Was I wrong to open a case?

[jrr74]

I purchased non MLP item from overseas on July 29th.  Makes it here to the US on Aug 4th.  Pretty impressive.  Open item and one of the figurines is missing so I message seller that night.  Message seller again August 7th to let them know I messaged them Aug 4th.  Get reply August 8th confirming missing item and that they will look for it.  Seller added that their computer wasn't working right, hence delay in response.  Sent another message on August 11th asking that since they have another set of this figurine group, why not just send me the item I am missing from the other set.  At this point, I start to feel suspicious because this is what they should have done when I first contacted them.  Each piece is loose so it is not like they are opening something MIB.  Aug 15th rolls around and still no reply so I open up a case.  Seller messages me today accusing me of being impatient, that they had found the missing figurine Saturday and would mail it to me next Monday if I still wanted it.  That is another six days away. 

So was I in the wrong to open a case?  I am in the part where buyer and seller try to work it out.  They have 100% positive feedback so that is the only reason why I am even asking this

I have only opened one other case before so this is not my MO. 

[northstar3184]

I don't think you were wrong. You gave them a week after they initially acknowledged the missing item, then they ignored your followup, opting not to respond until you opened a case 4 days later. Then, magically they respond. It sounds like they may have been blowing you off. I'd definitely keep the case open until the matter is resolved.

I've had situations happen with two sellers where they refused to honor their end of a deal until I either opened a case or advised them that I would be doing so. One was a seller who jerked me around for over a week without shipping my item, and only sent it after I opened a case. The other was a seller who sent an item not as described and offered a partial refund, then jerked me around for over a week with excuses as to why she still hadn't issued it.

Sometimes opening a case or advising a seller it'll be your next step is necessary to get them to stop blowing you off.

[bluerose9978]

I think you were right to open a case. Since it sounds like they were pretty much blowing you off for a week with no hint as to what they were going to do in the mean time (giving you a partial refund, sending out a replacement or looking for the item), I would have been on edge as well. They should have been following up with you as to what they were planning. It's just good customer service. Leaving you in the lurch was not necessary and they shouldn't have accused you of impatience.

And I don't think it wise of them to wait almost another week to ship the item out. More poor customer service on their part. It was, after all, their fault in the first place that your item had not shipped with the rest of your package.

[little.fox]

Nope, you gave them plenty of opportunity to sort things out before hand.

[flying_narwhal]

I would have done the same thing in your situation. You did the right thing by letting them know right away there was an issue, checking in a few days later when you hadn't heard anything, and attempting to work it out with the seller before opening the case. Waiting 11 days to open a case after you've already tried to work with the seller is hardly "impatient". I'm sure you already know this, but make sure you do NOT close the case before the seller has honored whatever promises they are making (replacement, refund, or whatever you agree to). I hope everything works out for the best!

[Ringlets]

Don't worry , you were right to open a case in this situation. I agree with the comments already made here

[jrr74]

Thanks everyone for your feedback.  I have concluded that I am working with a arrogant $%^**.  I had sent an e-mail in response to them calling me impatient saying that I will not condone their treatment of me, therefore do not want to do business with them and will take a refund.  Next morning, I thought about it and realized that I was probably being too sensitive and should give this person a chance to correct their mistake.  So I send another message saying because they have 100% feedback, maybe they are not a bad person. I was being nice.  I also tell them they should really communicate better with customers to let them know what is going on.  Received message back today, 8 days later (would not expect anything different) saying that yes they do have 100 percent feedback and should not have to send 100 messages, that they always do what they say they are going to do.  They forgot to include at their own sweet pace.  What a jerk!  It still does not make sense.  Person has one more set left of these loose figurines.  Why not just take figurine from other set and mail right away instead of having to look/find piece that had gone missing from my set.  Idiot!  Nothing like a little drama to get the heart pumping 

[northstar3184]

Received message back today, 8 days later (would not expect anything different) saying that yes they do have 100 percent feedback and should not have to send 100 messages, that they always do what they say they are going to do.

