Big shipping problum.

[Taceas]

Because its the polite "You're wrong, but I'll partially kiss your butt to make you happy" type of thing you normally do to keep customers happy. You can't please everybody all of the time, but you can try your best to make the majority happy most of the time.

Not to mention you could go to the post office and request a refund because it wasn't delivered as stated. I've requested refunds from Fedex because a package was delivered an hour late when they guaranteed it'd be there by 10:30am. By god when I pay for Priority Overnight I expect it. The USPS should be held by no different expectation.

The fact the roaches were more than likely alive on the 4th day is a moot point, the USPS screwed up that's as far as your obligation should take you. The rest rests on his shoulders alone.

 

[Bear Foot Inc]

That is why i was offering him free shipping as the "You're wrong, but I'll partially kiss your butt to make you happy" part of the deal I normally do that kind of a thing and i have resent shipments free even when it was not guaranteed just because it was what i would have wanted but not when they do everything wrong like him He did not contact me when they did not get there in 3 days but waited a whole week! And even if he thought it would come UPS or fedex he could have had enough brain to check his mail box...
But I'll refund shipping if i can get my shipping price back from the USPS. How do i do it? Is it easy or a huge pain in the butt.
~Samuel

 

[Taceas]

To be honest I've never dealt with the USPS as a seller, they're as unreliable as carrier pigeons in my neck of the woods. But I would expect you take your receipt up to the counter and explain the situation and request a refund. With Fedex/UPS I just call up and request a refund.

And you're right, he did everything he possibly could have done wrong and I'd be hard pressed to feel like I owed him anything either.

When I'm expecting anything I'm checking tracking numbers like a hawk and if its not there when I think it should be, I contact the seller. I'm even more diligent with my bugs, and I usually request UPS or Fedex simply because they don't have a track record of leaving important stuff in my mailbox to bake before I can get to it (she never delivers the same time everyday).

I still don't see how you can't check your mailbox for over a week and still pay your bills on time....that just boggles my mind.

 

[Bear Foot Inc]

I paid for it off paypal just by printing the label but I'll give them a call tomorrow and see what i can find out. Has anyone else every done that?

 

[NrthCstInverts]

at this point its probably not going to be easy to get a refund on that shipping..... If i am not mistaken also..... i dont think they actually guarantee priority only express........



And just my .02 but you dont owe him anything AT ALL. No one who is expecting a package should wait that long to say "i didnt get it yet".... sounds fishy to me. By you offering the shipping deal after the fact > Kudos to you!

TIm

 

[Bear Foot Inc]

Well i just got a reply from him here is what i said and what he replyed. What should i do now?

So now you do have a problem with USPS.

If you had told me how they were shipping, I would have looked for them in the mail box. If something is to be derived in two days and it takes 4 days, do you consider that as being on time?

But, I suppose you win. I get screwed. Oh I forgot......."buyer beware".

You must be so proud!

And what i said

Kenneth,
I am quite sorry for this mishap. I could have specifically stated I would ship USPS Priority, however, I have always shipped USPS and I never have had a problem with the roaches getting to the destination on time and alive.

If you had contacted me on the 16th or the 17th saying you had not received them I would have given you the tracking number and you could have found them in good health. Since the tracking number indicated that the order had arrived on time, I, the seller, would have had no reason to e-mail you to see if they got there OK.

Had you gotten them on the 16th and found they were all dead I would have certainly sent you more. But, not 10 days later. I am very sorry that this happened and I would be willing to give you free USPS shipping if you want to order more roaches, but that is the best I can do under the circumstance. I hope you understand.

~Samuel

Thanks,
~Samuel

 

[Stylopidae]

This is what I would have wrote:

So now you do have a problem with USPS.

If you had told me how they were shipping, I would have looked for them in the mail box. If something is to be derived in two days and it takes 4 days, do you consider that as being on time?

But, I suppose you win. I get screwed. Oh I forgot......."buyer beware".

You must be so proud!

At this point, me telling you what shipping they would arrive is a completely moot point. If something is supposed to arrive in two days and it takes four for it to arrive, no...it's not on time. I would happily replace any of the animals that died either through a refund or replacing the stock because of this reason.

You checked the mailbox after ten days, damn near a week after they arrived late. One day short of a week, actually. Had they actually arrived on time, you would have found them in the mailbox eight days after they arrived. Since you seem to be missing the issue here, I think I should point out to you this is one week and one day after they were due to arrive.

The issue here is not the two day late arrival. The issue here is you failing to check your mailbox for a period of well over a week for a package you were expecting in two days. Any animal can only take so much and 10 days plus in a shipping package is more than most can take, which is why three day shipping is pretty much the slowest shipping we use.

Oh I forgot......."buyer beware".

If you are considering attempting to ruin my reputation over this incident, I would strongly reccomend against that as I have already considered the possibility of you doing this. I have a record of all communications between us and at this moment I am posting them on the site where I do most of my business so I can simply link to the information if you consider announcing this publicly. Frankly, I don't care what you do since this is mostly a commentary on you as a buyer and an animal keeper. I'm willing to bet that this approach would backfire and end up costing you suppliers. Do what you want.

