As both sides, I’m a seller and a buyer and I can understand how frustrating it sometimes can be. I try to retain my 100% so far positive feedback and I don’t really want to leave negative feedback. However, I had one experience today that makes me wonder on both sides. I brought an item for £25 – a tablet computer or Linx 8 in relation to the previous post, my bag can’t take a laptop or even the tablet I did buy when I start cycling! (If anyone has any suggestions that won’t throw the bike out of balance, please let me know.)
So, I got a message this morning, this is what it said with my replies (the seller id has been omitted for clarity and to protect the “innocent”):
Colour code, seller and my responses
“hello. My wife has fallen tablet out of hand when he wanted to pack up and now no longer open. I’m really sorry and will give back the money. thanks for understanding.”
(refund issued straight away)
“Please elaborate? Your sentence doesnt make sense” (I should of corrected myself and added doesn’t.)
“It has fallen to the ground when put it in his box”
“Any visible damage?”
(then a couple of seconds later:)
“Are you able to send a photo to put my mind at rest please? It should show the damage”
One thing I don’t tout a lot although my colleagues at my workplace know all to well, how good I am with computers, I worked in a computer shop, stripped several laptops and desktops, in recent times, I’ve even dealt with phones (I don’t want to do that again, they are just too fiddly). So I know what I’m doing most of the time. I try to go for 100% success rate, but more like 90%. I also know how to run complicated networks, even a thin client network which I have started a small scale one. Anyway, his reply:
“No visible damages. I’m work now, this evening I send you photo.”
Lets see what he produces later.
First thing is first, why didn’t he message me and send something like “I do apologise, I have a slight issue with the tablet. While we were packing your tablet computer for shipping, we dropped it. The issue at the moment is I don’t get anything on, I can send you a photo of the damage if you want or when you get it and you aren’t happy with it, I can issue you a refund. What would you like me to do?”
Simple, effective and helpful, its communication. This person assumed I don’t want it straight away and issued a refund which gets me suspecting something dodgy, but I cannot prove it yet. Communication can solve a LOT of issues. You’ll notice that I asked for photos, I would of sent one as soon as they requested one, that would be the avoidance of doubt and OK, my reputation would take a hit but at least in this instance, I was tempted to leave negative feedback. We will see.