Buyer has paid royal mail £5 because I didn't pay correct postage - but I'm 100% sure I did . . . .

[bigwizzard]

Hi 

Pretty much as the subject really. I got a message from the buyer saying he has had to pay Royal Mail £5 to get the package delivered. They claim I did not pay the correct postage but I'm as sure as I can be that I did pay correctly. Now the buyer is demanding I pay him the £5, which I maintain he did not need to pay, and that I should then claim it back from Royal Mail. 
Now, I think he should have contacted me before he paid the £5 and as I would have told him I paid the correct postage he could of queried it with Royal Mail. He's insisting I have to claim his £5 back, how he thinks I can reclaim money paid by somebody else is beyond me!!  I've asked him to measure and weigh the package to confirm I paid for the correct service and then we can thinks about getting the £5 back.

If it's proven I did pay the correct postage should I tell the buyer it's up to him to reclaim his £5? At the moment he's threatening raising the issue with eBay and leaving negative feed back.

btw Item cost was £95 and I purchased the Royal Mail postage via eBay

Thanks for any help with this

Paul

[plpmr]

if the buyer has or does provide proof that they paid the extra £5 then you should cover it.

[rainbowtrax]

Ask the buyer for a photo of the parcel with the RM fee to pay sticker on it. This is the current fees that RM charge for various "crimes": Pay a fee | Royal Mail Group Ltd. There isn't one with a £5 fee until the new prices kick in at the end of the month so if they have charged the buyer a fiver then they're wrong.

[jckl1957]

If this was the motor cycle helmet, my guess would be that it was a medium parcel and you sent it as a small parcel.

That would account for the fine of  £5 (3.50 + 1.50) increment for underpayment on a parcel.

How much did you pay to send it?

People often get caught out with small parcels which have quite a generous length and width, but the third dimension, height, is actually quite small.  45 x 35 x 16cm is a small parcel - that would not accommodate a motorcycle helmet.

[bigwizzard]

No, I definatley sent it as a medium parcel, I weigh and measure every parcel I send.
I purchased the Royal Mail label thru eBay I've been told by private message there have been problems purchasing Royal Mail labels this way.

But thanks for your reply !!

[ile136yz]

Check the postage label details you purchased on-line. 

Go to 'Hub' page,  'Orders' Column & press 'Postage labels' to see the postage label your printed out.

[wyntersemporium]

I bought a wristband beginning of October. I had to pay a surcharge of £1.10 notified the seller who told me the following 

Royal mail is mugging you off quite frankly. We sent 1000s of parcels with these stamps and hadn't had this issue. This is the stamp we use for all our Wristbands. I apologise you had to pay extra to royal mail, however we purchased these stamps from the post office and have been asking them are they still valid to which they explained there was no further information regarding them not being. So we proceeded. We can only go by what royal mail tells us. 

Told him non barcode stamps were invalid august 1st this year

[fotherbale]

"Told him non barcode stamps were invalid august 1st this year"

That is of course non-barcoded definitive stamps only.   Special issues and Christmas stamps without barcodes remain valid for postage.

[bigwizzard]

Well, it turns out he only had to pay £3 extra after I asked him for a picture of the receipt and for that amouint I can't be bothered to either chase Royal Mail or eBay. I think he's one of "those" buyers as he raised a non/late delivery claim within the time I had to get it to him!!!
I only used Royal Mail because I was fed up with the p1ss poor service from Evri. 

[wyntersemporium]

Bright orange stamp with first class on 

[fotherbale]

---

@wyntersemporium wrote:

Bright orange stamp with first class on 

---

Standard 1st definitive then. 

My post was meant to clarify that it is only definitive stamps without a 2D barcode that are now invalid.  The blanket statement that you made:  "Told him non barcode stamps were invalid august 1st this year"  my be interpreted by others as suggesting that all non-barcoded stamps are invalid, which is not the case.  

[wyntersemporium]

That's what was on my envelope

[variousitemsonoffer]

I've had this happen to me twice recently with buyers.I definitely paid correct postage.I think its absolutely disgusting what Royal Mail are doing at the moment!

It's made me think about using other means to send parcels,I just don't need the hassle from buyers and I can't keep paying every time Royal Mail feels like it!

[tcgoals]

Over 6,000 orders fulfilled and I've received my first customer complaint of Royal Mail charging £1.80 for a large Letter delivery! 

[tcgoals]

ETSY Platform*

[honeyvintagecurios]

And how would they do that?

[papso22]

RM usually issue something that confirms the underpayment. 

[susapric-68]

Check it's not a scam, Buyer could have had a txt telling them that and theres a scam txt going around. I had one and i had nothing coming out to me, they just send them at random in the hope people go to the link and pay it

[tommystrezures]

RM/Post offices always issue a grey card which is posted by the postie to confirm if there is a problem eg underpayment, incorrect stamps, or duty etc. This can be paid either online or at your local post office.

The other point yes there is text scam its been out and about for some time and has reared its ugly head again. usually starts "simon your postman tried to deliver a parcel today......." They will ask for a fee to be delivered for a non existant item, however if you are expecting something you may think that it was for that. In the mean time your bank account is being emptied by scammers.

[winnrainstone]

I've had 2 years of using RM to send out 100s of shoes as small parcels with no issues and then suddently in the last 2 months have had buyers contact me to say they have an undercharge card from RM (with charges ranging from £3.20 up to £5). I have reimbursed the customers as it wasn't their fault, but in all instances I am positive the size and weight were correct.  I now track the progress of my shoes en route to the customer and today have noticed that a parcel which I measured and weighed as a test (and easily faills into the small parcel dimensions (45cm x 35cm x 16cm and under 2kg) has been flagged up as 'Rejected Oversize at outward RDC'.

So no not only will the parcel be delayed, but I'm expecting the cusrtomer to get an undercharge card for which I'll have to pay once again. Am complaining to the RM once again but doubt I'll get anywhwere - does anyone know if the automated RM sorting systems have got an issue? I've asked at my local delivery office and they're at a loss as to why this is suddenly happening.

If it carries on like this I'm going to have to find an alternative courier.