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All day jazz and biscuits
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: NJ
Posts: 7,354
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Some of you seem entertained by my interactions with customers in my shop. I have been having an email correspondence with a customer in California about the fact that I am not personally delivering his CD he ordered from us. Basically, he's upset it isn't there yet. I thought you guys might get a laugh from the way I've been dealing with this. My girlfriend and the owner of the shop both think I'm nuts but I find this all too much fun. I'll post in descending order the back and forth...
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When an I going to see this? This order is from 12/21, as of 1/3 there is no information from USPS tracking, you need to contact them and let me know if you are going to get the package to me or provide a refund.
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Brian,
Hi. How's it going?
I am not the United States Post Office.
You paid for media mail. We shipped it media mail. Media mail is the slowest...most agonizingly slow...egregiously slow service that the USPS provides.
I recently just received a package I ordered on December 4th. That's over a month. I also got a package in three days from across the country. USPS, because of Covid and the holidays and the fact that they're understaffed...is a mess.
Be patient. There's literally nothing I can do or ask of the USPS to get your CD to you faster. Literally nothing. I can call and they will laugh at me.
Here's what it says on USPS website...
"ALERT: USPS IS EXPERIENCING UNPRECEDENTED VOLUME INCREASES AND LIMITED EMPLOYEE AVAILABILITY DUE TO THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19. WE APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE."
See that part at the end? That's the important part. Follow that part.
I bet you get your package soon as USPS is starting to pick up as far as getting their **** together goes.
But, yeah, be patient. Next time, pay for priority.
Thanks.
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He responds.
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On the same day I made the order with you I ordered a CD from someone else in NYC, he charged $4.50 for 1st class mail and I received my order within days. So it appears I paid you more for an inferior service, you need to revamp your business model and recognize that delivering your products in a timely matter at a reasonable cost is an important aspect of customer service.
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He then leaves me bad feedback on our site...which I guess I sort of deserved, but since I don't care about that sort of thing, I decided to keep going.
Here's the bad feedback he left by the way.
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I placed an order on 12/23 the same day I ordered a CD from another vendor in the same area and the same day. That vendor charged me $4.50 for 1st class mail, I received my CD promptly. The charge here was $5 for media mail, I still don’t have the CD
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My public response to the feedback...
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Buyer chose and paid for media mail and is upset with USPS. We are not USPS.
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...and my private messages back to him.
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Hi Brian,
You seem to still think we are the USPS. I'll reiterate one more time for you that we are not...in fact...USPS.
You agreed to USPS media mail when you placed your order with us. You literally chose it. We shipped your package within 48 hrs. Once a package leaves our hands, it's quite literally...out of our hands.
Who would you like me to call? Should I call our origin office? Sure. I'll give them the tracking number and they're say as of Jan 3rd it's in transit and to be patient. Then they'll hang up on me.
Lets review this...
1. You place an order and choose media mail (we have a priority option available that you chose to ignore by the way).
2. We ship your order within 48hrs using USPS.
3. USPS is historically backed up due to Covid and holidays.
4. You seem to think that another order...through another seller...is somehow supposed to be the same.
This isn't Amazon. We all use USPS. USPS is wildly inconsistent. If you were upset with the shipping fee, you could have reached out.
I sent your negative feedback for review since, again, we aren't the USPS and can't control the length of time it takes for media mail to reach its destination during a pandemic.
I'd honestly suggest removing the negative feedback but it'll be removed either way by Discogs. Perhaps you should shop on Amazon where you can get a better idea of when and where your package is because us sellers have no actual recourse when our buyer voluntarily choose the cheapest uninsured way of shipping there is.
Again, next time, ship priority. We did everything that was asked. Perhaps next time I'll just take a flight with your CD on my lap and deliver it in person.
Have a good one Brian.
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He responds.
