Am I Reasonable on this Issue?

susiestar

Roll With It
I have a problem with an item I bought off of amazon.com marketplace. In the past I have been told by business owners that I am unreasonable, so I watn to know what y'all think. For the most part you are reasonable people and your opinion matters.

I searched for a large nasal pillow for husband's cpap machine. They run $20-$30 from places that only sell healthcare products. So I checked amazon and ebay, the way I usually do. I searched for the size I needed, and NOTHING in the seller's description said it wasn't that size. I figured since it came up in my search and said NOTHING about the size, though they make four different sizes, that it was the one I needed. I paid for it plus the shipping fee via paypal. In the comment section on paypal I put that I needed the LARGE size - there was NO place on amazon to put this.

It came and it is the SMALL size. They watn to charge me a restocking fee, only $1.25 but still, and another shipping fee ($5) plus have me pay to ship it back. If it isn't trackable they won't promise that they receive it. I have had other sellers say they didn't get something that they did receive (and foudn them on sellers forums bragging about this way to increase their income - which I put in their feedback so all could see it) and then refuse to send the correct product.

Given the 4 sizes available, either they plan to charge the higher price by having at least 75% of customers unsatisfied, plus and extra shipping fee, or they are idiots. Either way, I don't think I should have to pay another penny. I ahve asked for the right size, no more charges, and a return sticker that is postage paid to return this size. I am sure they will tell me I am unreasonable and that it is my fault. Just had too many companies try that.

Is it unreasonable for me to expect that they would send the right size the first time, and to expect them to fix this at no charge to me? Esp as I put the size needed on the paypal comments box? The only reason I paid with paypal was because I could put a size note there and couldn't if I used a credit card. The fee of $1.25 for restocking isn't much, but it irks me. Esp as even if I didn't put a size there the BEST probability that they would satisfy me as a customer is 25%. There are some simple calculations that put it at about 10%, but I doubt they would understand that (the number of people actually needing each size will not be evenly distributed among the 4 sizes, two will have the most demand and this lowers the probability that a certain size would be ordered. I have had too many math and stat classes, and spent WAYYYYYY too many hours over dinner conversations like this iwth a stat professor who helped create the major statistical software package for computers (SAS). So this koi gets stuck in my head. The one time he helped me with my algebra he had to go in and spend three hours with my teacher to explain it to her and she had a math degree and taught calculus! he was right, but..... WAY beyond 8th gr algebra, lol)

Anyway, am I being unrealistic or unreasonable to ask them to waive the fees and make this right?
 

Mattsmom277

Active Member
I would tell them it is not unreasonable for the following reasons: 1) They did not provide a section for sizing therefore seeing as they offer different sizes, how on earth did they expect one to order the correct size they need? Remedy: They need to add a size selection in their add to cart section with their orders. 2) You DID use the ONLY place available to you to put information into your order regarding size. The notes section is there via paypal for a reason: To leave a note of particulars to the person you transfer money to or purchase items from. You DID that, THEY failed to read the section. 3) When providing 4 different sizes of a product while NOT providing a selection option for a actual size, it is THEIR fault that they assume a size small for any customer and then it is ridiculous to be surprised that they provided a inaccurate size. 4) It should be their cost because you DID use the only option available to provide size selection. 5) The fact that extra charges are not high is NOT the point. The point IS that you provided a order and payment with specifications as to size. THEY dropped the ball. Therefore they MUST pay the return shipping fee to get the small size returned to them, waive a restocking fee as it is THEIR negligence at reviewing your order and payment details accurately, and send you the correct item at no cost to you. 6) Paypal allows ALL customers using their service to pay for goods online, to dispute payments and you have EVERY right to request paypal retrieve your payment from this seller and then the seller is welcome to send you a prepaid shipping sticker to return their item but there is NOTHING they can do if you ask paypal for the disputed payment back. AND you are within your write to log your experience on the amazon site under their review section. 7) Their best option is rectify their order system to ensure customer satisfaction without miscommunication in the future and in your particular case, make the situation right because without customers they have no business. The customer may not always be right but in this case, you DID provide all the information and THEY dropped the ball.

I have gotten a bee in my bonnet in the past over trivial charges when I knew it was blatantly wrong to be charged a fee, so I don't think its unreasonable. The principal for one is a reason I'd stand my ground. I would let them know that IF and WHEN they make this right at their expense, you will be happy to provide a review that reflects the initial error and their responsible rectification of the problem to ensure they met high customer satisfaction standards, but IF they do not make right THEIR mistake, the other option will appear in their review section and you WILL dispute the fee to paypal to get your money back.

I am a bit peeved with a seller on the same sight. I paid to have speakers shipped from California to here in northern Ontario Canada. They arrived and the quality is NOT what was advertised. I'd be better off putting a mp3 player in a cave to echo off the walls as a means of amplification. They were NOT as described and there was NOT mention on their site, or in my order, that they could provide an alternate if short on stock or that it wouldn't be necessarily exactly as pictured on the site. They were a total waste of money and the shipping cost a considerable amount since it went clear across the country AND I paid customs fees for it entering the country. They have so far refused to respond to my contact with them regarding this shoddy item that was NOT what I ordered (but did have the same product description and number as the site, meaning they intentionally used the description on the site to decieve customers and the picture could NOT have been the product that was actually for sale. I sent another email to the seller (a company/business, not a individual seller) and told them that they have 72 hours to get back to me with a response or the paypal payment transaction will be disputed and explained as I did above to you, what I would be putting on their review section and what I'd put there if and when they rectify the situation.

