Help! Advice needed!

[chr1sbell]

Hiya

I'm a bit stuck here as this is the first time I have had to deal with this situation. I sent an order out on the 21st November by Royal Mail 1st Class recorded delivery and it has still not arrived yet!

The customer is now demanding a refund, but I have spoken to royal mail and have been informed that the package is not lost and still in their delivery system, I will only be able to make a claim for a lost package after 15 working days of the posting date.

I can see my customers concerns, but if I refund him now and the package then arrives I will be unable to make a claim and be left out of pocket!

HELP!

[Tess]

oh no!!

Id apologise etc and forward them a link of the Royal Mail 'rules' or whatever they are, tell the customer its out of your hands until the 15 days is up. tell them exactly what you just told us.

The customer is now demanding a refund, but I have spoken to royal mail and have been informed that the package is not lost and still in their delivery system, I will only be able to make a claim for a lost package after 15 working days of the posting date.

they'll prob be pee'd off but what can you do.


ps, don't take my word/advice, thats just what i would do lol

[chr1sbell]

don't take my word/advice, thats just what i would do lol

LOL!!

Thats what I have done already, but I have a horrible feeling that he will not be happy and that I'm just going to have to refund him and hope that I dont end out of pocket!

I remember someone a week or so ago saying that we dont have many rights protecting us as online retailer, so I might just have to take the hit on this one!

[littlesheep]

Once you've refunded him, ask if they can refuse the delivery (or just write return to sender on the package and pop it back into the post box) then hopefully you'll get it back (or they could paypal you the money for it if they still do want it?)

[Miranda]

What I do now is
1) Ring our local sorting office & find out what if any delays they've had
2) Google or 192 to find their local sorting office local number (not the 0870 number). RIng that, pretending to be the customer, ask if it's been put by and not carded. Quote recorded number if any.
3) Regardless of whether they find it or not I ring/email customer and ask advise them there have been delays and ask them to wait a further couple of days and let me know if it's arrived or not
I've found over 75% of the missing parcels turn up next day/day after
even when in 2) I've been told there's definitely nothing there. Most of the rest get sent back marked 'not called for' anyway!
Helps that our stuff is bulky, posties tend to not take them on the round with them

[baby-bean]

99.9% of parcels DO turn up in the end. In the interests of customer goodwill I tend to offer to send a replacement item and ask the customer to return the original parcel if/when it arrives. I means that my profit is written off but I do almost always get the original item back, so don't actually lose money. I think that when things go wrong you have a chance to show how good your customer service is, and this is what people will remember.