Missing parcel from ebay

[beeza1]

I purchased an item from an eBay seller on the 5th December, I was given an estimated delivery of 8th to 12th December, as of Monday this week the 16th December I had not received the package, I checked ebay tracking which stated it was at the customer's hub and had not been collected by the courier.
As per ebay instructions I contacted the seller, I got a very curt reply saying the item was delivered on Sunday 8th December at 8:00 pm, on checking the tracking sure enough it showed item delivered, which it most certainly hasn't. The tracking details don't make sense either.
I was definitely home that evening and had been in since early afternoon.
I contacted the couriers and they are looking in to the issue, they advised me to contact the seller to discuss my options now, I assume either a replacement or a refund, to date my request has been ignored.
I've never had a problem like this before and any advice how to resolve it will be gratefully received.
Compliments of the season to all.

 

[Buzby]

If it shows as ‘delivered’ you’ll get nowhere with the eBay system as I found to my cost previously. Your only resol is to pursue the seller as it was they that engaged the courier and ask for a replacement.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Don't purchases made via eBay come with a 'guarantee' of some sort? For what it's potentially actually worth.

 

[Sun Chariot]

I purchased an item from an eBay seller on the 5th December, I was given an estimated delivery of 8th to 12th December, as of Monday this week the 16th December I had not received the package, I checked ebay tracking which stated it was at the customer's hub and had not been collected by the courier.
As per ebay instructions I contacted the seller, I got a very curt reply saying the item was delivered on Sunday 8th December at 8:00 pm, on checking the tracking sure enough it showed item delivered, which it most certainly hasn't. The tracking details don't make sense either.
I was definitely home that evening and had been in since early afternoon.
I contacted the couriers and they are looking in to the issue, they advised me to contact the seller to discuss my options now, I assume either a replacement or a refund, to date my request has been ignored.
I've never had a problem like this before and any advice how to resolve it will be gratefully received.
Compliments of the season to all.

I have had two occasions of non deliveries being marked (by the courier and therefore on eBay's information) as delivered.

Initially, open a dispute, selecting item not received. You can add the info, that you've posted here, into the dispute record.

If that doesn't resolve this, then pursue a refund through your payment provider (if you paid via PayPal or credit card).

 

[Buzby]

Don't purchases made via eBay come with a 'guarantee' of some sort? For what it's potentially actually worth.

Not if it is stated as ‘delivered’. Even if that means it could be delivered somewhere else! Looking at my last 15 purchase, 7 of them going back several weeks are showing as ‘Despatched’ but I’ve received them but either an error or scan failure doesn’t confirm delivery. The worst carrier for this is RM Tracked which is extremely flakey.

 

[Harpo]

We had a painfully similar experience with Amazon where DPD produced ‘proof of delivery’ - a picture of our packages outside another person’s house! Neither party would concede failure.

Royal Mail isn’t much better in simply dumping valuable items (e.g. an IPad) at the front door.

Where possible I now get ebay deliveries made to a local convenience store that needs a barcode from me to confirm receipt.

 

[jfollows]

I’ve always found Amazon OK, sometimes it’s a bit of a pain, when things aren’t delivered but say they are. Last one had a photo which I worked out was a neighbour. One before was totally the wrong thing addressed to me but no sign of the thing I ordered. Previously I had a can of paint in lieu of a >£400 hard disk drive, which they paid for me to send back to them. Sometimes their “help” sends you in circles and it’s a pain when the only option ends up being to return the thing you never got.

But eBay I’ve never had problems with, other than occasionally having to prod the sender. I think that’s generally because the normal post service works well in Wilmslow, which isn’t the case for increasingly many it seems.

 

[beeza1]

Opened a request with ebay yesterday afternoon.
Notified this morning ebay themselves, not the seller are issuing a full refund as a courtesy.
A good outcome for me, but I'm very disappointed with the inaction from the seller.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Glad you are getting your money back.
eBay I find generally protects buyers.
Sadly there will always be a very small minority of sellers and buyers who are not as helpful; and, just as sadly, a very small number of courier workers who mark item delivered but don't actually deliver it.

On the plus side, I've bought many, many hundreds of items, over 20+ years, and I have only had 2 occasions of items not arriving.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Make sure you give the seller a bad rating and feedback to warn other potential buyers.

 

[Darandio]

I purchased an item from an eBay seller on the 5th December, I was given an estimated delivery of 8th to 12th December, as of Monday this week the 16th December I had not received the package, I checked ebay tracking which stated it was at the customer's hub and had not been collected by the courier.
As per ebay instructions I contacted the seller, I got a very curt reply saying the item was delivered on Sunday 8th December at 8:00 pm, on checking the tracking sure enough it showed item delivered, which it most certainly hasn't. The tracking details don't make sense either.

This doesn't make much sense when initially reading it. Ebay tracking says it hadn't been collected then you say the tracking showed the item as delivered. Did the seller provide an alternative tracking number when contacted?