That's the wonder of programs like paypal. We finally can take the actions to get our money back from shoddy sellers with shoddy practices. I'm all for you making sure this company fixes this or you get your money back. It doesn't grow on trees and I'm tired of shoddy sellers getting rich off customers when they aren't providing what the customer expected. My money is important to me as i"m sure yours is to you. Go for it!
 

DaisyFace

Love me...Love me not
Susie--

I think you are being completely logical...it does seem like you should have been able to specify a size...

However - nothing in the description said anything about size one way or another.

And the problem is...you don't need to be anything special to sell items on Amazon. You can be a professional company - or you can be a person who resells surplus items picked up here and there.

So it really boils down to who is this seller? Is this a reputable dealer who routinely sells supplies for cpaps and oxygen equipment? Or is this some guy who came across a surplus of these little pillows and is trying to make a fast buck? Do you know for sure that they stock various sizes?

A reputable, professional company will want to make things right for you.

"Some guy" selling stuff will probably not be able to help you....and you may be best off just getting your money back.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Who are you dealing with...ebay or amazon? Personally I have never had a major problem with either of them where I needed to return anything but the only thing close was when a seller realized that I had won an auction and it was for a smaller size than she had said it was for. Like she said it was a 4t auction and the clothes were really 2t. That meant the clothes were not gonna work for me however I had won another of her auctions that was for a 4t auction. She was so very embarrassed and wanted to give me all my items free and return all my money. Honestly, it was one of those auctions where I got quite a few things for not a whole lot of money...like 10 outfits for 10 bucks plus maybe 6 bucks in shipping. I refused to let this woman lose that little bit of money. I told her just to keep the money she had got from me but she could just return my shipping costs. That would even me out just fine in my book. She was so thankful to me and I didnt write any negative stuff about her because she is just human. She also included two extra cute little dresses in my box that werent in the order.

I would try to talk to someone above and try to work through it nicely and say that all you want is the bigger pillow, not the smaller one. You dont want to return it,...just exchange it.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
All three above made perfect sense to me -

And it is always best to be nice when dealing with a site that can grade you. lol.

Never hurts to remind anyone of that.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Janet has a point. Maybe they will look at it differently if you tell them you would prefer to exchange it if possible instead of returning it for refund.

Do I think you're unreasonable? No. I wouldn't want to pay more money out for an item that I couldn't use, how ever small the amount. Especially since they had not provided a way for you to tell them the size you needed.

I have only bought offline once and that was via a major dept store. My kids do it often. As far as Ebay and such goes.......they pay close attention to both rating and customer satisfaction. No matter how good the deal they won't touch an item if both of those aren't sky high. So far they've been happy with whatever they bought.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
This was via amazon marketplace. When you look up and item and see the price and then new from:, used from: , it is the new from option that I chose. This is normally a great way to get a good price on something. I have used this often with no problem. In past transactions with other sellers I put a size note on the paypal form and got the size I needed. I also searched for the size I wanted, so not seeing a size wasn't a big concern - it has happened often and if they don't have the size they just return the $$.

This group has substantial sales, but considers ANY exchange to be a "return" and says the restocking fee applies. It is why I wanted to know if I was being reasonable. If it was an individual seller who just made a mistake then it would be no big deal. I have dealt with that via ebay and amazon marketplace and was always able to resolve things amicably except the one time I accidentally ordered from someone in china. I lost ten bucks on that one and it was a lesson learned. Now I only buy from US/Canada sellers unless it is an item from the UK or Australia that I am looking for.

I will let you know the outcome. thanks.
 

Marcie Mac

Just Plain Ole Tired
I don't know - am on the other side of the fence to everyone else. If you knew they came in 4 sizes, and there wasn't a size on the ad, you probably should have contacted them and clarified what size it was instead of assuming someone was going to read a note on the payment stub cause you know Murphy's Law always will come into play :)

Marcie
 

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
I shop on line ALL THE TIME from Amazon, B&N, clothing stores, outlets, overstocked, you name it, I've probably shopped there. I learned a long time ago that if there isn't a specific box to designate size, color, etc (to be very specific about what you're buying) I don't buy it and look elsewhere. I too got burned for return and restocking charges and that's why I'm much more careful now, especially when purchasing through Amazon because they are famous for this! I consider this a lesson learned, personally, as it's not happened to you specifically with Amazon before. There are many medical warehouses you can buy these pillows through-my sister does it. Also, Amazon has a number where you can call before placing your order to be certain it's been received correctly. Paypal and the Amazon order are processed separately. There is no way that Amazon received your special size instructions as the billing is completely separate from the order. Sorry this happened to you, but I doubt they will bend very much, maybe a little ( I once got them to email me two return labels!!). Good luck!
 

muttmeister

Well-Known Member
I certainly don't think you're being "unreasonable" but I'm not sure they are either. Since no size was listed, you didn't really know what you were getting and as far as the PayPal goes, although I use PayPal all the time, I'm not sure the company being paid always sees those notes. I'd just try to contact them and work it out.

What I've noticed lately is that fewer and fewer companies are going by the old adage that "The customer is always right." Now that I'm old I try really hard not to get on the "The world is going to hades in a hand basket" bandwagon but sometimes I'm there anyway.
 

klmno

Active Member
I agree with you, Susie, but with it being such a small amount of money I'd probably let it go and just pay it. I might never buy anything from that particalar company again though. (Not amazon but the one that actually makes and sells the product.)
 
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