Customers wants Refund of Premium Delivery as delivered late
Never had this before.
Customer ordered an item on the 27th and upgraded to premium next day delivery
Item sent on 27th via Royal Mail Tracked24 with label bought via Amazon Buy Shipping
Item delivered on 29th
Customer now asking for £2.99 refund for the premium delivery charge
Ive written back to say delivery timescales are estimates and not a guarantee. I have also asked them to contact Amazon Customer Services directly as in the Buy Shipping policy it does say negative feedback will be removed:
The customer feedback policy ensures sellers are only responsible for shipping their products on time and are not penalized for delays out of their control.
Yes I know that is only for feedback, but it does say ‘not penalized for delays out of their control’ so I dont see why I should have to refund the £2.99 when I dispatched on time.
What do you think? Should I refund the £2.99? I cant claim the cost back from Royal Mail. If all customers started asking for premium delivery cost refunds when delivered a day late I may have to consider stop doing premium delivery altogether.
Customers wants Refund of Premium Delivery as delivered late
Never had this before.
Customer ordered an item on the 27th and upgraded to premium next day delivery
Item sent on 27th via Royal Mail Tracked24 with label bought via Amazon Buy Shipping
Item delivered on 29th
Customer now asking for £2.99 refund for the premium delivery charge
Ive written back to say delivery timescales are estimates and not a guarantee. I have also asked them to contact Amazon Customer Services directly as in the Buy Shipping policy it does say negative feedback will be removed:
The customer feedback policy ensures sellers are only responsible for shipping their products on time and are not penalized for delays out of their control.
Yes I know that is only for feedback, but it does say ‘not penalized for delays out of their control’ so I dont see why I should have to refund the £2.99 when I dispatched on time.
What do you think? Should I refund the £2.99? I cant claim the cost back from Royal Mail. If all customers started asking for premium delivery cost refunds when delivered a day late I may have to consider stop doing premium delivery altogether.
58 replies
Seller_7VbclcPFFRTnc
yes i believe you should as buyer paid for next day but didn’t get next day
i think if they took it to a-z, they’d win as it will have missed the EDD
then you’ll loose the full sale price
Seller_SITNVuZK87zGK
I personally would refund in this instance. I’d be annoyed if I paid for next day delivery and didn’t get it.
Seller_tRuvBEHDedp4q
OK customer has come back and said they had already tried complaining directly to Amazon CS but as parcel showed delivered (albeit a day late) they would not get involved and told customer to contact me directly. Instead of a refund I have given customer a discount on a future purchase and they are happy.
Seller_HU09FGdJ07Hys
Once I had a similar issue: Premium Delivery order on Friday, shipped on Friday, delivered one day late. I know that, legally, I did not have to, but I put myself in the customer’s shoes and the order was rich and I refunded the Premium. The customer thanked me.
Anyway, that’s where you see your true character. It’s up to you.
Guy
Seller_qs0SIvVwguCY5
We offer premium shipping and yes, in this instance, we would refund the cost of the delivery that the buyer paid.
Unfortunately Tracked 24 is a 1-2 day delivery service, with next day delivery ‘an aim not guarantee’ - much like RM24.
We now use Special Next Day Delivery for Next Day, and Tracked 24 for Two Day Premium Delivery meaning we do not lose the Premium Delivery eligibility hardly at all. There are also next to no refunds for late deliveries now doing this. Buyers still seem willing to pay the extra if they desperately want it next day.
Seller_sMKIKBk9V0IKF
Amazon have muddied the water here by providing EDD and allowing you to purchase a 24 label for a next day service (Royal Mail 24 is not a next day service you would need SD guaranteed). However, under UK law the customer was entitled to a refund. Under the Consumer Rights Act a contract was formed for the provision of a service - you invited the customer to use the premium next day service, they offered the £2.99, you accepted (took payment). Therefore, when you didn’t meet the next day element the contract ended and the customer was entitled to a refund.
I’m glad you have come up with a solution that is acceptable for both you and the customer, but you may wanted to look at upping your premium next day price to cover the cost of SD or changing it to premium 1-2 days to avoid this issue in future.
Seller_3yhYGU61cigbH
If I paid for something and didn’t get it I’d want my money back. Doesn’t matter what the issue is as far as I would be concerned I didn’t get what I paid for.
Seller_J2H5GprhaORbt
Hi
I am sorry
you agreed a 1 day delivery for the buyer
you chose to use a cheaper option ,
if the goods did not arrive on time ,
the buyer is entitled to return the whole order including a refund on all outgoing postage and return costs .
The very least a seller should do , if the buyer is willing to keep the item is to refund the difference between premium shipping and standard postage.
We as sellers are responsible for the contractors we use
Seller_LQdbIT3WV5PV5
I would refund them. You dont want negative feedback and it was delivered late. Carrier fault but as a seller amazon will still hold you liable.
Seller_J2H5GprhaORbt
Firstly by offering next day delivery , a seller will often get the buy box , whether Amazon offer or not.
I use to have bricks and mortar shops
that had large turnover , but could never hope to reach the customer base I have now
I have 4 times the sales than i had with Retail shops and ever expanding market places
but this also had the following: in Retail shops
Shop lifting
Damage to stock
Unsalable goods , due to the need to have products open , so customer could see the product , that would eventually become tatty
The 3 items above , easily out weigh the expense of refunding the odd postage , because as an Online retailer , we broke our delivery promise
Not forgetting to mention the shop has also got to be
more competitive on cheaper prices
has More staff
Rent and Rates to pay
And to answer 1 question
Buyers will pay for 1 day delivery , because they need the product the next day ,
maybe for a gift , or a funeral , or maybe they are doing some DIY
there are a whole multitude of reasons .
If as a seller you offer one day delivery and the buyer does not get that , you are totally reliable for that failure .
Up premium shipping and use a reliable courier
or offer 2 day shipping like others have said and the buyer gets a surprise
