Q&A: Should I refund my irate customer before the book is returned?
QUESTION: It looks like I made a rookie error and listed a book in the wrong place on Amazon. I need the book in hand to be sure, but I could swear I listed it under the correct ISBN. Anyway, the customer didn't get the edition of the book they expected, so I received my first angry e-mail since I started selling last summer. My issue is this: This customer is demanding an immediate refund or she will give me very negative feedback. She wants the refund before I receive my book back from her. I am happy to refund her, but not until I have the book returned to me. She's holding me holding me hostage by threatening my 100% feedback.
I don't believe she has the right to demand a refund before she returns the product. I think of it as the same as a store you could walk into. They aren't going to refund and wait for the product to be returned two weeks later.
Am I wrong in my thinking?
ANSWER: I understand the quandary you're in. Not a week goes by when there isn't some goof-up I've got to fix.
I've handled this type of situation both ways -- by demanding the book back first, and at other times I've refunded first, giving the customer the benefit of the doubt.
Here's my basic advice -- if the book is not worth a tremendous amount of money, I'd give the customer an immediate refund and accept the return later. I've had very, very few mishaps (if any) going this route myself. I usually apologize too -- if the buyer hasn't been insulting.
I do keep a log of everyone I've refunded. So far nobody's ever tried for a second refund.
One thing about people who buy stuff online: They *always* think they're in the right, even when they're in the wrong. Once they have that idea in their head there's nothing we the seller can do to change that idea, we've just got to make the best of things.
posted by Steve Weber at 5/22/2007
10 Comments:
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I agree that if the book is of low value just send a refund and be done with the transaction. Several months ago I received an angry email from a guy who said he wanted a credit card refund after the placed order had been shipped. I politely explained I would be happy to refund the order if he simply did not open the package and marked the box "Return to Sender" after he had received it. This made him even more angry - he just couldn't be bothered with that kind of hassle. He could not understand how he had been charged for something he had not ordered. I thought perhaps someone stole his account information and was buying books with his user id. After some digging, I found that the book was being sent to this guy's home address, which made it doubtful someone stole his identity because why would they ship items to HIS address? I figured he no longer wanted the book or found another copy for less money and wanted to cancel the order.
After several emails and a lot of wasted time I gave up and sent the refund. I finally did received the book back after a month. The lesson I learned is that it is just not worth the time or hassle. In reality, the book in question sold for around $15.00, but I had paid $1.00 for it. With shipping included I was really out only a couple bucks. It's simply not worth the time wrangling back and forth.
For expensive books, however, if I am confident the book is correctly listed and graded I would not refund until the book is returned.
I've sold thousands of books with only a few problems. Overall, I think 99% of buyers are honest and not trying to pull a scam.
Peter
Minneapolis
I am a relatively new seller also. If a mistake occurs as a result of MY error, I do not attempt to argue and try to reassure the customer I will work with them in whatever way I can to resolve the situation to their satisfaction. I try to give myself a little time before responding to an upsetting e-mail so I can "diffuse" my own emotions a bit. It can be helpful to write a sincere, carefully worded response acknowledging YOUR error (even if you think you didn't make a mistake...it's that golden rule - the customer is always right!) I tend to agree with Steve - if the book is not of high value, give them an immediate refund. Chalk it up to the learning curve. This buyer might come back with a 5 out of 5 rating for you - this has happened to me!
Steve,
That photo is priceless! I laughed and laughed! On my screen, her fist even lines up with "will give me very negative feedback" line to make a very graphic point.
You are lucky that the guy even offers to return the book.
Most of the time, when I receive an angry email that I supposedly did something wrong, they don't even want to be bothered to return the book at all. They don't want to spend the money. They don't want the hazzle.
I usually end up having to refund the price plus the shipping (they always want that back, too, since it was MY mistake, which is not even always clear) and end up giving them the book as a gift.
You do anything else, like asking them to return the book back to you, and the bad feedback is certain. ("I am not going to pay for YOUR mistakes, you useless seller, you!) They make sure to keep that bad feedback looming over your head until you give them all they want.
I just comfort myself with the fact that there are only a few rotten apples now and then and many, many really nice people to make up for it, and that I never pay more than a dollar for my books, which gives me the liberty to write them off.
Yesterday, somebody wanted their money back because "the book is filthy, it's so incredibly dirty that I cannot read it, because it disgusts me to hold it in my hands".
