posted on June 25, 2003 06:50:41 PM new
I have made my real living for the last 42 years as a commissioned seller and if I treated my customers as shabby as this seller I would have starved to death!
I am not whining about how long it took to get the item-just the lack of communication. Even when you place an order with Sears or any other large company you get a confirmation of that order
You say it would cost to much to send WBN-I assume you must not be able to afford a good Auction program that does that automatically for you. Hope no one ever needs to ask you a question!
Before I forget: eBay Policy does have a 3 day contact rule-but I guess it doesn't apply to everyone..sellers-how would you like it if at the end of the auction I waited 8 days to contact you, and never let you know when you could expect payment? Bet you would have me turned in eBay for a NBP!
I am not going to argue this point, I learned long ago that "Customer Service" is a thing of the past. No one minds taking your money, but darn if they want to earn it!
[ edited by buffalowoman on Jun 25, 2003 06:58 PM ]
[ edited by buffalowoman on Jun 25, 2003 07:12 PM ]
posted on June 26, 2003 05:47:05 AM new
What really can slow a seller down is the CONSTANT emails! So if you have a small problem, affecting only your email contacts, and come to your inbox two hours late, you will find (from only ONE customer, multiply this by all the frantic, very cheap customers you are unlucky enough to have at the moment!)
"Hello - here's my contact info"
"Again, my info... please send my invoice so I can click and pay"
"Maybe you didn't get my email. I would like to send a check instead, please respond ASAP with mailing address and new totals"
"Will send paypal to this email address now"
"Please confirm receipt of paypal payment, and shipping date"
"Oh, and my address listed with paypal is not correct, that is my ex-husband's address and we no longer live together. Mail this Priority to this P.O.Box, or if another shipper is used, send to work address (not given) and provide tracking number by email."
AND ON AND ON AND ON....
They come through "request total", "ask seller a question", several with no name or auction number, from three different emails -one of which bounces when you reply - and none of which are listed with ebay. One "contact an ebay member", and one where they pull contact info that was already listed in the description, along with the total shipping cost.
The customers choose us, but there's no way anyone would ever choose a lot of these customers! (Have you ever noticed that the cheaper, better deals bidders also seem to have the most trouble? People with high-end merchandise seem to be a lot more relaxed, and are happy with an email or two every day or so!)
posted on June 26, 2003 06:02:05 AM new
As stated before, I have been is sales all my life, and believe me I know there are customers you just won't deal with. But, I chose sales as my career so like it or not it is my job to make them happy (with in reason of course-)
The emails that yopu are referring to do not apply in this case. I paid instantly with PayPal-all information is correct. I did nothing for the next three days!
When I did not hear from the seller after 3 days, not even a WBN I sent my first email expressing my concern ie: did you recieve payment ( after all PayPal messes up too you know) no response from seller.
Days 4 & 5 I sent another email and called seller-no response from seller
Day 6 sent another email and called seller-no response
Day 7 sent another email finally got a response wanting to know what method I used to pay. No word from seller after that!
If a seller does not want all these "prissy" emails (someone elses term not mine) then a "Thank you. Payment received item will be shipped on XXXX" would have solved the whole matter and no further emails would have been sent
Please don't forget that buyers get burned quite often too, so when they don't hear from a seller they are in their rights to be concerned.
J. C.
As an added note-Of course there will be less trouble with higher end items. Sellers can get long prison terms if they mess with to much money.
Smaller buys may not seem like much, but a crooked seller knows buyer's are not as likely to take legal action for under $50. and if it's under $25 it's not going to do any good to go through eBays protection.
So, as a seller I can rig up an account sell 200 widgets at say $10.00 each-take my $2,000 and run with it. Worst thing that will happen is I will get a suspension from eBay and a lot of negative feedback.
[ edited by buffalowoman on Jun 26, 2003 06:10 AM ]
posted on June 26, 2003 06:49:08 AM newAs stated before, I have been is sales all my life
But you have not been in eBay sales all your life, so please stop with this silliness about how you're a seller and so on.
Selling on eBay is totally unlike anything else. For one thing, prices are set by bidders. If I stroll into Bloomingdales and want to purchase a $60 pair of Ralph Lauren jeans, I sure hope the salescritter will make eye contact with me and take my money pleasantly. But I don't get to tell Bloomies how much cash they MUST accept for the jeans. I have a choice of buying at their price or not. That's it.
