Infufficient postage fee charge - seller not paying me back

[seurreprise]

Hello everyone, I recently purchased a pack of glue sticks to use for making party bags for my grandson. Unfortunately, the glue sticks did not arrive in the time quoted on the eBay listing so my daughter made a quick dash to a local supermarket to buy glue sticks.

A couple of days later I received a card through the door from the post office to say an item they had tried to deliver that day had insufficient postage and that I needed to pay £3.50 before receiving it. I paid the £3.50 postage fee and the parcel arrived a few days later - it was the glue sticks! I contacted the seller. They kept saying they were looking into it and a few days later they refunded me the price of the glue sticks - £2.72. The £2.72 came via PayPal, but I know that PayPal can be used as a payment vehicle/connection even if the person doesn't have a PayPal account themselves.

I contacted the seller again to ask about the £3.50 refund and they told me this had happened to them before. They told me they didn't have PayPal and we unable to pay the £3.50 to me that way and that they were looking into it.

I tried sending them a payment request link from my PayPal to request the £3.50 but they repeated that they don't have a PayPal account and asked me to wait.

I know this is only a small amount of money, and my partner has told me to let it drop. But I'm annoyed about their poor customer service. The glue sticks arrived late. They are sitting unused at my daughter's house. Me and my daughter have been inconvenienced. I am £3.50 out of pocket and the customer service I am receiving from the seller is very poor - very dismissive. Giving the eBay community a bad name.

I've checked the seller's feedback and another customer had exactly the same problem as me recently and had the same poor customer service. It sounds as though they never received the money back for their postage fee.

Is there anything I can do now?

Thanks in advance.

Sorry for all the words and the long explanation - I get carried away 🙂

[tobiasd4]

Sorry, but ebay do not get involved with postage disputes.

If it happens again, do not pay, open item not received case.

[tommystrezures]

a fee to pay from Royal Mail for £3.50 is either for insufficient postage on a small parcel and or they have used non barcoded stamps. If you want to post a picture of the package front (removing your personal details) we will be able to tell you why you got that fee from RM. 

However aside ebay wont step in, this is between you and the seller. What you should have done is not pay the fee, and then opened an INR case and you would have had a full refund.

[seurreprise]

Hello Tommy,

Thank you for your reply.

I’ve attached a photo of the notice to pay and also the parcel.

Unfortunately I didn’t know which parcel it was when I received the insufficient charge note. I was waiting for a few items. If I’d known at was the glue sticks, which cost less than the postage, I wouldn’t have paid.

The seller is clearly not interested in resolving this. They keep giving me excuses. I’m not the only person this has happened to.

It’s only a few £ but it’s the principal. And their customer service approach is very poor.[image0.jpeg][image1.jpeg]

It’s a shame because most eBay sellers have been great in my experience.

Thanks again,

Catherine


Sent from my iPhone

[seurreprise]

Thank you Tobias,

Unfortunately I didn’t know which parcel it was when I received the insufficient charge note. I was waiting for a few items from various sources. If I’d known at was the glue sticks, which cost less than the postage, I wouldn’t have paid the fee.

Thanks again for your reply,

Catherine

[arkwebus]

I think the "domestic advice" you have been given is a reasonable compromise!  A refund of £2.72 and keep the item is - in my view - pretty good customer service.

As said eBay does not get involved with postal "disputes".  They never have.   There is no other way [that I can think of] to enforce £3.50. 

@seurreprise 

[seurreprise]

Hello arkwebus,

Thank you for your reply.

My daughter had to go out in a rush in the evening and buy glue sticks because the eBay ones didn’t arrive.

After the inconvenience of paying the postage fine and waiting to see what the delivery item was (it didn’t tell me on the insufficient postage note) I was disappointed to see I’d paid £3.50 extra postage for an item worth £2.72 including postage. And the glue sticks arrived too late to be used.

The seller was slow to make the £2.72 refund payment. And their subsequent communication is not good or showing a commitment to quality.

Looking at their feedback, they’ve done the same thing to another buyer, so I’m out of pocket and just feeling a bit let down by them.

I know £3.50 is only a small amount of money, but it’s the principle and it leaves a bad taste. I wish I’d bought from a different seller.

Thanks again for your reply. Have a good day, afternoon, evening.

Catherine

[seurreprise]

Hello tobiasd4, thank you for your reply and for confirming eBay's position with postage disputes. At the time, I was expecting parcels from various sources. When I received the Royal Mail insufficient postage notice, it didn't specify where the parcel was coming from. So unfortunately, I wasn't able to contact the seller. I paid the £3.50 fee because it could have been for a larger, more expensive parcel from a non eBay seller. When the parcel finally arrived, I realised it was the glue sticks from the eBay seller. Luckily, after some further communication with the seller, they have now refunded me the £3.50 insufficient postage fee. I notice the seller has now increased the price of their product, which will hopefully cover the postage and make it more worthwhile for them as a seller. Thanks again for your help.

[tobiasd4]

Maybe other buyers have complained to them about it.

Thanks for letting us know seller has sorted.