Customer wants shipping refund due to late delivery
A customer ordered a book from me and selected Expedited Shipping speed.
I shipped the book the following day in a USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope using Amazon's buy-shipping.
The package didn't arrive for 12 days! I did not realize it was even delayed until the customer emailed me (once it was delivered).
The Customer was upset (rightly so) and wanted a refund of the shipping costs. I refunded the shipping along with an apologetic email for the shipping delay.
I then went to USPS to see if I could get refunded for the shipping. They informed me that there are no refunds for Priority mail (except for Priority Express).
I attempted a SAFE-T claim which was immediately rejected.
I contacted seller support, but they kept on telling me I should have directed to customer to get a shipping refund from USPS.
My question: Is there something I could have done differently in order to remedy this situation? I did everything in my power to make sure the package arrived on time and the delay was clearly out of my control. It actually would have been easier to if the package had not arrived at all, because Amazon has made provision for INR claims, but this feels like a catch 22 for the seller.
Customer wants shipping refund due to late delivery
A customer ordered a book from me and selected Expedited Shipping speed.
I shipped the book the following day in a USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope using Amazon's buy-shipping.
The package didn't arrive for 12 days! I did not realize it was even delayed until the customer emailed me (once it was delivered).
The Customer was upset (rightly so) and wanted a refund of the shipping costs. I refunded the shipping along with an apologetic email for the shipping delay.
I then went to USPS to see if I could get refunded for the shipping. They informed me that there are no refunds for Priority mail (except for Priority Express).
I attempted a SAFE-T claim which was immediately rejected.
I contacted seller support, but they kept on telling me I should have directed to customer to get a shipping refund from USPS.
My question: Is there something I could have done differently in order to remedy this situation? I did everything in my power to make sure the package arrived on time and the delay was clearly out of my control. It actually would have been easier to if the package had not arrived at all, because Amazon has made provision for INR claims, but this feels like a catch 22 for the seller.
0 replies
Seller_MyXY4Myx9zVcR
You did everything right including apologizing and refunding the shipping paid by the buyer.
The USPS doesn't always do everything right.
The USPS makes no guarantees about delivery times with Priority Mail.
Amazon will not cover this postage refund.
Move on.
Seller_LTNvvFJ2jqJOv
My A-Z blurb for Amazon Buy Shipping @SEAmod You used Amazon Buy Shipping it should not be denied.
I am terribly sorry for USPS, I did ship it on time using Amazon Buy Shipping.
You need to request a refund through Amazon.
To request a refund:
Go to Your Orders.
Locate the order.
Select Problem with Order.
Select your problem from the list.
Select Request Refund.
Enter your comments in the text box.
Select Submit.
It must be 3 days after the deliver date to file.
Seller_1056OIqQZz0c6
Horrible advice selg_inc, shame on you. Secret City Books, If you used Amazon Buy Shipping and you shipped it out on time, then never give out free refunds for shipping. Force the customer to act on it.
Seller_WtOwWhtSrFjva
Once you refund you have no recourse any more. You should have told them to file and A to Z.
Seller_gjMpCOuIyMglk
Piggybacking off what @Seller_LTNvvFJ2jqJOv and others have said, below is a script template I copied off someone else in the forum years ago (thank you stranger). I send this to people upset about missing packages or stranded packages:
Hi [customer]
Please follow these steps to receive a full refund:
You may be eligible to request a refund under the A-to-z Guarantee if “You have not received your package and three days have passed since the maximum estimated delivery date or the tracking shows a delivery confirmation, whichever is sooner. Note: Amazon also require you to wait 48 hours after contacting the seller before you are eligible to request a refund.”
Requesting an A-to-z Guarantee Refund
To request a refund on an eligible order:
Go to Your Orders .
Locate your order in the list and click Problem with order.
Select “Package didn’t arrive” from the list.
Select Request refund.
Enter your comments in the text box.
Select Submit
Note: Refund requests can take up to one week to investigate. Amazon will notify you of their decision via the email address associated with your account. To view the status of your request, locate your order in the list on the Your Orders page and select Problem with order.
To receive the maximum refund allowed you need to select “Package didn’t arrive”
________________________________________________________________
It's a bit wordy so you can chop it up some, but it gets the point across.
Seller_bgmcNFSQ8G693
What you did was 100% correct. Good job!
The Customer was upset (rightly so) and wanted a refund of the shipping costs. I refunded the shipping along with an apologetic email for the shipping delay.
What seller support told you was 100% incorrect. Bad job!
I contacted seller support, but they kept on telling me I should have directed to customer to get a shipping refund from USPS.
Unfortunately sometimes you just have to eat the cost on things like this. Just part of being a business owner/seller. Hopefully the customer is happy and will repurchase in the future from you
Seller_ZDZdRkJPJcczS
If you use Veeqo (Amazon owned) to ship, I'm pretty sure they will cover this claim out of their pocket. I have no experience with this... yet, although I do use Veeqo for most of my shipping lately.
"If you purchase shipping labels through Veeqo and ship on time, you are protected against claims where a customer reports problems with delivery. Amazon will cover the cost of these claims, and they will not affect your Order Defect Rate."
https://sell.amazon.com/tools/veeqo
Danny_Amazon
Hi there @Seller_IMsC7YIe1vuDn- thanks for this post.
Chiming in here to help advise, as I believe refunding this customer directly to maintain a positive experience was likely the right step to take. You can also file a claim with the carrier to be reimbursed for the shipping charges associated with the delay. While it sounds like this order wasn't lost or damaged, you may be interested in reading through this page specific to optional coverage from carriers, it does have some information on filing claims.
This page on issuing a partial refund for order issues, like delivery delays also has some guidance on handling such situations, and refunding in the name of a good customer experience.
