Not all auctions go smoothly. Maybe the item arrived damaged. Maybe it didn't arrive at all. Maybe it wasn't exactly what the buyer thought he was getting. Maybe the buyer is a loud, complaining, major-league son of a rutabaga. In any case, if you have a complaining customer, you need to do something about it. Here are some of your options:
Most important are those complaints that escalate to the eBay level, via eBay's Item Not Received or Significantly Not as Described process. Under this process (described in Chapter 11, "Protecting Yourself from Shady Sellers"), a buyer can file a complaint if he doesn't receive his merchandise within 10 days of the end of the auction. The problem here is that many transactions will fall outside this arbitrary waiting period. For example, if a buyer pays by personal check and you hold the check for 10 business days before shipping, the buyer hasn't received his merchandise in 10 days and can technically file a complaint. Fortunately, nothing major happens if the buyer files a claim at the 10-day mark. Once the buyer files a claim, eBay notifies you (the seller) of the claim and asks for a response; no formal action is taken until 30 days after the end of the listing. If, at that time, the buyer hasn't received the item (or the two of you haven't communicated and worked something out), then the buyer has the option of escalating the complaint into eBay's Standard Purchase Protection Program. At that point eBay can get involved and refund the buyer's money (up to $200) and take action against you as a seller. That action could result in a formal warning, a temporary suspension, or an indefinite suspension. Of course, it's also possible that eBay could evaluate the situation and take no action against you. The outcome depends on the situation. Obviously, if you're doing your job right, no complaint should escalate into the Standard Purchase Protection Program. If you do get an Item Not Received complaint, make sure you respond and inform the buyer why he or she hasn't received the item yet. The key here is communicationespecially when you're dealing with inexperienced buyers. |