Question for the Californians

I've been selling a load of masks on eBay in the pre-Halloween rush, and the last batch went out overnight mail yesterday. Well, the three going to California (LA, Irvine and Sunnyvale) didn't get there on time. Has there been a delay with your mail? I mean, isn;t a quarter of the state on FIRE? People are griping and demanding their money back; I mailed them in time, it's the Post Office's delay, not mine!

Grrrrrr!!!!

Irvine and here in Los Angeles may be affected, but Sunnyvale is up in Northern California. I don't know what's going on with the post office. It took more than 20 days for a package to get to me. It seems like the Post Office is getting really lax about things.

Its not just California. I get calls, all of the time, from customers whose statements don't get to them and payments that don't get to us.

Sometimes, it takes longer for something to go across town, than it does, across country. Shell mailed a package, from Nebraska and it took 6 days, to get to AZ. I could have DRIVEN to Nebraska and back, in that time!

Several years ago, I mailed 2 postcards from Kentucky to my sisters in Minnesota - dropped them into the same mailbox at exactly the same time, and they were going to the exact same address. One got hers in 2 days, the other didn't get hers for 10 days.

I am so mad, people are threatening to leave me negative feedback on eBay when I MAILED them packages on time! How can I be responsible for the Post Office's delays?

Sue, do you use priority mail?

For one of them, yes, but one others that were late in arriving, I used USPS Express (overnight) mail. I was told at the post office the packages would arrive by noon yesterday, and they never got there at all yesterday. So several people didn't get the mask for their costume on time.

If you used Priority Mail, don't you get some type of compensation from the Post Office if the package isn't delivered on time? IN the interest of maintaining your reputable status on eBay, I might consider refunding these folks, or at least explaining what happened.

I've offered refunds if the box is sent back unopened, but people are still threatening me with negative feedback, because they didn't get it on time. Despite the fact that I am bending over backwards to make things right with them!

I had one guy tell me I was "stupid" for using the US mail, that I should have used UPS pr FedEx. It states very clearly in my auctions that I ship USPS priority or express mail.

Originally posted by Mom of 10 Cats
I've offered refunds if the box is sent back unopened, but people are still threatening me with negative feedback, because they didn't get it on time. Despite the fact that I am bending over backwards to make things right with them!

I had one guy tell me I was "stupid" for using the US mail, that I should have used UPS pr FedEx. It states very clearly in my auctions that I ship USPS priority or express mail.

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Sue, I have come to the conclusion that most folks are illiterate (selectively)! They don't pay attention to things like that when they are reading and bidding. If they leave you negative feedback, e-bay gives you the opportunity to reply to it. It still leaves a mark, but most of us who are serious e-bayers check out the "why's" behind neg. feedback, and if there is a good reason, i.e. postal service, we tend to overlook it.
Good luck !

OMG Sue! So sorry! Grrrr some people.

I guess I'm a little curious as to why people are ordering masks for Halloween the day before?!? If I was going to do that, I would contact the seller to see if it would be guaranteed to reach me on time. And I would assume you would say you couldn't guarantee it, but the post office claims it will get there on time. Then I would be left to make the decision as to whether to risk it or not.

((Warning...small rant coming up...))

It's this whole mentality of I should be able to do anything I want any time I want in this country, and if things don't go exactly my way, well, somebody else is to blame. Angry indignation, coupled with an overwhelming sense of entitlement, seems to be the attitude I encounter most often these days. And I am sick of it!

((OK, thanks for letting me get that off my chest))

With the massive fires in California right now, I'm guessing that is causing rippling logjams in the postal system. It wouldn't surprise me AT ALL if the mail was taking longer than usual in California. When the anthrax mailings were happening, I expected my mail to take a lot longer, even if I sent something priority. It's just COMMON SENSE, which some people refuse to use.

So, you have offered a refund to these people, and they are still threatening you with bad feedback. What else is there that you can do? Unless, of course, you are God and have the ability to turn back the clock again a few days. And if you are God, I'd love to have coffee with you and wax philosophical for a few hours...

If you don't happen to be the Supreme Being, maybe you could hit them with the old 'What is it that you would like me to do?' Delivered with as much sincerity as you can muster up. Sometimes when you politely throw the ball into their court, they can figure out that there really isn't anything that you CAN do about this anymore, other than promptly refunding their money, which you have already offered.

Originally posted by Suzy
I guess I'm a little curious as to why people are ordering masks for Halloween the day before?!? If I was going to do that, I would contact the seller to see if it would be guaranteed to reach me on time. And I would assume you would say you couldn't guarantee it, but the post office claims it will get there on time. Then I would be left to make the decision as to whether to risk it or not.

((Warning...small rant coming up...))

It's this whole mentality of I should be able to do anything I want any time I want in this country, and if things don't go exactly my way, well, somebody else is to blame. Angry indignation, coupled with an overwhelming sense of entitlement, seems to be the attitude I encounter most often these days. And I am sick of it!

((OK, thanks for letting me get that off my chest))

With the massive fires in California right now, I'm guessing that is causing rippling logjams in the postal system. It wouldn't surprise me AT ALL if the mail was taking longer than usual in California. When the anthrax mailings were happening, I expected my mail to take a lot longer, even if I sent something priority. It's just COMMON SENSE, which some people refuse to use.

So, you have offered a refund to these people, and they are still threatening you with bad feedback. What else is there that you can do? Unless, of course, you are God and have the ability to turn back the clock again a few days. And if you are God, I'd love to have coffee with you and wax philosophical for a few hours...

If you don't happen to be the Supreme Being, maybe you could hit them with the old 'What is it that you would like me to do?' Delivered with as much sincerity as you can muster up. Sometimes when you politely throw the ball into their court, they can figure out that there really isn't anything that you CAN do about this anymore, other than promptly refunding their money, which you have already offered.

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LOL, you sound like you've been spying in my head! The refunds have been offered (and made, in the one case where it was accepted); the other person sent me a very condescending email "Well, little girl, did you learn a lesson here?"-EXACT QUOTE!!!! It took all my self control not to tell him to go take a flying one, and feedback be damned!

I did find out that I am eligible for a full refund from the USPS for the shipping costs. So that is a good thing!

"Well, little girl, did you learn a lesson here?"-EXACT QUOTE!!!!

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I know. I saw that when I first got up, he was lucky he wasn't here in person to face the wrath of Sue Without Caffeine In Her System! It would NOT have been a pretty sight!

Tybalt says I should tell him where to go and how to get there, and to h*ll with the feedback. I haven't replied yet, still thinking of how I want to go about that.

It would be very tempting to tell him off, but he is obviously a condescending #*&@#*^ (insert your own expletive here), and it's probably not worth it. Especially since he would most likely post your responses in your feedback, and could end up making you look bad.

Of course, you know that.

Taking the high road bites sometimes, doesn't it?

Oh Sue I'm sorry, that really sucks!! I live near Sunnyvale and that's odd, I have received packages usually in a couple days.

I hope they didnt mess up your feedback too bad

Whenever you order something via mail order, things can go wrong. The shipper can only do so much. The rest of it is up to the Post Office. If this man was so concerned about getting his mask on time for Halloween, he should have ordered sooner.

USPS Express Mail is not always overnight. When I ship to WY I can only get 2 day confirmation. Always check with them because if it was in central CA they may only guarantee 2 day there too.

If the mail had to go through POs in the fire regions (mostly southern CA) then yes, it could have been delayed 2-4 days.

I'm getting a refund on both from the post office, they did note on the reciept just what they had told me: delivery next day by noon, and there wasn't even an attempted delivery for 48 hrs. So I am refunding shipping costs to those buyers.