"They always do what they say they are going to do", but they have done absolutely nothing after all this time other than ignoring you & criticizing you. They haven't taken any action to remedy their error. I think you have every right to be ticked off, and you don't owe than an apology given how they keep blowing you off.

[Libelle]

They forgot to include at their own sweet pace.

I think you really hit the nail on the head there!

They're probably not trying to scam you, but they fail to keep their communication organized and updated (= read their mail daily, empty their mailbox, respond to mails ...) and they keep procrastinating going to the post office.

Did you make the purchase on ebay? Will you be able to get a refund?

[jrr74]

And the drama continues...I must have offended the seller with my last message

One more thing. I really think you are a liar and I have been trying to be nice. Nothing you said or did makes sense. For one, you should have just mailed out the extra purple pony from the other set you still had listed on eBay right away. When you did finally did 'FIND' the purple pony, how come you needed 9 days to mail it out? You have a online store! What kind of crappy turn-around time do you have? Quit being so arrogant and just admit that you were wrong. No need to reply. I will not read anymore of your [content removed for language ~ hathorcat] messages. I just want the pony or a refund and to be done with you. This is in my top three of worst experiences buying on eBay

They now just want to do a refund after the item is returned.  I did insult them, so I can't really blame them.  But not once did they apologize for the missing item, the delay in communication, or the additional time it was going to take to mail the supposedly found item, 9 more days!  Why does it take nine days to ship something out?  You know why?  Because you don't have it.  Yes, I am being a jerk, but I need to vent.  All I wanted was an apology and explanation. The kicker is that they cannot send a return label so I am to contact them to arrange return shipping.  I called eBay and said I am not dealing with them anymore.  So now eBay has officially stepped in.  I also left my first negative feedback.  I have had a not so good experience before, but never left a negative review.  One must really rub me the wrong way. Despite what the buyer said, I am a patient person.  What I am not is a push over. 

I have my package all taped up and ready to go.  Just need a return label to place on it. Kind of sucks that I have to take a trip to the post office.  Might as well buy stamps while I'm there    I am a little concern because it is going to Italy and I have heard of members having trouble sending stuff there.  To the abyss!

[dragonfly]

I don't think you were wrong to open a case. Opening a case is a great venue for seller accountability, particularly when the seller goes for several days without responding to regular messages, and if something goes or continues to be awry then a third party mediator can step in.

However, I think you rushed the negative feedback. The transaction isn't resolved until you have your refund and the seller has their items back. A poor experience is a poor experience, but the window of time to leave feedback is so long, it wouldn't have done any harm to wait. Now you have potentially ill will on the part of the seller to you, so they could receive the return and refuse to refund, etc etc etc. I tend to leave positive or neutral feedback if I have had a problem transaction but the seller has good customer service policies and worked with me to resolve it to my satisfaction. Not every transaction is going to go smoothly from a seller's perspective. I include a description of the circumstances in the feedback comments. Sometimes negative feedback is absolutely justified, but next time make sure that the transaction is complete on both ends before feedback is left.

If there is any affordable way you can ship this back with tracking, I would do that. Make sure you take care with the customs form. Use tidy handwriting and clear descriptions of the item.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

... It's going BACK to Italy?  Goodness, insure that parcel and make sure you have tracking/delivery confirmation/signature!!!  The postal system in Italy is notoriously corrupt and things go missing all the time.  If the return doesn't make it to your seller, at least you'll have the insurance claim you can be reimbursed for....

[jrr74]

If the return doesn't make it to your seller, at least you'll have the insurance claim you can be reimbursed for....

Does this mean I should insure it for the original shipping cost too?  Th item was only 19.00 and then another $15.00 for shipping.  In other words, do I insure for $19.00 or $34.00.  If it does go missing, I want all $34 back.  Thanks   

Hate the idea of shipping to Italy after all the stories I have heard on here