Do You Leave A Negative?

[gmarguli]

I purchased an item (not a coin) on eBay, followed their instructions, and paid promptly with PayPal. I had no communication from the seller after I had paid.

 

For my shipping address I gave them my PO Box. The auction clearly stated shipping "via the United States Postal Service". Today at my PO Box I get a notice from UPS that they can't deliver to a PO Box and I can pick it up at their delivery center.

 

If I picked it up, I'd have to do it after work at which time it is a 20-30 minute drive each way and I've waiting as long as 90 minutes in their lines. Short lines are usually 10 minutes. And parking there is a person_without_enough_empathy. Overall, at least an hour of my time and maybe much more.

 

Had the seller contacted me saying they'd like to ship it UPS, I could have given them my work address and all would have been fine.

 

The seller is a Power Seller with 15,000+ feedback which is decent, but not great. Clearly they should have known that that can't ship UPS to a PO Box.

 

Do you leave them a negative for their carelessness / stupidity?

 

As for the package, the UPS note says they'll return it sender in a few days which is what I'm going to let them do. The seller can resend it by the Post Office or can refund my money.

[DirtyGoldMan]

I would reserve a negative for a seller who did not ship the item, one who switched items on me, or some such fraudulent circumstance. Assuming that you eventually get the item, the communication between you and the seller is amicable, and the item is to your satisfaction, I would not leave negative feedback--probably no feedback at all. Everyone makes mistakes.

[MikeInFL]

I'd wait to hear their side of the story, and give them a chance to make it right.

 

Assuming their making it right is simply sending it via USPS once it is returned, I would likely give them a neutral.

 

I do not think a negative is deserved if their only mistake was sending it via the wrong carrier.

[WinstonWare]

I’ve called UPS and redirected a package to work after receiving one of those UPS notices at home. Why don’t you just do that?

 

Re: The feedback – I’d probably just let it slide but it is pretty dumb to fill out a UPS slip to a PO Box. I just reserve my negatives for people who are unpleasant and uncooperative as opposed to those who are merely dumb…

 

[EZ_E]

I wouldn't leave a negative but I would not pick up the item and have the item returned. Tell the seller the scoop and get your refund.

[jgrinz]

I do not leave bad feedback for stupidity.

 

[Conder101]

Call UPS and see if you can have the delivery point redirected.

[BULLY]

Do you leave them a negative for their carelessness / stupidity?

 

As for the package, the UPS note says they'll return it sender in a few days which is what I'm going to let them do. The seller can resend it by the Post Office or can refund my money.

 

My answer is multi-fold, and it starts with an inquiry to the seller:

 

1. Contact the seller, let him or her know, politely, that you have a post office box, and you didn't anticipate a problem since the listing indicated delivery via the USPS. However, the UPS delivery has presented a problem for you, and that you are unable to get the package.

 

2. The answer to the negative vs. neutral (or even positive) truly depends on how the seller handles the inquiry. If the seller responds quickly and says "Oops, I am SO very sorry, I don't know what I was thinking, I know better than that. I've contacted UPS and they will re-direct it to the address you indicated, and it should arrive tomorrow." I'd give them a positive feedback with a remark possibly about misdirected shipment but seller handled adeptly and professionally. That's the human error made right. If you get no response from the seller, well, then we start getting into neutral or negative territory.

 

Ultimately, if the package is returned to the seller and then the seller gets, shall we say, testy, it could amount to a "feedback extortion" situation where the whole new eBay feedback policy talks about how buyers may threaten sellers with negative feedback. A seller can do that to a buyer in a case like this, "If you leave me negative feedback, I'll leave it for you too, even though I was just plain stupid, and unresponsive." That becomes a judgment call for you. If you feel it warranted, you should decide was the seller responsive, or not. Communications is a category to nail sellers on in the "detailed ratings" in the stars (1-5), as is shipping, with the risk being possibly getting negative feedback too, UNLESS, of course, the seller ALREADY left you positive feedback for paying promptly.

 

The better avenue is communication though, and try hard. If emails don't work, I'd use the eBay feature to obtain the phone number of the seller and contact him or her. It's better than letting the issue escalate. I also found that when I was getting no response from a seller for weeks, SUDDENLY, when he got the email from eBay that I requested his phone number (because it sends him mine at the same time), miraculously he responded to my previous communications! I didn't even have to make the call. I had had to call in the past, but that was a last resort, and all but once in 6 years, it has gone well.

 

3. I've seen some advice about getting the package re-directed to your home/office from the Post Office Box. I don't know if YOU, as the recipient, can just do that. If I recall correctly, there is a fee for the re-direction of packages from UPS, something like $10, and I believe the SENDER must be responsible for it, though you can contact UPS I am sure they can verify this one way or the other. It may not hurt to contact UPS and find out BEFORE contacting (calling) the seller, so you can go into the conversation (or even sending a detailed email) to say that I tried to contact UPS but they indicated that to re-direct the package, the SHIPPER must contact them because there is a fee, and you believe that it is probably more economical for him/her to re-direct the package than for the package to be returned and then re-shipped via the USPS (avoiding hassle, saving him money in the long run, something in it for HIM/HER).