Here's another thing: With eBay selling, the main channel of communication is email...which is infamously clogged and unreliable. This is like me standing on one side of Stanford Stadium holding up the jeans and waving them, hoping the salescritter on the other side will notice me. I get over 1300 emails PER DAY. If I got as many phone calls as I do emails, I would have to have a dozen more lines installed and each phone would be ringing non-stop 24/7. Spam is such a clear and present danger to the e-commerce biggies and the small fish like me that Bill Gates (10 years too late, in my view) finally got off his upholstered ass and decided to start suing spammers.
Finally, in rereading your claims, I believe you have purchased from me in the past. This all sounds awfully familiar, including your high-flown claims of superiority. I'm genuinely saddened that you don't seem to have learned anything since our transaction; you're still demanding brick and mortar white glove service in a rough and tumble online wilderness.
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posted on June 26, 2003 07:01:06 AM new
fluffythecat,
I have never purchased from you. And believe me, with your attitude I never will! But I agree, you are right.
It is none of my bussiness as a buyer if you get your money (after all PayPal is perfect in everyway) It is also none of my business if you ship the item I purchased. After all it is only money-what do I care where it goes......
Excuse me, I have some extra cash laying around I think I'll go toss it in the trash!
J. C.
posted on June 26, 2003 07:23:40 AM newSome service...I have a feeling I am going to be told they can not ship and refund my money. I feel this way because my wining bid was lower than the average bid for this item.........sure hope I am wrong!
Your weak psychic abilities failed you. The seller shipped and you got the item in a timely manner.
There was no date stamp on it so I have no idea when it was really mailed. If it was mailed on the 16th it took 8 days to go 3 states by Parcel Post.
Ahhh...I see. From your tone, you don't think he mailed it when he claimed, since it took 8 days to reach you. Apparently PayPal messes up too, but not the U.S. Postal service. That is fascinating.
I have made my real living for the last 42 years as a commissioned seller and if I treated my customers as shabby as this seller I would have starved to death!
Retail and internet sales are two very different beasts.
42 years... Shouldn't you have retired by now and let others carry on your legacy of excellent service?
Even when you place an order with Sears or any other large company you get a confirmation of that order
You got a response when you used the ebay form. Perhaps the problem lies with your email and not the seller's.
Excuse me, I have some extra cash laying around I think I'll go toss it in the trash!
If you toss your attitude in with the cash, I will get my monkey to take your garbage out next pickup day.
posted on June 26, 2003 08:01:10 AM newWhy would a seller with a feedback of 675- 97% positive, do this, and what do I do next?
Do what? Ship your item and [GASP] not tell you. Do next? Email him and tell him about all of your experience in sales and that he is on the verge of starvation.
posted on June 26, 2003 08:04:54 AM new
I am retired now, and the problem with the world today is there is no such thing as customer service. Cashier's don't even know how to make change unles a register tells them what to do forget about their counting it back to you. You are perfectly right-it is best to move on and let the new generation take over.
To bad my earlier post got twisted around. I was not putting down the seller ( at least at first), I was not whining-all I did was ask what a resonable amount of time would be before I took other action. I had also said in my earlier post that I wanted to give the seller benifit of doubt.
As usual, the new generation of sellers are quick to put the blame on the customer, not on their self!
J. C.
posted on June 26, 2003 08:22:17 AM new
According to this thread you e-mailed that seller at least 10 times. I live in a community where there are many retired people and lots seem to focus only on themselves and it's always all about them and how badly they are treated by this world.
Yes, my register also tells me the change. It is a great tool. When I am making change and someone interupts me numerous times to whine about the world and about the service (recently because I wouldn't break open a 99 cent pkg of beads to sell them one bead out of it) my eyes glaze over and because I'm blonde I sometimes lose my train of thought.
posted on June 26, 2003 08:38:58 AM new
That was my point-I should not have had to email the seller more than once-had they answered the 1st email, I would not have sent the others.
I am not putting down cashiers either. I just have a hard time understanding why some of them were hired. Bill comes to $12.01, you give them a $20.00 bill and a penny-they want to know what the penny is for (yes that happened) You try to show them your ID when you write a check but they refuse it because the register tells them your check is good ( I had my check book stolen and a man wrote over $400.00 at Penny's and signed my name-I am a female)
I am not putting down legitimate sellers either. The only reason I even mentioned that I was in sales is because fluffythecat wants to believe I am a dumb twit!