 

[Mr. SW]

Some years ago I had a temporary job in a call centre and had to deal with a 'delivered'/'undelivered' package. The courier had dropped the package at the wrong address and it had been signed for and frankly there was nothing I could do except re-order for the customer. I hope whoever it was pleased with their Yankee candles and soaps. Free Christmas presents. Result.

There was also other troubles with the couriers not driving up long unsurfaced country lanes, leaving packages on tops of wheelie bins on rubbish collection day and that occasional good old stalwart: theft (allegedly).

 

[Peter Mugridge]

and that occasional good old stalwart: theft (allegedly).

There is definitely an epidemic of parcel theft these days; only last month a persistent thief was arrested in my own road after having been active for well over a year and with multiple instances caught on film etc etc. He had basically been following the Amazon, DPD, everything, vans round in his own car and nicking parcels within a minute of them being left on the doorsteps.

Unless the delivery companies revert to requiring a proper signature like they did pre-virus, this will continue to happen everywhere. They might require legislation to force them to deliver properly...!!

 

[Ashley Hill]

I don’t like this drop on your doorstep delivery. Evri/Hermes are a classic example where stuff is dumped and photographed and left outside for all and sundry to pick up. Yes it’s been delivered but it’s your word against theirs if it’s gone missing or rain soaked. Ebay,Amazon must accept some liability if this is how their couriers operate.
We now try to have our stuff sent to a drop off point nearby where you need a code to collect.

 

[Trackman]

Opened a request with ebay yesterday afternoon.
Notified this morning ebay themselves, not the seller are issuing a full refund as a courtesy.
A good outcome for me, but I'm very disappointed with the inaction from the seller.

Great result, the lost package will probably turn up in a couple of days!

 

[londonbridge]

Luckily I’ve not had anything go missing, but I’ve had several instances of arriving home from work and finding packages dumped on the doorstep in full view from the road. In one case it wasn’t even mine as it was the same house number but the wrong street. Luckily the correct address was only about five minutes walk so I took it round and found the person it was intended for.

In one instance I had a text from Amazon saying my package had been delivered but when I got home it was on the doorstep. Tracking said “item was handed to resident”, which was a straight lie as no one was home. I complained but nothing came of it.

Where possible I now use the option of delivery to a locker or click and collect point, although even that doesn’t always work. I was waiting for an eBay package and was shopping in my local Sainsburys when a colleague I know spotted me and asked me to wait, saying “I’ve got something I think is yours”. She went off and came back with my package, the seller had written my name and the address of the shop but had forgotten to write “Argos in Sainsburys”!

 

[Ashley Hill]

In one instance I had a text from Amazon saying my package had been delivered but when I got home it was on the doorstep. Tracking said “item was handed to resident”, which was a straight lie as no one was home. I complained but nothing came of it.

Hermes we good at that.

 

[Temple Meads]

Where possible I now use the option of delivery to a locker or click and collect point, although even that doesn’t always work. I was waiting for an eBay package and was shopping in my local Sainsburys when a colleague I know spotted me and asked me to wait, saying “I’ve got something I think is yours”. She went off and came back with my package, the seller had written my name and the address of the shop but had forgotten to write “Argos in Sainsburys”!

I had an absolute nightmare with an eBay collection at Argos a few years ago, as the private seller had neglected to put the code on the parcel, so I had Royal Mail confirmation that the parcel had been delivered to the store, but no notification from eBay, and it only got resolved because of my persistence - I think I had to get eBay involved eventually. The staff in Argos were particularly unhelpful to start with. Haven't had any issues since then, but I tend to stick to business sellers with collection items now, or send the seller a message to request they put the exact address details given.

 

[johntea]

Amazon lost one of my packages the other day which was odd as it was part of the same order and the other half arrived fine, and it was a delivery to a locker which I would have thought would be easier

Went on their live chat and they just refunded it without a fuss and even advised me I could just keep the items too if they ended up turning up! (Although only a combined value of around £50)

 

[Harpo]

Collecting Argos orders in our Sainsburys is pretty poor and seems to be a huge inconvenience to their staff.

On Friday, I went to register and collect an Argos order in Sainsburys and later found an unattended package on the counter with my name on it.

After 5+ minutes of being ignored by two staff members I took the package and called over to tell them so - No interest!

 

[Mojo]

Royal Mail isn’t much better in simply dumping valuable items (e.g. an IPad) at the front door.

I was thinking the other day it was strange how Royal Mail are now much more lax about leaving parcels outside houses and how they never seem to make you go to the delivery office anymore like you used to; I then looked up and saw the public counter at my local office is now only open two hours a day from 8am-10am.

 

[jon0844]

I don’t like this drop on your doorstep delivery. Evri/Hermes are a classic example where stuff is dumped and photographed and left outside for all and sundry to pick up. Yes it’s been delivered but it’s your word against theirs if it’s gone missing or rain soaked. Ebay,Amazon must accept some liability if this is how their couriers operate.

