Return: Unresponsive Buyer

[bassox333]

Hi, question for anyone who may have been down this road. 

We recently had a US buyer open a return on us for an item that apparently showed up damaged.  We accepted the return, and obviously couldn't print them out a shipping label through Canada Post (we marked the reason in the return) and messaged them apologizing for the inconvenience but that we could send them the return shipping funds through PayPal once they have a tracking number for us.  It's been over a week, and they haven't responded to numerous messages. 

The question is:  if after thirty days go by and the case gets closed (assuming that we never here back from the mysterious buyer) will this count as a case being closed without resolution?  Thanks in advance for any insight.

Best wishes,

[xeposter]

If the buyer never replied, they could have changed their mind about returning the item.

Alex

[bassox333]

Yes, you may be right, but that doesn't answer my question.  Will  the case (if left to it's own demise with no further communication from the buyer and no return tracking information added to the case) close against us and count as a defect? 

All the best,

[xeposter]

If you leave the return alone, it should just "expire" after 30 days.

Alex

[momcqueen]

May depend on the reason your Return case was opened? 

I had a buyer, two actually, open remorse returns (which I immediately 'accepted') and then neither ever sent the item back. 

Neither case closed even after 30 days though they are supposed to, I am told. I had to call ebay to 'escalate' the case (which I didn't like the sound of) and then the cases closed 'in my favour' (which also sounded off to me because it had not been adversarial at any point) but neither case resulted in a defect since I had done what I could and neither Return Request had anything to do with INR.

To make a long answers short, I don't know. It may simply depend on the individual details of the case. This may be one of those instances where you have to: (a) wait and see and then (b) call Customer Service to ask them what to do next.

Logically, however, if you have done what is asked of you in the case of a Return Request, I wouldn't think it would count as Not Resolved against you. If you approved the return, then the ball is in the other party's court until you have tracking to show you got it back. Right? 

[tobyshitzu]

I had one like that on Feb 20.  Never heard from the buyer again as the funds were held in paypal,  Today April 1 they were released

[prarie_nerd]

 why would you wait 30 days? They have less than that to actually initiate the return once they request one. If you call ebay they'll close it

[xeposter]

It would be better to let the return "die." CS does not always do what they say they will do over the phone.

Alex

[pjcdn2005]

It could only count as a case closed without resolution if the buyer asked ebay to step in saying that you didn't print a return label or give them the money to buy one. The rules aren't really clear on this but it does seem that ebay expects us to pay for the shipping before they buy a label. But because you did offer to pay for shipping once there was a tracking number, they could rule in your favour IF the buyer escalated but I don't know that for sure.

I usually offer to pay for the label once I get the back and the buyer has never escalated. It is always a good idea though to tell them what kind of label you would like them to buy.. ..so that they don't go out and buy a more expensive service.

I've never had a nad item not returned but I've had a few buyer remorse return requests that never finished as the buyer never sent the item back. In those cases the case did close after 30+ days. 

MJ - when you had to phone to get the cases  closed, were they all nad cases or were some buyer return requests?

[pjcdn2005]

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@prarie_nerd wrote:

 why would you wait 30 days? They have less than that to actually initiate the return once they request one. If you call ebay they'll close it

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I have to agree with Alex. There is always the danger that the cs rep will tell you that they will close it in your favour but instead you end up with an case closed without resolution.

[momcqueen]

If you cannot trust the word of a CSR (I always take notes) then who are you supposed to trust?

I waited 30 days because that was the advice you gave me, that they would time-out and close on their own after 30 days but they did not. Both Returns requests in my case were for reasons of buyer's remorse, and had nothing to do with SNAD. Remorse, therefore my responsibility as a seller ended at approving the return request. I could afford to wait and do nothing. There was no danger I would be held responsible for anything else. 

[xeposter]

Of course not every CSR is like that. There are probably some people that lie and some that are extremely honest.

