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zW2Ig~~60_7.JPG "brandeentertainment"){kind=avatar}
My first negative 
Sigh
The buyer had sent a message complaining that a pendant he had bought got damaged very easily then 2 minutes later he left the negative...the first feedback he's ever left. Sheesh.
I've sold a couple dozen of those pendants and have never had anyone complain about them. He didn't say how or in what way it was damaged and I haven't written back yet as I figured that it was better to wait. I'm not sure what I want to do or say.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Happy birthday PJ.
Sorry to hear about the Neg, it happens to the best of us.
Could it have been damaged in transit ?
Send a polite message with an apology.
Follow that with " What Can I Do To Make You Happy "
That is usually the best way to guage the attitude of the buyer.
Worth a shot as it has worked for me in the past.
Good luck.
"so I need some time to figure out what I want to say,"
Sorry it happened to you.
I would suggest waiting until Monday to reply.
Why? Obviously the buyer was very annoyed resulting in the first feedback ever posted. It often takes a few days for the mind to clear.
If it were me, my message would...
1) express regrets the item was not satisfactory
2) lead the buyer to check my extensive long term feedback to indicate the problem is obviously not the norm as thousands of other buyers have been satisfied
3) regognize that as a new user (registered only a month ago) he may not be aware of how the feedback system works on eBay and how damaging a negative feedback may be to a seller. I would direct the buyer to review eBay's help page on feedback:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/feedback/howitworks.html
Suggesting reading:
Should I leave neutral or negative Feedback for a seller?
Feedback comments become a permanent part of a seller's record. If you are a buyer, contact your seller to try to resolve any issues before leaving neutral or negative Feedback. Please make sure that your comments are fair, based in fact, and relate to the specific transaction for which you received the Feedback request.
4) since the new user may not have been aware of how feedback works, it may be appropriate to suggest to the buyer to agree removing the negative feedback. Should the buyer agree, then the request for feedback removal would be sent.
It is a longshot but it may work. The buyer may feel "guilty' for having overreacted so quickly.
I would not offer a refund or any conpensation at this time. I would wait to see what reaction I get from the buyer before decising how to proceed further to give the buyer satisfaction.
Good Luck
No, that's who you're dealing with.
Look at the completed items and you can get a feel for who it is. Pretty focused buying: Weights, Jogging, Skateboard, Camping, Biking ...........with a Chihuahua......... and jewelry from you.
I don't know if it helps to know that you're dealing with Lance Armstrong........... but it might not hurt.
Maybe he's on steroids?
@i*m-still-here wrote:No, that's who you're dealing with.
Look at the completed items and you can get a feel for who it is. Pretty focused buying: Weights, Jogging, Skateboard, Camping, Biking ...........with a Chihuahua......... and jewelry from you.
I don't know if it helps to know that you're dealing with Lance Armstrong........... but it might not hurt.
Maybe he's on steroids?
Wow..did I ever misunderstand that post! LOL
I had looked at his purchases and got a totally different impression. But I also had the advantage of being able to google his name.
My guess is that he's more into the skateboarding culture and not so much into the outdoors and fitness. The dog wears a sz Large coat so probably bigger than a Chihuahua...maybe a boxer?
@pjcdn2005 wrote:
@i*m-still-here wrote:No, that's who you're dealing with.
Look at the completed items and you can get a feel for who it is. Pretty focused buying: Weights, Jogging, Skateboard, Camping, Biking ...........with a Chihuahua......... and jewelry from you.
I don't know if it helps to know that you're dealing with Lance Armstrong........... but it might not hurt.
Maybe he's on steroids?
Wow..did I ever misunderstand that post! LOL
I had looked at his purchases and got a totally different impression. But I also had the advantage of being able to google his name.
My guess is that he's more into the skateboarding culture and not so much into the outdoors and fitness. The dog wears a sz Large coat so probably bigger than a Chihuahua...maybe a boxer?
Sorry you got this nasty present as a birthday greeting! I hope your day up to that point had been a happy one.
I'd add to the above comments that your buyer is also into military-type survival gear -- and check the T-shirt with the green slogan. It's interesting that the only FB he's left for anybody is the neg he gave you. This tells me he really doesn't understand the FB system, or doesn't care.
I suppose you have to decide whether it's worth it to try to reason with or "educate" this buyer. I'm not sure pointing a guy like this in the direction of eBay help pages and asking him to read up on FB procedure would be at all productive (I think Pierre may forget that not all buyers are educated, intelligent philatelists who are willing to read). Your buyer could be the type that would turn on you in more nefarious ways if he thinks he's being lectured to. I hate to be prejudicial, but as 'i*m-still-here' says, your approach might be different with a different type of buyer. This is one instance where having a buyer's purchasing history visible is helpful in making a decision on how to deal with him.
For what it's worth, my inclination (mostly intuition really) would be to simply offer a refund in the friendliest possible way if he'd like to return the item. I might even throw in the return shipping cost - since it's broken anyway, have him return it by ordinary airmail - just to move things along smoothly.
He's very new, likely doesn't understand eBay's system, so he may not know enough to open a case at all. The fact that he first emailed you, then immediately entered the negFB without waiting for you to deal with his issue, says a lot about his character. If you add a comment to his FB before finding out if he'd be happy with a refund, you may inflame him.
I wouldn't ask him to revise his FB -- he probably won't know how, and he could get ticked off at the request. Personally, if I were dealing with this buyer, my main aim would be to close this transaction off as quickly and quietly as possible. After the refund, you might want to "squeeze" in your FB comment on the last possible day if you're feeling courageous. Then block him.
All really unfortunate.
