Naming and shaming?

[avonvalleymusic]

We've experienced a high number of vexatious claims for non-delivery and some outright attempts at theft recently. Sadly, a lot of these scammers are pretty careless with their digital footprint, It has been suggested that we name and shame on social media. Any experience of this? (Cough! Asking for a friend) 

[vijorey]

You should be posting this on one of the discussion boards as this is a forum for members who are in need of urgent advice for their immediate problems....

[avonvalleymusic]

"We've experienced a high number of vexatious claims for non-delivery and some outright attempts at theft recently." This IS an immediate problem. I'm spending hours every day dealing with the vexatious claims. Any advice?

[tressygirl]

What are your tracking numbers showing? Check these on Royal Mail Track & Trace not eBay's info page, that's hopeless. Does it show a late delivery there, or attempted delivery?

Whilst there is no need for rudeness from your buyers, unfortunately some are just not understanding how this dreadful Covid 19 is affecting deliveries some being delivered 2 weeks late! But they do (mostly) get delivered.

Check your dashboard if you have been given late delivery marks, and your tracking has shown postage within the specific times, use Live Chat to explain this, and they will remove those late delivery marks.

[avonvalleymusic]

Many are small, low value items that go by 2nd class post (anything under 100 grams can't be tracked). Where the items can be tracked (around a third) I upload the details on receiving the query. Much as I'd like to upload tracking details for every item that can be tracked, there are not enough hours in the day as we're moving hundreds of items per week. Oddly enough, the claims evaporate once these buyers are aware that the packages ARE being tracked. So far, all the tracked items are being delivered, albeit some up to 10 days late.

Some buyer behaviour has been appalling. I've had claims via Paypal for non-delivery within a day of the item being despatched, allegations that items haven't been posted, abuse, and so on, and I agree that many buyers just don't get it, despite being politely directed to Royal Mail's own page saying that service has been affected.

I've also switched to Ebay's fulfilment service for international sales, and now I'm getting claims where these packages been delayed or lost by Ebay's couriers in Lichfield, despite tracking showing that the packages sent by me have been delivered there and are in transit.

Ironically, the late delivery rate, expressed as a percentage on the dashboard, has gone down.

I could go on, but it's a mess.

[tressygirl]

I fully understand your dilemma. Horrid situation we are all in. It's beyond me people's expectations in these times, are such that no explanation will suffice.

Is it worth it for you, for the time being say, not to send any of the smaller items which do not have tracking or that 16 digit number? At least then you may be able to appease members with a tracking for them to watch and to give the item a more than reasonable time to arrive? No guarantees there of course!

[vijorey]

First of all apologies for trying to point you in the wrong direction of discussion boards, 😐

It is the around the 21st of every month that eBay review the late deliveries on the dashboard and these are automatically removed( this was announced a little while ago)
Have you looked on RM suspension list? If you are posting to those countries, the items will stay in transit for a very long time and may be worth excluding those from your countries that you post to..

[avonvalleymusic]

Sometimes my attempts at humour fail, not a problem.

I've just checked the RM list. Fascinating. Sweden, where some of the delivery problems for overseas customers originate, is not on the list. France, where I have tried to deal with several claims posted on the French Ebay site, (which is not accessible from a UK account when there is an INR claim) is. One of the reasons I switched to the Ebay International fulfilment service was to avoid all this!

However, the biggest problem is in the UK. I offer "free" postage on small, low value items under 100 grammes, (that was in response to Ebay "advice") have included information on the listing about the state of the post, and yet still get dozens of queries and Items Not Received claims. Any advice on how to reduce this tsunami of unproductive correspondence and admin?