I am not new to eBay sales-I have been selling on eBay since 1999, when I retired I did create another account just for selling. I have 100% positive feedback with both my ID's. I have never received a neg or a netural- not bad for someone that doesn't know what they are doing.
I started this thread for advice-not cat scratching!
J. C.
posted on June 26, 2003 09:50:24 AM newI live in a community where there are many retired people and lots seem to focus only on themselves and it's always all about them and how badly they are treated by this world.
Wow, truer words were never spoken. I don't know how or if it applies to Buffalogal, but boy, it sure is true of our retired neighbors.
They take themselves very, very seriously. Our across-the-street neighbor Art has been waging a war against us for SEVEN YEARS because I have a truck that I park in front of our house. Legally.
When asked, he justifies his hostility by saying, "We lived here first! We bought on this street when the houses were new! We have seniority!"
Yes, Art, and you know something else? Back in your day, potential homeowners had to comply with a neighborhood covenant that said "No Mexicans, blacks or Jews". (It's absolutely true. We had to read this document when we bought the house. Of course, Federal law now prohibits such covenants, but not in 1956.)
This defender-of-the-neighborhood brings out a stool on sunny days and sits in his driveway, surveying the neighborhood and glaring at our house. It's creepy.
--
California voters: Be a part of the first-ever successful gubernatorial recall! Defy media pundits! $21 million of our money is going down the tubes daily because of our incompetent corrupt governor. Visit http://www.recallgraydavis.com to download your recall petition.
posted on June 26, 2003 10:12:47 AM new
Days 4 & 5 I sent another email and called seller-no response from seller
Day 6 sent another email and called seller-no response //////////
buffalowoman not just emailed 10 times,she also called 2 times!!
one time i have to ship some out of print books to europe and i found a bookseller who has 2 copies.he listed his phone,cell phone and pager/
it turns out that to put food on the table,he is now a construction worker and is not home during the day.
he does not always answer his emails as he is just too tired,sweaty,smelly when he gets home,taking a shower and getting something to eat would be more on his mind than logging on to internet.
posted on June 26, 2003 10:25:14 AM new
Excuse me for wanting to make sure the problem wasn't due to an illness or a computer that was down, both can happen and are excusable.
J. C.
By the way-every time I read this post the number of emails I sent seem to go up! I sent no emails the first 3 1/2 days-if I sent an email everyday after that the most I could have sent was 8 since the item arrived on the 11th day !
I am really getting a kick out of you guys making excuses for poor selling habits.
[ edited by buffalowoman on Jun 26, 2003 10:31 AM ]
posted on June 26, 2003 10:39:22 AM new
June 19, 2003 12:04:04 PM
I have emailed 3 times now
June 19, 2003 01:14:22 PM
I have emailed the seller 4 times now,
June 19, 2003 08:40:04 PM
I did send another email to the seller
June 20, 2003 11:46:01 AM
I again emailed-this time I used "ask the seller a question
June 24, 2003 09:13:19 PM
After 4 more emails to the seller,including one where I let them know I thought
You do the counting.... it's making me as tired as that old lady did when she picked out that package of beads.
posted on June 26, 2003 11:18:44 AM new
I think you may be confusing the dates of my postings with the emails. I was not sending 2 and 3 emails a day and when I finally got a reply from the seller on the 23rd informing me the item had been shipped I sent no more emails.
That is all I wanted from the seller-a simple note stating the item had been shipped.
J. C.
posted on June 26, 2003 12:20:07 PM new
If that's all that's required to secure your satisfaction, why not be honest about it and tell the seller up front?
Shucks, even I, the world's worst seller, try to notify of shipment if the person asks politely and indicates they have a really good reason, like "I'm leaving on vacation and I need to alert my neighbor to watch for the package."
But I don't do it routinely. There is no time for it.
So tell us, did you ask her to notify you?
--
California voters: Be a part of the first-ever successful gubernatorial recall! Defy media pundits! $21 million of our money is going down the tubes daily because of our incompetent corrupt governor. Visit http://www.recallgraydavis.com to download your recall petition.
posted on June 26, 2003 12:37:35 PM new
I truly think that Bison-Babe has gone a little off the praire on her search for perfect CS...HOWEVER, I think she does have a somewhat valid point that behooves us all to note:
Over the past year, we feeBay sellers have really been toasted in the local & national media. Many buyers go into a deal with a negative attitude at the start! It takes sooooo little time & effort to send out a minimum of "comfort" emails!
