Silk Road forums

Support => Technical support => Topic started by: cosmo on May 29, 2012, 09:24 pm

Title: A %14 refund rate?
Post by: cosmo on May 29, 2012, 09:24 pm
I have been an frequent and honest buyer on this road for over four months.
I have 27 purchases and have spent close to two thousand dollars.  My auto finalize is %0 and before today I had a zero refund rate. I stay in escrow and do everything by the book. An order did not show and I first extended the time out of good faith. Time was up and I asked for a %50 refund on my order. The vender was cool enough to go above and beyond my expectations and offered %75, which I graciously excepted.
I veiw my stats immediately after and it shows a %14 refund rate; is this normal? Some good domestic vendors require EF if you have any percentage of a refund rate. I refuse to go out of escrow which is now hindering me from purchasing quality product. This is bullshit.
Title: Re: A %14 refund rate?
Post by: fonziegrinder on May 29, 2012, 09:27 pm
 
Quote from: cosmo link=topic=24857.msg263784#msg263784 date=1338. This is bullshit.
[/quote
I agree. Same problem here.
Title: Re: A %14 refund rate?
Post by: TrustusJones on May 29, 2012, 10:30 pm
Now you know how we vendors feel when we have over 500 completed transactions with all 5/5 feedback and ONE asshole leaves a 3/5 for no good reason and it drops your feedback score from 100% to 98%...

I know that doesn't answer nor help you but as a vendor I don't stress over the refund number as long as the total purchases and amounts are decent... the guy that scares me is the one with a 24% refund rate has 2 purchases and has never spent over $40...  you obviously WOULD NOT be a problem customer based on the amounts you listed in your first post.

I do feel the refund % is a good tool just as most buyers like the feedback system and many of us vendors mostly hate it... SR is a work in progress and hopefully one day the staff can tweak the system to be more fair for all of us... the Vendors who truly want to put out quality product and get paid in a timely manner and the buyers who just want to get what they ordered in a timely manner.

Thanks!
TJ

Title: Re: A %14 refund rate?
Post by: cosmo on May 30, 2012, 02:14 am
I Completely understand the vendor's frustration with the feedback system. It def. Needs to be tweaked. Maybe some sort of resolution center for vendors as well. Maybe take the whole point system out completely and go with something new.
My issue is that if a vendor excepts the resolution and SR does not step in, it should not reflect on the buyers stats in a negative way. That is the whole point of the system. This place is indeed a work in progress and I am thankful to of found it. It has been such a harm reduction in so many ways for me. Qaulity drugs, not having to scout around town/shady areas, not having to deal with drug dealers ftf...the list goes on! By being apart of this community, I finally feel like a free American and that is well worth the risk! IMO
Title: Re: A %14 refund rate?
Post by: NorCalKing on July 05, 2012, 12:48 am
TrustusJones hit the nail on the head!  It's not a perfect system, & if we saw your stats for buying we would have no problem either.  However 1 idiot can really F-up  a vendor's stats way too easily as well.  There really should be some sort of a review system that could be employed to keep some sort of equality for jacked up situations like these where these blips could fall off after a few weeks or so of perfect scores.
NCK
Title: Re: A %14 refund rate?
Post by: anonaddict on July 05, 2012, 03:15 am
At my job we are graded by percentages. The main one is repeat rate. I have to be responsible for cable boxes that goes bad all the time, the customer forgetting how to use their fucking TV, and so on. It sucks getting graded on shit that you can't control. As for the vendors, some customers have this dream in their head about the product, and when it doesn't live up to the fantasy. BAM you get hit with shitty feedback. The customer is able to leave whatever comment they want on your stats. Almost like the principle telling you that THIS IS GOING IN PERMANENT FILE. Silk Road should allow the vendor a short section to counter negative feedback. So you will have to take the 3/5 but you can at least say something back to that. As for the buyers... lost mail, customs, shitty packaging, and theft are not the fault of the buyer bit REFUND rate hits them hard, as many vendors look negatively on any refunds. I think it should be up to the vendor to determine how hard the refund will hit the buyer. So if the vendor believes he's being scammed he can make it 100% effective, but if the vendor believes the shipment got lost maybe 25% or if the vendor knows he did a shit job with packaging 0%

As TrustusJones and I have gone back and forth on the topic of FE and rating a few times we both agree the system is not perfect and can be improved. Well that was my 2ยข