If the biggest decision you made in your life was something other than to get drunk or high, I might pity you. Checking your mail for a package you were expecting is common sense. If the package arrives late, then there has obviously been a problem somewhere on my end. I will generally take responsibility for any problems with shipping. Not checking your mail for over a week after the package was due to arrive is completely your fault and voids any guarantee of live arrival even if the package had arrived late. Had you stuck the package in the oven for an hour, you'd get pretty much the same response. I've already made a one time offer of free shipping, considering this whole fiasco is your fault. I suggest you take it.

I am a businessman. I do not like to lose customers, however this philosophy only goes so far. Please consider what I have said in this letter very carefully.














So basically, what you said is a whole hell of a lot more polite than what I would have said. I think this thread speaks volumes about you as a supplier and the lengths you're willing to go to please a customer.

Two thumbs up to you, Bear Foot. You'll soon have a PM from me.

 

[cacoseraph]

oh, one point... i would NOT explain exactly what happened to USPS if you do decide to do anything about getting your shipping fee back

regardless of what your local branches tell you, it is very much against their rules to send most animals. there are a few exceptions but you have to jump through a few hoops, iirc.

it would behoove the OP to read up on the actual USPS website their rules regarding live shipping before talking to them as he stands to get in trouble if he doesn't.

 

[P.jasonius]

Has anyone considered the idea that this buyer is a scammer? As it has been repeatedly stated: who doesn't check their mail for ten days when they are expecting a package, a live contents package at that?
This guy probably has his roaches alive and is probably hoping for more, free, or his money back.
-jason

 

[Bear Foot Inc]

Thanks for the good words Cheshire!! I try to do good business, but i dont like when people try to take advantage of me. The guy might be a scammer and if i was going to give him any more of a discount then free shipping i would ask for photos of the dead roaches or him to send them back but for $4 its not worth it. If i was giving him $30 more free then I'd be more careful.
Are you sure they dont let you ship roaches? I thought lizards, frogs, harless bugs and such are fine.
~Samuel

 

[Aquanut]

This is probably beat to death but
a) the guy is a twit
b) Priority mail is not guaranteed, its approximate (usually 2-3 days) You have no claim for refund but neither does he.
c) USPS allows shipment of "feeder insects", this what I've been told to mark them.
d) i think the way you are handling it is gracious and fair and i wouldn't give it any more thought. Furthermore i am impressed with your concern and effort to be fair and wouldn't hesitate to business with you.

 

[Bear Foot Inc]

Ok thanks for your reply. I've been marking them live harmless insects. Do you think its a problem that i tell them its roaches when they ask what kind of insect?
Thanks again,
~Samuel

 

[Aquanut]

Cant say, when asked I've told the truth and said that they are like a cricket. And left it at that. The one time i shipped ups they didn't ask.

 

[beetleman]

to be on the safe side i would'nt tell them there are roaches(being someone may a problem,laws,etc) in there,live harmless insects(crickets,animals) are fine,or just put fragile,perishable on the box,just my opinion

 

[Stylopidae]

I always say I'm shipping live midgets that I farm under my bed. I only get asked once by each employee.

 

[Bear Foot Inc]

lol thats a good one!!!! I say hissers in a tone of voice as if everyone knows that those are and they usually dont ask what is that because they dont want to look ignorant

 

[Drachenjager]

If I'm reading what you wrote correctly, if you sent them USPS Priority Mail that is guaranteed transit time of 2-3 days, according to the tracking number it was delivered in 4 days.

I'd say at the very least you owe him a shipping refund and nothing else. It's his own damn fault it took him 10 or so days to check his mailbox (who actually DOES that?). You can't think for your customers and send them telepathic notions to check their mailbox.

As for discussing the method used for shipping, its something the seller should explicitly state on their webpage or the buyer should ask about when making the purchase. I always ask what method the seller is using, because I don't want to get stuck with DHL and have my stuff die in transit.

I also like sellers that provide me with the tracking number when they confirm the order shipment. That way I can tell what method was used if I forgot to ask. So if you didn't do that, its something I always find nice and helpful.

Priority mail is not guaranteed to get there at all. They say 2-3 days but its not guaranteed in the least. where i live it means there is no way you will see your package in less than 5 days lol Probably faster 1st class mail

 

[Bear Foot Inc]

For me its the other way. I almost never have a box I've shipped get there in more then 2 days. Every once in a while it takes 3. Once every few months its 4 and never 5.

 

[Drachenjager]

you dont owe him a thing, priority isnt guaranteed thats why most dont guarantee live arival i assume. I have had a tarantula shipped from KY to TX priority took 7 days and still no problem. NOT my first choice tho
the discoids i got from you were fine and dandy

 

[slimtim454]

For me its the other way. I almost never have a box I've shipped get there in more then 2 days. Every once in a while it takes 3. Once every few months its 4 and never 5.

Can i buy some roaches off you?