I use a minimum of 2: EOA + ITEM SHIPPED. Also, sometimes, a PAYMENT RECEIVED email if I'm not shipping the same day!
With all the proggies out there that allow tagged fill-in-the-blanks canned emails, it only takes around 14 SECONDS for me to send one of these emails!
The nice thing about this is that it kills the anger BEFORE it starts!
Give it some thought
Ralphie loves Mr Blonde:
"Are you gonna bark all day little doggie, or are you gonna bite?" http://tinyurl.com/5duz
posted on June 26, 2003 01:54:16 PM new
fluffythewondercat
That is exactly what my e-mails to the seller were about. In each one I requested for them to either give me a shipping date or let me know if the item had been shipped. No threats-no "WHERE IS MY ITEM?" nothing like that, at least not until 8 days had gone by and I had not received an answer.
That was all I ever wanted and the fustration was coming from not getting a reply or acknowledgement.
Had the seller told me it would have be 3 days or even 14 days before shipping-no problem-at least I would know and not be in the dark.
The only method a buyer has of letting the seller know anything is thru e-mail. The buyer is left hanging if they can not get a reply.
J. C.
posted on June 27, 2003 10:59:15 AM new
buffalowman said,
The only method a buyer has of letting the seller know anything is thru e-mail. The buyer is left hanging if they can not get a reply.
J. C.
/////////////////////////////////////////
not true,you not only emailed him,you also called him twice.
so buyer can call and email as you have done!\\\\\\\\\\\\
are you reselling the item??has the item been committed already??
[ edited by stopwhining on Jun 27, 2003 11:10 AM ]
posted on June 27, 2003 11:32:38 AM new
So the answer is no, you didn't tell the seller when you paid for the item, or oh, when you got in contact after winning that you had an urgent need to know when it was shipped.
I get it.
--
California voters: Be a part of the first-ever successful gubernatorial recall! Defy media pundits! $21 million of our money is going down the tubes daily because of our incompetent corrupt governor. Visit http://www.recallgraydavis.com to download your recall petition.
posted on June 27, 2003 11:35:12 AM newWith all the proggies out there that allow tagged fill-in-the-blanks canned emails, it only takes around 14 SECONDS for me to send one of these emails!
Great! I'll send you a list of shipped auctions each day, and YOU can send the emails!
Gosh, tomwiii, it is SO kind of you to volunteer to work for nothing. I'm touched. Truly.
My car needs washing and the lawn mowing as well, so maybe you can get right on those after the emails.
--
California voters: Be a part of the first-ever successful gubernatorial recall! Defy media pundits! $21 million of our money is going down the tubes daily because of our incompetent corrupt governor. Visit http://www.recallgraydavis.com to download your recall petition.
posted on June 27, 2003 12:06:58 PM newAccording to this thread you e-mailed that seller at least 10 times. I live in a community where there are many retired people and lots seem to focus only on themselves and it's always all about them and how badly they are treated by this world.
You ain't had pain until you live near a Century Village in South Florida. This buyer sounds just like the residents there.
I can still hear their creaky voices: I remember when I could order ice cream in July and they would deliver to my doorstep without it melting. Why they would even call to ask if I wanted a cake cone or a sugar cone. The delivery boy would then mow my lawn and walk my dog. No tip was expected. They don't have service like that anymore.
They take themselves very, very seriously. Our across-the-street neighbor Art has been waging a war against us for SEVEN YEARS because I have a truck that I park in front of our house.
My ex-monkey and I purchased a home in South Florida. We were in our early 20's. Most of our neighbors were in their 60's.
I had to go to a WAR with a neighbor. She liked to walk her little mutt accross my property. My cat obejected. He beat up her dog and peed on him. He was well on his way to doing the same to my neighbor when I intervened. She called the cops. She gave the officers hell and told them that she had been "walking on that property for years". She wanted me arrested and my cat put to sleep. She had to reach for her nitro-glycerin when they told her if she came back on my property they would arrest her.
After that she began calling codes enforcement on me. She ended up getting $1500 in fines for violations on her property. They never found anything wrong with mine.
posted on June 27, 2003 12:13:43 PM new
fluffythewondercat
Your question to me was did I let the seller know what I wanted/expected? If I thought you could understand plain English I would post a copy of the emails. I don't know how many times I have stated that my emails to the seller were requesting contact and a shipping date.
Let me know your seller ID and I will be more than happy to bid on your auctions then fail to contact you at the end of the auction. Much more fun keeping you guessing for a 11 days as to if I am going to pay.
