In addition to a persistent headache, I've been having issues with my allergies since Thursday. Yesterday was the worst. I was taking 2 Benadryl at a time AND Sudafed and still didn't get much relief. I even ended up taking a nap as soon as Johnny got off work...a combination of feeling like crap and the Benadryl making me tired. I'm feeling slightly better today...but having a hard time concentrating with my head being all foggy.
The earliest due date for my current orders is September 30th...so they're not overdue, yet. I was hoping to get the orders finished and out today, but I just couldn't get it all done before the last pick-up at the post office at 3pm. Every time I stood up, there was intense pressure in my head and then my nose would get stopped up again in addition to my arms and legs getting tired super easily...so it all really slowed me down. I got the sticker sheet and sticker orders cut tonight...but I still have the magnets to finish tomorrow. So while I'd hoped to get them out earlier, at least they'll go out on Monday.
I had my first experience of review extortion from a customer. She placed the order on September 8th and I shipped it via First Class Mail (regular letter mail) the following day. The tracing history for her order had a delivery update on September 15th. She sent me a message saying that she was home all day and they looked all around but nothing was delivered and she needed it for a birthday party that weekend. I sent her my "quick reply" because I get messages like this all the time. It explains that the order was sent in an envelope with her regular mail, so it isn't scanned delivered at her address like a package. The delivery update is only an estimate and it can take several days after to actually arrive. So far, I've never had one marked delivered that did not show up. So she said that she would wait until the weekend to see if it shows up.
She sent another message on Saturday the 20th saying that she wanted a refund because she was on her way to the party and claims that it still hadn't arrived. My policies state that I do not provide refunds for lost, delayed, or damaged orders...I only provide replacements (it reduces the occurrence of people trying to scam for free stuff). However, Etsy has a Purchase Protection Program (PPP) that will provide a full refund to customers if their orders are lost or delayed. Since her order was for the party she said she was getting ready to go to and she'd already requested a refund, I sent her the instructions for getting a refund from Etsy's PPP.
When she responded, she threatened to leave a negative review if I didn't just provide the refund myself...because she didn't feel like she should have to "go through hoops" and that sellers in the past have "always issued the refund." What I hear...is that she has a history of "not received" orders and getting refunds. Not to mention the "hoops" is nothing more than basically sending a message...which clearly wasn't difficult for her since she was messaging me.
But I responded to explain that my policy clearly states that I only provide replacements and that the entire purpose of Etsy's PPP is to refund customers in this situation. I also told her that I would be reporting her messages for extortion and provided Etsy's link that explains what extortion is.
She left a 1-star review saying that she didn't receive it and that I wouldn't issue a refund...after she'd already gotten her refund from Etsy. I responded to the review to explain the situation...including that she had already received her refund from Etsy's PPP. I'm not worried about her review considering it's only the second 1-star review I've received out of almost 800 reviews. But the following day she decided to message me again to say, "I never tried forcing you to do anything. I made a suggestion." Yeah...suggesting that she'll leave a negative review if I don't give her a refund is exactly what extortion is.
I let her know that once Etsy provided her refund, our transaction was complete...that and she is no longer my customer, so she needed to stop contacting me. She responded to say, "No worries. I've found a replacement and no intentions of doing business with you." But wait...I thought she needed it for the party that she was on her way out the door to the day before? Now suddenly a replacement is acceptable? Hmmm.
I have excellent customer service...but I'm not going to be bullied into giving someone a refund against my posted policies...especially when there is already an option to get a refund through Etsy's PPP. Any decent customer with a legitimate problem with their order isn't going to care who provides their refund, as long as they get a refund. There are so many sellers out there who will immediately give refunds just because they're hoping to avoid a bad review...even though that still doesn't mean that the customer won't leave a bad review.
I also make it very clear that orders with free standard shipping are sent via letter mail. It's in a listing photo, in the description, in my FAQ, and is reiterated in the email that the customer automatically receives after they make their purchase. I also make it clear that they do not have USPS tracking, but that I offer upgraded shipping options if they want tracking.
I've been really lucky, though. I've only had one other problem customer...and that was last month. That customer placed an order for 10 stickers on August 20th and they were shipped out August 21st (Thursday)...via First Class Mail which can take 1-5 business days in transit. She sent me a message on August 28th saying that she wanted a refund because she needed them by the 25th (Monday). So, again, I sent her the "quick reply" that has the information about how to file a case with the Etsy PPP (and my message is very polite and professional, because that's my customer service).
Her response, however, was to say that she can't open a case until the 30th, "so what good does that do me"? Um...well if you want a refund, that's the "good" it does you. I didn't say that, of course, but that's what I was thinking. Her message went on to say that it didn't arrive "in the delivery window" and "its location hasn't moved or been updated since August 22. It's obviously lost." So I politely responded to explain that the "tracking" is not actual USPS tracking...it's based on information decoded by Pitney Bowes from automatic sort machines and it's not always reliable...and mentioned that I do offer upgraded shipping with actual tracking. Then I went on to tell her that I don't provide refunds for lost or delayed orders, I only provide replacements...and that if she wanted a refund, she'd have to use Etsy's PPP. I also stated that I don't have a way to speed up Etsy's requirements for the PPP...that their instructions state that the case can be filed 48 hours after the help request is sent.
She responded--in all caps--that she needed them by the 25th and "they said they would arrive by then so I didn't feel the need to upgrade the shipping option." Oh boy. Here's how estimated delivery dates work: it's a range based on production time plus transit time. So the estimated delivery date range when she ordered was between August 25th-September 1st (1-3 business days in production and 1-5 business days in transit). My due date to send her order was August 25th (3 business days), but I sent it on the 22nd...the day after she ordered. So considering I didn't even have to mail the order until the day she claims to have needed them...yeah, she would've needed to spend $30 for Priority Mail Express which comes with a guaranteed delivery date of the 25th...AND send me a message to let me know about the urgency so I didn't wait until the 25th to send it.
Considering the absurdity of thinking that an order that doesn't even have to be sent until the 25th would arrive by the 25th AND her "outrage" at having to wait 2 more days to get a refund (when it was already 3 days after she claims to have needed it AND she actually waited 3 days to file for the refund)...I assume this was another scammer. I think she saw that the "tracking" wasn't updated (as it often is not, since it's not actual tracking) and saw it as an opportunity to get her $47 order for free. OH! And when she filed the case on September 1st, she said (in all caps) they were gifts to ask guys to be in her wedding and that, "her shipping said it would be here by the 25th and I asked the guys on the 28th." So she "needed" them by the 25th but she didn't need them until the 28th? Again...hmmm.
Those are the only two problem customers I've had...and I made a private note in their orders not to do business with them anymore at all. I've had a couple customers get snippy with me before, but it wasn't too bad and it was fleeting. I totally understand that people can get frustrated...I mean, I get that way myself at times. So that's no big deal to me and I don't take it personally. I'm just thankful for the hundreds of customers I've had who have been so wonderful. :) They really make it worth it.
Aside from my unusually busy July and August, my September revenue is already higher than each of the first six months of the year. And as of the end of today, I have 3140 sales in my CandiMakerStickers shop. As long as I get an average of 120 sales each month, I should hit my goal of 3500 sales in that shop by the end of the year. :)