Honestly, would I send out a book like that? Is there any way I could possibly not have noticed a book this bad when I listed it? How about my hands? Did they stink after I listed and then packaged this book? Or is that guy crazy?
With people like that, write the book off, give them the refund, do not expect them to mail the book back and then praise your lucky stars if they do not STILL leave you bad feedback.
I've had bad feedback left AFTER I refunded the entire thing and it was their error (wanted it expedited for a class, but did not check the box, pay the upgrade, nor even bothered to tell me. Complained that book took 10 days and arrived after the class started. Received full refund, book as a free gift, and then rewarded me with 2 stars).
So your best bet to avoid negative feedback is to apologize nicely and humbly, that's what they want to hear, refund them and then go for a nice run, do some yoga, kiss your kid, eat a piece of chocolate or whatever you do to calm down. I have learned that it is NEVER a matter of who's really right or wrong here. YOU are always wrong in online sales.
One thing to add: If it's a valuable book and I've screwed up, I'll usually mail the customer a return mailer with Endicia postage on it. And I'll usually refund their shipping fee because of the trouble.
As someone who's done mail order for years, this sort of thing is not new. There are always people who will try and scam you, and those who won't.
Most of my customers are not that way, but I've weeded them down over the years too.
One "tool" that frequently works is lots of communication:
(thank you note inside pkg w/book)
book shipped, date, del conf. #. If there's a problem, please let me know. (email)
When book expected date occurs, another email and say you hope they're happy with their purchase, and to keep you in mind in the future.
Finally, if there's a problem, I go over the top to fix it. Rather than give a refund, I've been known to buy a book from another dealer and have THAT shipped. I will give a refund, if necessary, but I work reallly hard to fix the problem first.
Yes, I eat the costs sometimes. Either I never see this person again, or I get a neutral rating at the worst.
Most people, even dishonest ones, have a hard time saying you're a crook when most of your communication with them is concern that they got the product they wanted in a timely way.
The baddies prey on your basic goodness, I figure why not turn the tables? If they want to "guilt" me into giving them the book, I'll try and "guilt" them out of it first!
Re the original question, I'd say no, but couch it in customer service terms: "When I get the book back, let me see if I can fix it/find you a better copy/what have you...and I'm afraid I need the book in my hand to do that!" Also, re the postage, then you say, well, you CAN get a refund of the postage, but you'll have to spend it again to return the book to me, so why don't I reimburse you for that?"
jkd
Sorry, I misspoke about the postage bit. I'm not sure what I was thinking!
But no, I don't reimburse postage, and yeah, I've been known to "forget" it when I did the refund. But I've done so few refunds, like 1 a year in 12+ years of an open shop/mail order that it really hasn't been a problem!
jkd
One caveat, though - along the lines of Peter's story.
When I first started selling books, I had a situation like that. I traced back and found that I had indeed, correctly described the book, but it had been listed (by Amazon, due to the ISBN) under the softcover, rather than hardcover. I then found out, by researching the buyer a little more, that he had pulled this stunt on eBay as well as on Amazon, claiming he had ordered a softcover and not a hardback. He had tried to extort other sellers.
The suggestion regarding a reply envelope with Endicia is the best. Tell him all he'll have to do is slip the book into the pouch. If it seems like a clear cut mistake on your part, and it's not a valuable book, refund. If it is valuable, send a return envelope for the book first and then refund.
I wouldn't make a habit of satiating scammers. I'd bend over backwards to be polite, and help my customers - because I honestly care about them - but understand that sometimes a grump is just going to give you bad feedback, whether you did something wrong or they just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
I disagree with anonymous that in online sales you're "always wrong". No, the key is that over the internet, some people forget that you're a human being, who makes mistakes. 99% of the time, if I apologize and try to make it right, the customer is not only okay but often pleased to have received the "personal touch".
The only customer I ever had that tried this complained to Amazon and they refunded her money and I never got the book back. It was a $35 sale!! There are always going to be people out there who are dishonest and want something for nothing.
My solution to the "should I refund before I receive the book" is that I ask the customer to include delivery confirmation when he/she mails the book. Then tell them the refund will be processed as soon as they e-mail me the tracking numbers. This works with "no-fault" customers that aren't angry about paying for return shipping in the first place. I refund shipping, also.
---Ellen
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