Silk Road forums
Discussion => Shipping => Topic started by: GreenGiant on December 17, 2011, 10:20 pm
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Ok, so i have been working online for almost 2 years & in that time i have never lost a UK to UK delivery.
Now in the space of 2 weeks i have possible lost 2 orders going to the same buyer.
I have dealt with this buyer maybe 5-7 times, i generally trust them, but in this online game you never really can tell.
The initial order was sent 7-8 days ago & has not arrived yet, which is most odd for a UK to UK order. While first order was being sent the buyer placed a second order.
after 5 days of the original order not arriving the buyer started demanding i send a replacement for their first order along with their second order & to send it via next day special delivery. My initial reaction to this was, i cannot send special delivery or recorded & i would be unwilling to send a replacement or negotiate on the matter until we waited a bit longer.
I felt bad for the buyer having paid for one order and still waiting for it & also having the funds for another tied up in escrow( it is also me who is waiting on funds in escrow), so i asked if they had another address, which they did not. SO i told them i would make an exception and send the order recorded delivery. Stupidly when i went to a PO box int he morning with other orders, i dropped the order that was meant to go recorded in the mail box also, this was only on Friday morning though. 2 other orders i dropped int he same PO box have been delivered already & they were traveling a further distance, the second order has yet to arrive with the buyer & they are getting most frustrated which i can understand.
If this second order does not arrive I really am not sure what to think, every other order i have in the UK has arrived no problem. Then if 2 orders to the same buyer do not arrive, surely this is a problem on the recipients end? maybe the postie has noticed the weekly packages stamped from my city, or maybe one of their flat mates or neighbors.
i was possibly going to offer a resend on the first packe, even though i really am not in a position where i am able to do this. Although if now the second does not arrive, i am not sure how to continue. Advice from other vendors or SR buyers would be appreciated.
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The recipient's address might be flagged. If he's purchased 5-7 items from you then it stands to reason that he's a prolific online buyer. You could try sending something completely legal. Just a regular "letter" or something. Maybe a regular envelope with a bit of bubble wrap in it to make it seem like there's "something" inside.
Personally I would just decline to sell to this particular address since it's too costly for you to potentially lose more shipments.
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If this is honestly your only problem guy, then he's either scamming you or someone (his mailman, neighbor, etc..) is stealing his shit before he gets it. Either way, it sounds like you've got a bad addy on your hands.
I'd make them wait 14 days as sometimes shit get held up, especially around this time of the year, if it doesn't show, I'd just give a refund via the resolution process and don't do anymore business with them.
Also, I don't know how UK shipping works, but here in the US a DCN# is only $0.80, which is definitely worth it for the peace of mind knowing whether or not a package was actually delivered.
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I would tell him not to worry and point him to the shipping forum in general. The Post Office seems to be completely and utterly reamed this year. I've got Christmas cards taking a week (so far) with a 1st class stamp, so it really could still be on its way.
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- ask buyer what else is arriving (or not).
- is buyer using a different name..
- send test letters as advised above...
- my guess is the person resp hasn't stuck it in the right box
::)
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I've ordered successfully from you before (and I'm waiting on some Lemon Haze now!), and your feedback rep is stellar, so I'm going to assume that you've truthfully sent out both orders as you say.
If you're client is realistic, they'll also come to the same conclusion.
I think you have to give it 10 more days before you make any decision. Yeah, that sucks for your client who's waiting, but you don't control the worlds postal systems.
I've never lost a UK package, and currently have one to the US that's in limbo, and was even sent Airsure with Track and Trace, so I have great hope that it will show up. But I did have a UK mailing that both I and the client thought was lost. Instead of 2 days, normal, it was getting over 2 weeks, and I was waffling between thinking the Post Office were idiots, and maybe - just maybe - the client was trying to have one over on me.
Then I get a PM - the fucking thing had arrived! Apparently the sorting office on his end weighed it - whether on a scale or by eye - an decided it was too heavy for first class, and re-marked it as 4th class mail. (I'd add this really pissed me off, because when you mail First Class in the UK, if you go to the counter they can - and you have to be firm on this - give you a Certificate of Posting - which is not the same as a receipt, because it's got the weight of the item, and they also punch in the house number and post code.) It was 1 gram under the weight for the next upcharge for postage, so I did in fact have the correct postage on it. That didn't change the fact that it was treated like 4th class mail just for being 'close' to being over weight for the charge.