Alex

[momcqueen]

Every CSR that I have dealt with, as frustrating as some may be, seemed to genuinely believe whatever they were telling me. While it is true that I have often corrected them where they are wrong, when I do so and it is confirmed that my information is more sound than theirs, they have been extremely apologetic and accommodating. (One notable exception aside but that is a story for another Feedback Specialist thread, as is documented elsewhere.) 

Therefore, I would have to say that if a seller got the completely terrible advice from a CSR followed it, and that terrible advice resulted in a defect, if the seller was able to prove via notes and names who they spoke to about that, that defect should be readily removable. If it happened to me like that, you can bet I would use my last dying breath to make it so. Therefore, if a seller is smart, they will already have an idea of what to do when they call Customer Service, but look for confirmation of that direction, and take names and notes on the conversation. Then watch to ensure no defect arises. If it does.... well, then. That is a second call. 

[xeposter]

I do always take notes when I talk to CS 🙂

Alex

[momcqueen]

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@bassox333 wrote:

Hi, question for anyone who may have been down this road. 

We recently had a US buyer open a return on us for an item that apparently showed up damaged.  We accepted the return, and obviously couldn't print them out a shipping label through Canada Post (we marked the reason in the return) and messaged them apologizing for the inconvenience but that we could send them the return shipping funds through PayPal once they have a tracking number for us.  It's been over a week, and they haven't responded to numerous messages. 

The question is:  if after thirty days go by and the case gets closed (assuming that we never here back from the mysterious buyer) will this count as a case being closed without resolution?  Thanks in advance for any insight.

Best wishes,

---

To get back to the OP, if I were you, I would not send the buyer any other messages about it, lest they start to feel harassed. I don't know the item in question nor the nature the damage, but they may just have decided that sending it back (even at your eventual expense) was more trouble than it was worth to them. Or, more ominously, it could be the claim of damage was a soft one intended to solicit a partial refund which didn't come to fruition. 

I would have to venture that if you see a defect on this matter after it times out, you would be able to get it removed because it is widely believed to be impossible to issue an intentional return postage label. (I cannot confirm that personally since I have never had to try to issue one.) The prevailing belief here is, however, that it is not possible so we'll go with that. Customer Service would have to be aware of that. 

[pjcdn2005]

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@x..e wrote:

Of course not every CSR is like that. There are probably some people that lie and some that are extremely honest.

Alex

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Well some say that cs will tell you anything to get you off of the phone but I don't think they are really being dishonest, they just don't totally understand how things work....especially if the question is different when it relates to Canadians.

I've rarely had to phone cs but when I have, the rep was easy to understand and work with.

[xeposter]

I probably call CS once very 4 months...pretty sad.  Sometimes it is hard for me to understand them though and that has been the hardest thing. Yeah, sometimes the don't really know how to answer your questions...once I even called back after I hung up to try and get somebody else

Alex

[pjcdn2005]

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@mjwl2006 wrote:

If you cannot trust the word of a CSR (I always take notes) then who are you supposed to trust?

I waited 30 days because that was the advice you gave me, that they would time-out and close on their own after 30 days but they did not. Both Returns requests in my case were for reasons of buyer's remorse, and had nothing to do with SNAD. Remorse, therefore my responsibility as a seller ended at approving the return request. I could afford to wait and do nothing. There was no danger I would be held responsible for anything else. 

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I remember that you had one nad claim even though it wasn't really a nad...but I guess that wasn't one of the ones that didn't return the item. I thought perhaps that a nad claim didn't close on its own but that wasn't the problem in your situation.  I try to always say to wait about 30 days because it does seem to take a little longer than that.  I just based my answer on experience because how that is how it has worked for me, I'm sorry that it didn't work for you.

[momcqueen]

Neither request was ever a NAD. It was 'found one at a better price' (remorse) opened on ebay.com which then froze my funds in paypal because it was misfiled in the Resolution Centre. When I took the question, 'Why did it freeze my funds?' to Raphael at ebay Canada, he said the reason it happened like this is that the 'old' Returns process and the 'new' returns process are misaligned. 

[bassox333]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, I think that we will just wait it out and see what happens.  And good point about sending the buyer too many messages and having them feel harassed. 

Thanks again, appreciated all!