SNAD case: comically uncooperative buyer

[1style]

A buyer claims an item is defective. I ask him some questions about it and try to walk him through some troubleshooting steps. No answer. Fine, I approve the return and upload a Purolator label with instructions to drop it off at one of their locations or call to request a free pickup.

Then he escalates the case, claiming to eBay that the label didn’t work at the post office and he was told there would be extra fees. eBay tells me I have 4 days to resolve this or he gets a refund without having to return the item. I tell eBay that the terms don’t say anything about the label having to work at the post office. It says I can use my preferred carrier, which is Purolator. The buyer needs to hand it over to them. eBay agrees and instructs the buyer to return the item.  

Then he escalates the case again, this time shorting his claim to “the label is invalid”, so as to avoid the rebuttal from me.  I tell him the weight, origin and destination address on the label are correct. The tracking number on the label can be entered on Purolator’s site to show that it’s valid – you’d get an error message if it wasn’t. I asked him if he was a given a reason for why it’s invalid, if he folded the label over the side of the box so the bar code can’t be scanned, etc. No reply.

My other option is to send him a payment to make his own label, but then he’ll say it’s not enough money, then likely send it to the wrong address. So, I tell him I’ll make him a new Purolator label, this time with a pickup request added to the order. It will be an electronically submitted pickup request, which isn’t possible unless it’s tied to a valid pre-paid label, and I’ll get a conformation number for that – I’ll have proof that Purolator came to his door in an attempt to pick up the package. I asked him which day he wants the pickup. This was his reply:

“I just called them and they said it won’t work out. Are you sure you called Purolator?”

So I replied: “They said that based on a tracking number I haven’t even provided yet? They just don’t like doing deliveries anymore?”

His reply: “OK, I printed the label. This is the tracking number, right? I should check it again?”

It took that much effort to get him to finally print the shipping label, a week after he told eBay it didn’t work at the post office.  Imagine what an ordeal the next step will be – handing it to Purolator. And every time he escalates the case, eBay puts it on hold and sends me another threatening email, that if I don’t fix the problem in 4 days, he gets a refund and keeps the item. An absurd resolution, to have a case hinge on a $17 shipping label, for a $500 item that is still under warranty.

He knows this, so he has the incentive to make up reasons for why he can’t return the item. I have to help someone who is trying to make sure I’m unable to help them with their fictional problems, under the constant threat from eBay. 

[travis7s]

Maybe try talking to "eBay for Business" on Facebook. They are pretty good.

This doesn't seem right, usually if they don't return it the case closes in the seller's favour, not the other way around. At some point you may actually want to straight up call the buyer on the phone to try and get the ball rolling.

[pjcdn2005]

Does ebay have some sort of proof that you have provided him a label?

[reallynicestamps]

I think you are the one being stubborn.

Is the customer in Canada?

You can buy a Return Shipping Label on SnapShip.  You may have to sign up for a Solutions for Small Business number, but that will also give you a discount on the cost of the label.

If the customer is in the USA, you can buy a USPS label through Shippo. Again you need the SfSB number.

I'm pretty sure eBay Canada has no relationship with Purolator, even though it is partly owned by Canada Post.

And Purolator like most couriers has a very limited pickup and delivery area.  No exurban or isolated addresses for example and few suburban.

If you don't supply a label that is acceptable to eBay, you lose the Dispute, lose the money, the unhappy customer keeps the item, and you get a Defect on your selling account which can lead to higher fees, restrictions on the number and value of your listings, or even a closed selling account.

Up to you.

[1style]

Yes, eBay told me to send him the label using My eBay > Messages, so they can see it. I spoke to Purolator myself; they said the label is valid and there’s no reason it would be refused.  But I don’t know if eBay will just take the buyer’s word instead.

[1style]

Purolator is on the list of eBay’s approved carriers. There are a few remote locations they don’t cover, but this customer is in a major Canadian city. In the first escalation, eBay did find my label to be acceptable and told him to ship it back.  They said I would not get a defect for this.

I’m allowed to choose the carrier, as long as it’s on eBay’s list. If he wants something different, that’s called alternative shipping arrangements, where he needs to discuss that with me, and in that case he’s responsible for the shipping cost, even if it’s a SNAD case. But that’s not what he’s doing. He’s making the false claim that my label is invalid, escalating the case without discussing anything with me first, and I take issue with that.

If he had just said “hey could you send a Canada Post label instead”, I’d have done it for him.  But he’s been almost completely unresponsive.

[1style]

OK, I called eBay; they checked the label themselves and they said there's no way the buyer can claim it's invalid.  They also added some notes in case the buyer tries to escalate again. 

[teenytrinkets]

I enjoyed reading this. Thank you OP, for sticking to your guns! It's soooo obvious what's going on here! I predict he'll eventually keep the item, since he really wanted to in the first place (along with the refund!).... but do let us know how it turns out!

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

Curious how it turns out as well. Did the buyer bought a Switch? Might be a buyer's remorse hahaha

[1style]

You were right! It’s been 2 weeks since I sent him the shipping label. Still no activity on the tracking number, so eBay closed the case in my favor with no refund for the buyer.

[1style]

XD, yes, it’s a Switch. His initial complaint was that it wouldn’t connect to wifi. That’s a common problem with a good chance of being fixed with troubleshooting. When I tried to walk him through the steps, he didn’t reply at all, so it wasn’t clear if he fixed the problem or just didn’t get around to trying to yet. Or, as I suspected, there was nothing wrong, and not replying was a stall tactic in the hopes that I wouldn’t approve the return before the 4 day time limit, which would’ve triggered an automatic refund.

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

At least he didn't complain about a joy-con drift! XD

I owned my Switch since December (yay Boxing Day sale) and personally never had any problems with it. You'd think most people buying a Switch is at least tech-savvy enough to you know, troubleshoot by Googling... pretty sure the buyer is trying to get a "free" Switch or it's buyer remorse.