They don't seem to care. Amazon has people always delivering stuff (or not - maybe they'll bring it later) and saying it was handed to resident. It wasn't, and I have the video every time to show it wasn't (including capturing them dropping it on the doorstep and maybe tapping the door and not the Amazon-made doorbell, or not doing anything at all) but Amazon doesn't make it easy to report. You can rate your delivery, but it doesn't let you properly report the issue.

And why would Amazon let you do that when they force drivers to drop a ridiculous number of packages, such the only way they can reach their target is to not wait on the doorstep or get caught up by talking to someone. If that's what Amazon wants, why even allow the courier to say 'handed to resident' given the problems you might have later proving you didn't take the package from the courier?

I was thinking the other day it was strange how Royal Mail are now much more lax about leaving parcels outside houses and how they never seem to make you go to the delivery office anymore like you used to; I then looked up and saw the public counter at my local office is now only open two hours a day from 8am-10am.

I had to register with Royal Mail to give clear instructions on a safe place before they would leave it, and they won't leave on my doorstep. Some parcels will be sent that they must get a signature and can't leave it even if you asked for that, or redirect it. I think some couriers sending phones for Currys MUST be delivered to a property and photographed being handed to the resident standing inside their home. No redirect, no giving to the neighbours, an actual REAL delivery made to the recipient. Might also apply to other high value goods. Amazon and other companies presumably don't bother with this nonsense as it all takes time!

 

[londonbridge]

As an aside to my earlier post regarding collecting from Argos, because the colleague had handed me the parcel I didn’t go to the counter and use the collection code to obtain it, so eBay had no record of it being delivered.

Royal Mail’s new delivery policy for signed items is that if no one accepts it on the first attempt, they will attempt to deliver again the following day. Only after the second attempt will they leave the while you were out card saying you can collect it from the sorting office. I sent one of my friends a Christmas gift using special delivery. Checking the tracking showed it as delivery attempted but no answer. When I checked again later it was showing as delivered so I assumed she’d collected it. Later she phoned me saying her neighbour had arrived home whilst the postman was making the second attempt and offered to take it in. When the postie said it was special delivery and needed a signature etc the neighbour phoned my friend, who spoke to the postman and authorised the neighbour to accept it, then she collected it from the neighbour when she got home.

And here’s today’s experience. I had another item on order from an online store and just managed to miss pre Christmas delivery, as I had an email from Royal Mail on Christmas Eve saying it was due for delivery today. Tracked 48 no signature. Back at work today on early so I went to “update delivery options” in the Royal Mail app and changed the delivery address to my local post office so that I could collect it on the way home. Got an email confirmation, went to work this morning, finished my shift, checked my emails and found the one saying your item has been delivered. Stopped at the post office on the way home, they couldn’t find it. Looked at the tracking, which showed it as delivered, along with a photo of the inside of my bin cupboard outside my house, which is where the postman had left it, and where I found it when I got home…..

 

[beeza1]

Just a quick update,
As stated previously package never arrived and I got a refund direct from Ebay.
I left negative feedback, nothing nasty, just stating the lack of help from the seller.
The negative feedback has disappeared from ebay, has anyone else experienced this?

 

[Ashley Hill]

I once left a negative product review on Amazon which disappeared.

 

[Buzby]

The negative feedback has disappeared from ebay, has anyone else experienced this?

Yes - if you get refunded any negative review is automatically removed. You should get an email explaining this.

 

[66701GBRF]

If the item is marked as delivered and there is proof to that effect there is very little the the seller can do. They could offer a replacement or a refund but they are not obliged to and from the sellers point of view you could be trying to scam them. The fact ebay as refunded you should not be taken as the seller being in the wrong, they often refund buyers as good will.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Yes - if you get refunded any negative review is automatically removed. You should get an email explaining this.

Ridiculous isn't it?! Although I can see the point as non-delivery is down to the courier, not the seller, there should be some way of seeing just how common or not non-delivery is.

Surely they can find a way of showing that the seller performed but the courier didn't?

 

[Ashley Hill]

There was a piece on our local BBC news about Evri. A lady in North Devon claimed that parcels that were shown as delivered by Evri had been found dumped in a field nearby and referred to other similar instances. After the BBC contacted Evri for information they apologised and offered £25 compensation to the lady and said they would speak to their agent.
IIRC from previous threads here that Evri (previously Hermes) do not have the best reputation. When ordering things off the internet would it be possible to ask the seller not to use Evri?

 

[Geswedey]

There was a piece on our local BBC news about Evri. A lady in North Devon claimed that parcels that were shown as delivered by Evri had been found dumped in a field nearby and referred to other similar instances. After the BBC contacted Evri for information they apologised and offered £25 compensation to the lady and said they would speak to their agent.
IIRC from previous threads here that Evri (previously Hermes) do not have the best reputation. When ordering things off the internet would it be possible to ask the seller not to use Evri?

I suggested to a seller once that they stopped using EVRI as parcels were just being dropped over our wall, they replied that using any other couriers would probably make their business unviable.