i still get them try though
even worse , i sell seeds and i got a return coming back after they planted. ( 1 in 5000 )
waiting for a skip to arrive with thier garden in i suppose.
no negatives for a year then two and sales GO UP and it is out of season now.
ebay................................................gotta laugh
padanpcparts
·3 weeks agoAm I missing the obvious? Ask them which 4th one they want and sent it to them with your thanks.
If they don't want to do this, tell them you offer returns and to open a return and you will provide a return label.
If they don't want to do this, say 'Ok bye' and do nothing.
technthread
·3 weeks agoWhen the buyer starts off like they did I wouldn’t waste another lot of postage on them and embolden them to think this sort of attitude works.
If the buyer wasn’t acting like this I think most of us would just send the 4th one out as a goodwill gesture.
I’d suggest the return though and then appeal with eBay to get a defect removed when they choose INAD. eBay might even waive the label cost.
padanpcparts
·3 weeks ago · EditedI find ignoring what you perceive to be rudeness and going for the 'Kill em with kindness', approach often works quite well. Make your response super polite and apologetic and you may turn them round. If they continue to be bolshy, then obviously give them both barrels. At least you can say you tried.
cbennissupplies
·3 weeks agocourt papers now thats funny, would cost them more in legal fees.
you stated the requirement add 4 to the basket, this is a requirement in order to accept the buy 3 get 1 free they did not follow the requirement thus received what they added to the basket
use to do things like this years ago but gave up people just dont read the listing, which by the way is a requirement of ebay that buyers read full the listings and purchasing is an indication they have done so
cobwebcottage
·3 weeks agoI am going to play devils advocate on this one. If I had a deal to buy 4 for the price of 3 and they bought 3, not understanding the system, I would have sent them 4.
You are not losing out as you are offering the deal anyway. You only have to adjust your stock by 1 and you may have gained a repeat buyer.
technthread
·3 weeks agoThere are a lot of buyers out here like this with nothing better to do, living out fantasies of being a legal guru.
I have seen a few sellers get negative feedback for this from buyers who add 3 and not 4 to basket but it is normally a single item. What makes your buyer less reasonable is you say the listing has multiple choices. What were you supposed to do just guess the 4th item they wanted and send it on a hunch?
thehungrybee
OP3 weeks agoYes, we have had the odd negative feedback (which a phone call to eBay removes)
As you said, how do I not which fourth item to sell.
Some folk do mix all four together. Some buy 3 & a 1
B&Q often do paint offers buy 2 get 1 free.
Just because you have purchased two tins of peach for the walls, you may want a lavender for the skirting (what a yucky combo!)
technthread
·3 weeks agoYeah sounds horrid haha.
I think it’s sad that people want to ruin someone’s day by going out of their way to find reasons to threaten litigation over something so ridiculous.
I don’t know what I would do in this situation in all honesty.
Whenever I have looked at it in the past I preferred to do the multi order discount so the buyer has to enter the quantity they definitely want and avoid any confusion.
jonatjonatjonat
·3 weeks agoAsk them if there is a buy 3, get 1 free offer in a shop - do they take 3 up to the till and expect the staff member to go and get the fourth one off the shelf for them?
ebay make it perfectly clear throughout that it is four that need to be added. Continue with that - and then add the buyer to your block list.
thehungrybee
OP3 weeks agoWell aware of the supermarket analogy regarding this