So, when you figure it may have got bumped down in priority like mine was, or Bob took a couple days off in the sorting office for that area and they're behind, coupled with the standard Christmas mail rush, both packages still stand a great likelihood of still being delivered.
At the very least ONE of them is going to make it there.
Now, you've dealt with this customer a few times, so you have to consider that too. If I was you, I'd whip up a care package - maybe 1/2 what one order has in it (assuming it's not for a qp) and offer my client this: I'll send out the care package, worth X, Special Delivery, tomorrow, so they'll get it the next day. If their other packages arrive, they pay for the care package and release escrow on the 2 orders. If it doesn't arrive, no charge for the care package, but no further refund either. Have it agreed in PM so if it goes to resolution you're covered.
And hey - where the fuck is my Lemon Haze?
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Strangely enough i now am getting another complaint from another customer who just so happens to be based in the same city as the other customer. they are complaining that what i sent them was not indoor Uk cheese & should have been marked as greenhouse quality.
pretty sure i am being worked over here.
even stranger thing is i was just thinking the other day SR is more hassle than it's worth and i should just pull all my listings down, maybe this is the sign i needed to kick my ass in gear.
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Does it rhyme with Niverpool?
That's where Royal Mail fucked me over.
Hey, it's the end of a busy, stressful week, during a time when mail service is abysmal.
Don't make any hard choices at a time like that, you're a great vendor, and you can't let what should be minor annoyances get you down.
Don't sweat the petty stuff, and don't pet the sweaty stuff.
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If it helps, I happen to know the lady who runs the local postoffice and she said they have been absolutely shagged for staff this week - they've got regular staff doing 3 runs instead of 1 and temps that she wouldnt normally trust to deliver the bulk mail only.
I've been driving to work all week and one of their Post Office shopping trolleys has been chained to the same lamp post for 3 days, mentioned it to the post lady and she said it might explain the lack of deliveries in that area - the temp is supposed to collect it after the driver fills it up....
Oh, and if it makes you any happier, junkies I used to know in the local town acquired a set of mail dropbox keys a few years ago and had a very productive Xmas clearing out the drop boxes after the van had been round. They'd open up all the cards and extract the cash/gift vouchers then dump them in a skip. Of course they changed the locks after a week or so, but bet that ruined a few Xmas'.
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thank you all for the advice, although I have decided to pull all my listings from SR, i can't be bothered with being stressed out at this time of year & waiting on funds to be untied from escrow, I'd rather just not sell on SR at all. With the way i am feeling with SR & BTC at the moment, i may not return, i'll decided after the new year.
sadly i do not have the bud stock to spare 3.5g to send the first buyer a care package, the second order i sent out was technically their own care package, i was tempted to just cancel the second & wait till the first arrived or go to resolution center, wish i had done that now instead of tying up 7g in escrow.
Variety - your LH went out either Thursday night or Friday morning, hopefully it arrives soon
have a relaxing & merry festive period
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I have ended up just canceling the first order there for refunding 100% of the buyers money, I DO NOT APPRECIATE BEING CALLED A SCAMMER or having my packing methods insulted, even though the buyer knows the are as good as they get!!!
The second order was only sent on Friday so plenty of time, if it does not show i will going to the resolution center & offering 0% - 25% refund, as the buyer was demanding i send the other package, even though the first had not arrived.
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Variety - your LH went out either Thursday night or Friday morning, hopefully it arrives soon
I was just kidding you GG, I won't get a chance to pick it up until Christmas Eve, it's a treat for Santa.
I'll just say I've ordered off you a few times - using a few accounts and addresses as I don't like anyone to know it's me until AFTER I've ordered - I want to make sure I don't better treatment than folks I recommend items to. I get a lot my clients asking about strains, and I like to be able to say, yes, the Lemon Haze is a great smoke, try some from GG or whoever before you drop $120 and 4 months on some seeds.
Everything from your greenhouse sample (worked for me!) to top shelf items have always arrived promptly, packed professionally, and of as good or higher quality than listed.
So take a nice holiday break, and come hang your shingle back up afterwards. SR is having some growing pains, and it needs good people to get through them.