 

4. I am in agreement, however, that leaving negative or even neutral feedback with the attempt for further communication is premature. A seller should be given the opportunity to fix the issue. How the seller responds should determine the ultimate feedback rating.

 

Just some thoughts anyway, some going with the grain here, some a little against the conventional wisdom posted thus far.

[Dcoin]

I think the real question is “are you will to eat a retaliatory neg. over this issue?”

[ldhair]

Call UPS and see if you can have the delivery point redirected.

Thats the best option.

Not worth getting a neg in exchange or is the new policy, protection from that.

 

 

 

[CHABSENTIA]

I would have to know the Terms. I have seen Sellers who specifically say in their "Terms" that they will not ship to a P.O. BOX. Since they did ship it then it probably is not the case.It could be the case but a Mistake etc was made.

 

At any rate, I would not give negative feeback since you received the package on time and it is in the correct condition.

 

I would just notify UPS and see if I could get it redirected.

[bsshog40]

I agree with most here as to No Neg. The package was shipped and looks like just a little mis-communication. As long as you can get your package from ups and it's all ok, I wouldn't go to extremes on a seller for doing something he thought was right.

[BULLY]

Am I the only one who thinks that contacting the seller is the direction for the solution to this problem, and giving the seller the chance to fix the problem, and letting that determine how the feedback turns out?

 

Personally, why should the customer have to do the legwork?

 

Mistakes may be human, but the seller can also fix those human mistakes. However, he/she won't know about them unless communication lines are open, politely of course.

[Conder101]

Am I the only one who thinks that contacting the seller is the direction for the solution to this problem, and giving the seller the chance to fix the problem, and letting that determine how the feedback turns out?

No there is nothing wrong with contacting the seller to have them try and solve the problem, but I suggested contacting UPS directly because by the time you can go through the seller the coins may have already been shipped back. Even if the seller re-ships at his expense it means a delay in receiving your package, especially if you can get it shipped directly to you right away just by calling UPS.

[jgrinz]

Doesn' t the SELLER have to redirect the package.

It sounds like a security issue if anyone can call and say deliver this somewhere else.

[CHABSENTIA]

I am not sure here. My Son who is now Married and gone from the roost used to get packages from Fed Ex. THey would try once and if nobody was home then you would get a notice and have to go to their office which was across town.

 

 

Bt the same token I received a package from Fed Ex on MLK day when the post office did not deliver and the guy told me it was a regular day for them.I think UPS only delivered "Next Day " .

 

So everybody has their different methods. I know that UPS has those liitle outlets both for UPS and pickups at Mail Box etc.

 

I would contact UPS first. If they told me that they would redirect it to your home address or one of their outlets then I would arrange it. If they said they would do it for a fee then that would be a separate decision.

 

If they said that it was up to the Seller then you would have to contact the seller. If the Seller was told to ship it to the P.O. Box in the first place then I don't see how it would be the Sellers problem.

 

 

If the Seller had the Home address and the P.O. Box address and was told to ship it to the Home and made an error then this is a different situation.

[koko1333-migration]

CHABSENTIA if it was insured for more then $50 they will not leave it in the box you need to sign for it, I have to go to the post office every few weeks to sign for mine all the time.

[CHABSENTIA]

I think you are mixing me up with the poster who said " it might be a Security issue". My point was that each carrier had different guidelines and different methods for delivery. I would expect that even if the person went to a Mail Box etc where some UPS pickup points are located would have to show some ID .

 

 

It was just a suggestion. I don't know if it is possible for UPS to redirect it and if so under what circumstances.

 

I do know that UPS has a contract with the Post Office and in certain situations UPS will leave a package with the Post Office to deliver it as I have received one sent through UPS that was actually delivered by the Mail Carrier and he told me so.

[gmarguli]

Thanks for all your replies and suggestions.

 

I have contacted UPS and they are going to redirect my package to my work address. FedEx would have never do this for me as they require the sender make the change.

 

I'm going to email the seller and see what he has to say about the shipping carrier screw-up and will decide on feedback based on his response.

[66rb]

gmarguli, how many addresses can you have on file with paypal?

 

I may be mistaken, but I thought you could have one confirmed address, and the seller must ship to a confirmed address in order to be protected through paypal.

[Revenant]

gmarguli, how many addresses can you have on file with paypal?

 

I may be mistaken, but I thought you could have one confirmed address, and the seller must ship to a confirmed address in order to be protected through paypal.

 

Yes but policy changes are apparently going to change that soon.

 

[66rb]

No, I'm asking about the policy at the time of the paypal transaction.

 

It would seem unfair to consider giving the seller a neg if he was shipping to gmarguli's confirmed paypal address, no?

 

gmarguli said that he would have given the seller a different address if he had known it was to be shipped by UPS, thus my query of how many addresses can you have on file with paypal?

 

 

 

 

[gmarguli]

I'm not sure how many, but I know you can have more than one confirmed addresses. Both my home and PO Box are confirmed addresses. I believe my work address is also confirmed.

[66rb]

Thanks gmarguli, like I said, I may be mistaken. Looks like I was

[wayneherndon]

You can have multiple confirmed addresses with PayPal. It is beneficial to go ahead and confirm any addresses you might potentially use.

 

WH