I have no objection to the seller joining us-I would love to hear what they say-they never told me anything! Just hope you invited the right one, because I do most of my buying under a diffrent ID.
yes, I called the seller twice, both times a child answered the phone and did not know when the seller would be in.
I am not the only one that feels this way. Read the earlier posts on this thread and the ones in Double Standards for Sellers. I do not expect a seller to do anything that I would not do as a seller, but I do expect them to be held to the same rules and regulations the buyers must follow to. Maybe you should have some one read you the eBay rules for sellers.
By eBay rules I could have turned this seller in for non performance when they did not contact me within 3 days,instead of knocking myself out and giving them the benifit of the doubt!
J. C.
posted on June 27, 2003 12:50:52 PM new
For those of you that have forgotten-here is the information straight from eBay There is a lot more that covers the subject, but I am sure you are'nt interested.
Establish Communication
After an auction has closed, a seller should contact the high Bidder, or respond to their email within three business days.
If you are unable to get an email response from your Seller, you can request the member's name, phone number, city and state directly from eBay.
Note
In order to obtain contact information from another member you have to have a transaction in common.
Problem establishing communication
When you win an item or use Buy It Now to purchase an item, you'll receive an End of Item email from eBay letting you know that the listing has ended successfully. You can contact the seller using the seller's email address in the End of Item email or through the "ask seller a question" link on the item page.
If you are unable to contact your seller through email, you can request the seller's contact information.
If there is a problem with your seller's contact information, please report the situation to eBay through the false or missing contact information policy page.
posted on June 27, 2003 01:07:34 PM newBy eBay rules I could have turned this seller in for non performance when they did not contact me within 3 days,instead of knocking myself out and giving them the benifit of the doubt!
You would have been lying and filing a false report. Since you are so fond of quoting ebay, following is ebay's definition of non performance
Seller Non-performance -- eBay Policy:
Not delivering an item for which payment was accepted or significantly misrepresenting an item by not meeting the terms and item description that are outlined in the listing is prohibited.
He delivered and in a timely manner. The only non performance was, he didn't jump through the hoops you wanted him to.
posted on June 27, 2003 01:23:18 PM new
I am going to answer that question, but first let me say that all of this is childish! If you go back and read the original post what this thread was suppose to be about was:
"Why would a seller with a feedback of 675- 97% positive, do this, and what do I do next?"
It was not about bashing the buyer or the seller. It was not about who is wrong or who is right. But you people have taken a request for information and turned it into a buyer bashing! So as far as I am concerned, you are no longer worth bothering with.
It is evident you did not approve of the advice I received. If the seller jumps in I will return, however if they don't this will be my last post on this thread and subject.
Now, to answer your question: You completley overlooked the part about having problems contacting the seller. Since I could get no reply, I had no way of knowing if the person reading my emails was indeed the seller and if the contact information was correct. I could not get confirmation of shipping so had no idea it had been shipped.
Now I know you are going to say the child said the seller wasn't at home, and that on the 7th day I did finally get a reply from the seller. You would be right on both accounts-but seems to me this shoots down your claiming that the seller had no idea of what I expected, because based on that assumption the seller did get my request. So make up your minds!
posted on June 27, 2003 04:52:38 PM newLet me know your seller ID and I will be more than happy to bid on your auctions then fail to contact you at the end of the auction.
My God, lady, you just don't get it, do you?!?
/shakes head in utter amazement/
I don't give a rodent's heinie if ANY bidder of mine fails to contact me after the end of the auction. In fact, I prefer that they DO NOT. Less email to deal with. As long as they pay within fifteen days, they can spend the time they would have spend emailing me in making an omelette or whistling Dixie or removing the cat hair from their sofa.
You have never been a significant seller of any note on eBay. That much is clear. You're one of those "Oh, I sold a few knickknacks, now I know all about eBay selling!"
eBay selling, day in and day out, is not about rules (which you are so fond of quoting). It's not about trivial or redundant communication. It's not about soothing egos and hurt feelings. It most especially is not about making sure someone gets their daily email fix so they can feel important.
It's about getting product out the door at a price that provides a profit.
That's where the rubber meets the road, hon. That's what separates full-time sellers from wannabes like you.
--
California voters: Be a part of the first-ever successful gubernatorial recall! Defy media pundits! $21 million of our money is going down the tubes daily because of our incompetent corrupt governor. Visit http://www.recallgraydavis.com to download your recall petition.
