Knock Knock- Who Is There - Hopefully Karma

I want to share a story with you. My wife has an Etsy store in which she sales her new duplicate mounted and unmounted rubber stamps for the use in creating craft related art. Recently we had a new customer buy 4 stamps...2 unmounted and 2 wood mounted. Because of the combined weight of the stamps, I shipped them out in a Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope. The customer declined having the shipment insured. This customers bill came to over $35.00, which was promptly paid via PayPal. A couple of weeks after the shipment was mailed out, my wife received an email from the customer...this was the 1st of many emails that went back and forth between my wife, the custumer and myself. In this email the customer stated that she received only one stamp in an opened envelope about a week earlier and wanted to know when the others were to be shipped. When we asked about the shipping envelope, the customer wrote that the envelope was partially opened upon arrival and that she thought that her husband had opened the shipping envelope. The customer had thrown the envelope out so there was no proof that the envelope had been opened when it got there. I know that the envelope was securely closed because I used extra shipping tape on it. As the emails went back and forth, this customers story changed. My last email to her explained that I personally packaged all of the stamps in the Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope and that she should have held onto the shipping package so that she could have taken it to the Post office to show them how she received it and try to get some sort of explanation as to what happened. I reminded the customer that she had declined insurance on the shipment and there was not much that we could do at this point in time. This customer wanted us to ship the 3 stamps again, that she claimed she did not receive. Because her story kept changing in her various emails. I was unwilling to do that. A couple of hours later, we found out that a hold was placed on my wife's PayPal account because this customer filed a claim for the complete amount of her purchase along with the shipping charges. My wife called PayPal and was told that this customer claimed that she had not received the shipment at all. My wife told the person at PayPal about the emails that we received where the customer stated that she did receive a shipment that included the one stamp in it and that the shipping package was damaged upon its arrival. PayPal told my wife that if we did not have proof that we mailed the stamps, something in the form of a receipt or delivery confirmation, there was nothing that they would do other than refund the customer her money. All of the emails, with the changing of the customers story included in them, were of no use and PayPal would not accept them. In the end, the customer got at least one of the rubber stamps( I use the words "at least" loosely) and she got a complete refund.
My wife and I consider ourselves to be very honest people and I really find it hard to see how people can go through life acting in this fashion and no, I don't see life through rose colored glasses. It is a shame that there are people out there that will do anything they can to get something for nothing.....lie, cheat, scam...etc. I have many feelings towards these type of people but most of all, I hope that good ole Karma comes around and provides them with just a small dose of what they truly deserve. Oh hell...who am I kidding...make that a LARGE dose of what they truly deserve. With all of this said, I now would like to return you to our regular programming......

8 comments:

Mistress of My Domain said...

It's so disappointing when people scam honest people like that!! I used to be a travel counselor and a friend of mine who did a great deal of business traveling once confided in me that he had called his travel agent at the last minute and asked where his wife's airline ticket was. He accused the agent of forgetting to book his wife on the trip. In reality he never booked his wife but they decided at the last minute that she should join him. By being pushy, rude and accusatory the poor travel agent was forced to book a trip for the wife at the last minute for FREE. I was so angry that he could be so dishonest and lack integrity that I never saw him the same way again! He thought he was being oh so clever. Thanks for sharing your story and I hope you never have to deal with that sort of thing again, unfortunately we have to learn to think like dishonest people in order to protect ourselves from being scanned...it's hard to think that way.

Helena said...

Unbelievable. That shows how careful you have to be even if you start just a small company. Mail thefts are actually quite common even here in Finland I've heard. Usually the blame is the personnel.

But even bank personnel can be unreliable: I remember when I got a safe deposit box and they gave me just one key. Then they gave the other key to a new customer by accident (because they thought the box was empty) but luckily the customer told them that there was already something in the box. So the bank clerk went and opened my sealed envelopes there! And only after that they contacted me. Outrageous.

Toni said...

OK, but WTF was she going to do with two of each of those stamps except maybe sell the duplicate herself? And now she's gotten her money back. & at least one (we know it's four) stamps free? wanker. She knows what she did; she'll know when karma puts a Universe Size 11 foot up her game-playing keister!

Motor-head Lady said...

Oh, I know just how you feel! I have an Ebay store and I ship worldwide. I state in all my auctions that I advise buying insurance as I will not be held responsible for lost or damaged packages. Well my little disclaimer means nothing to PayPal!

A woman in Japan bought a skirt, I sent it, I undercharged for shipping, she said she never received the skirt and Paypal did the exact same thing to me!

I lost money on shipping, on the merchandise and she now has the skirt and her money back!

Grrrrrrrrr.
But, I firmly believe that what goes around comes around....I'm certain the skirt looks terrible on her!

The Lady

Pretty Things said...

Paypal confuses me. I sent them pictures and a VIDEO of me opening a box that was EMPTY, with none of my $150 worth of stuff in it, and because it had delivery confirmation from the "seller", I was out of luck.

(shakes head)

Claire said...

I love the post title, very clever.

Thank you for leaving me a comment on my page too, very considerate (I changed my blog name but I commented you nonetheless).

I must say I very much enjoy reading your blogs, and your writing is very smooth and interesting to read of. Wow, I cannot believe that lady did that. Some people these days... It just shows what the world is like these days. Let that woman get her stamps. Her guilty conscience will come to bite her in the butt. We just have to accept the fact that there will always be people like that in this world, and when we face them and handle the situation maintaining OUR integrity, that's all that matters in the end, right?

Anyways, just saying hi, and thank you for another wonderful blog full of wisdom. :)

♥ Kathy said...

Oh I totally agree with you..that is pathetic! I can't believe that people can be so pitiful and dishonest. I'm sorry this happened to y'all and I hope it doesn't stop your wife from doing what she loves.

Anonymous said...

This is so sad. People can be dishonest sometimes...

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