Suggestion on how to handle this?

Product sent and customer doesn't receive

[Woodrow]

Hello,

I'm looking for opinions on how you've handled this type of situation.

I sell sporting goods, and sent out a $125 product 2 weeks ago via USPS Priority Mail (insured for $100) - should be 2 to 3 days. This morning I received an email from the customer asking why he didn't receive it.

Should I assume it's lost in the mail or that "maybe" the customer is pulling something? I've never had to deal with a lost product in the mail before, so is it simply bringing the receipt to the Post Office looking for a check or....?

I just went live on Ecommerce 3 weeks ago so I wasn't expecting hassles this early in the game.

Thanks....

[Smiley]

Hi and Welcome to Webmasterworld,

If you are looking for practical answers to common ecommerce problems like this then you are in the right place ;)

>USPS Priority Mail

Do they have to sign for that?

I would suggest calling the customer to see if perhaps it has been left with neighbours or someone else in the house. In your conversation you should be able to gauge if they are trying to cheat you, or, there could be a simple explanation.

Otherwise I would be tempted to make a full refund and move on. These things can takes hours to sort out.

>so I wasn't expecting hassles this early in the game
Welcome to mail order :)

[derekwong28]

If you have a tracking no, Go to the USPS website and try to track the package. Sometimes, it may tell you that the delivery was unsuccessful and is waiting for the customer to pick it up. It may even tell you that the address was undeliverable and the order is begin sent back to you.

I would not issue a full refund until the package was tracked. In any case, resending the package is cheaper than a refund.

[cazgh]

I would check with the carrier as well - see if they have got a signature for the parcel delivery - and whose it is if they have.

If they havent - why not - I would have thought insured parcels would have to be signed for.

[Woodrow]

Thanks for the help.

Live and learn I guess... Priority Mail via USPS isn't trackable, and I have to wait 30 days before I file a claim for the insurance. I hate to have to make the customer wait that long before I send another out, but I guess there's nothing I can do.

I guess if I learn anything from this, is to probably always ship UPS with a tracking number.

[CernyM]

If you print the USPS Priority Mail label from your PC, you get free delivery confirmation with it.

You can print the label with our without postage right on the USPS website. There is also a downloadable program that you can use from the Post Office, though it won't put postage on. (Its a lot faster than the website if you just want to print the label though).

There are also two or three ISV products for printing labels and postage.

[Woodrow]

I checked it out and it looks simple enough. Wish I would've learned sooner...but better late than never.

Thanks!

[CernyM]

One other thing that's new from the post office. You can now request that your letter carrier stop in and pick up any parcels when he's making his normal run, and they won't charge you the $10 fee they used to for pickup.

The pickup form is on their website.

I'm surprised that so many companies use UPS or FEDEX ground for their shipments. At least for our type of merchandise, USPS Priority Mail is much cheaper and quicker than the alternatives. At $3.85 for the first pound, free delivery confirmation, plus free shipping materials (sturdy Tyvek bags and nice boxes), the post office is a great deal.

[CernyM]

One other thing.

Have you spoken directly with the customer? I had one case where I customer called and asked why a package hadn't arrived in time for Christmas.

I went through several iterations with the national post office customer support and our local post office, trying to figure out where the package went. The package had been delivered in time, but according to the tracking website, it had gone to the wrong zipcode. The local post office claimed I could ignore that zipcode, since that station serviced many, and all delivery confirmation from there showed that zipcode.

I ended up calling the customer back and telling them I had no idea where it was, but would either send them new product out ASAP or refund their money. The response? "Er, hehe, sorry - we thought it was coming UPS. We just checked our mailbox, its been sitting there for a week and a half."!

If you've spoken to the customer and haven't gotten the "I think they are trying to rip me off" vibe, you may want to ask them whether they'd prefer a refund or a new product shipped right out. Just ask them to ship the "lost" product back to you if it ever arrives. Usually, they'll be impressed in the trust you show them (since most vendors show zero trust in customers) and are more apt to remember your company the next time they need your sort of product. They are also more apt to speak favorably about you in the future.

[minghoo]

Having online business about 2 years, USPS Priority mail is my major shipping method.

So far i can say that i never experienced order lost via priority mail in US.

2 order were lost in Global prioity mail.

I print online shipped label through usps.com
and get free delivery confirmation which you can get this information:

Your item was delivered at 12:38 pm on January 7, 2004 in ****xx, xxxx 123456.

so maybe this will help you!

File claim from USPS is lot paper works, and wait for a long long time and maybe you still get nothing.

[Woodrow]

Minghoo,

So do you still insure what you send even though you have little confidence in a return?

[mquarles]

We've shipped a lot of packages, and Priority Mail has significantly lower loss and damage rates than UPS or FEDEX Ground.

It's priced nicely for light packages, but gets rather expensive once you put a few pounds in. We use third-party software to print our labels, and have been quite pleased with the whole setup.

Now if they would just provide detailed tracking instead of just delivery confirmation...

MQ