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Again i repeat the other vender charged me less and shipped regular first class mail and I received me package in short order. If he can do that why can't you? Why should I pay you $20 dollars to get the same service I got for $4.50? The problem is your poor choice by using the book rate to save money and trying to blame the USPS when it takes forever to get the package. If you had shipped first class and charged $5.00 for that there would not be an issue. Instead you charge $20 for priority mail which is purely profiteering and then try to shift the blame on me for not letting you rip me off. I'm not impressed by your finger pointing and excuses, the problem lies at your feet.
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I then realize that I actually sent this guy his CD via first class mail. An oversight by my end but only in my reaction because it actually helps my point that he's a bozo and that USPS is what it is. My response.
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You know what, I apologize, I just took a hard look at your tracking.
We sent this First Class.
I guess that puts a bit of a stick in your theory huh? Fact of the matter is that huge swaths of USPS packages are getting stuck in trucks and loading docks because distro centers keep getting hit with Covid. Your package arrives in Jersey City on January 3rd and on the same day they shut down a wing because somebody gets Covid...bam...your package is delayed. I've had packages go to Denver for two weeks before going to Florida and I'm sending out of the Northeast. There is ZERO rhyme or reason to how quick or how slow your package gets to you.
You can choose to believe what I'm saying or not...also, you agreed to our shipping terms when you checked out. You didn't ask for First Class or reduced postage. I'm not price gouging 50cents. We use sturdy packaging. We charge what we charge. It's $5 which is industry standard on this website. I see you've barely been on this site. In fact, you joined when you placed your order with us. $5 shipping is a standard fair price and if you had reached out beforehand, asked for first class at a reduced rate, I would have given it to you. But, you didn't. You placed your order, agreed to our terms and shipping charge, and are now complaining about something that is...again OUT OF OUR CONTROL.
I CAN'T MAKE THE MAIL GO FASTER.
Again, apologies for my ONLY error in stating we shipped this to you media mail. We in fact shipped this to you first class but the entire state of the USPS is in shambles still and hundreds of thousands of delays are occurring and you're just going to have to join the rest of us in BEING PATIENT.
I'm not pointing fingers. I'm simply stating that I don't work for the postal service. I shipped your item within 48 hours. I don't know what extent you think my reach extends after I hand a package over to a USPS worker and say "Hi, please send this across the country please. Thanks".
You want your 50 cent refund? I'll send you 50 cents right now.
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I refunded him the 50 cents.
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There you go, friend. I have now price matched the other sellers first class postage. As for the travel time, well, again, I can call up my local PO and ask him where your package is but it's common knowledge that those desk clerks have the exact same access to tracking information as we do. Here's an example of the conversation that will take place.
"Hi, where's this impatient mans package?"
"ALERT: USPS IS EXPERIENCING UNPRECEDENTED VOLUME INCREASES AND LIMITED EMPLOYEE AVAILABILITY DUE TO THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19. WE APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE."
"Thanks USPS worker who is exhausted!"
Be more of a patient person dude.
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I guess he decided to call USPS and shot back at me with this...
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OK I did your job for you and went to USPS to inquire about this shipment, the last they heard of it was on 12/24 in Flushing NY. I will give this 30 days (01/24) for this to arrive, if it does not I expect some customer satisfaction, either a replacement (which I doubt you have) or a refund and you can deal with USPS about making a claim to recoup your loss.
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Here's my most recent message back to him...
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Brian,
I provided tracking for you. Have you clicked it? I'll transcribe for you...
January 3, 2021
In Transit, Arriving Late
Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility.
December 30, 2020, 12:21 am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
QUEENS NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER
December 24, 2020, 2:11 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
QUEENS NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER
That's what's available to me. Seems I have ore info by clicking a simple link I provided than the USPS does. Go figure. Told you they were swamped and exhausted. By your assumed rules I would say that we have a 30 day window starting from December 30th instead of the 24th since it was last scanned leaving Flushing, Queens on the 30th. I'd say January 30th would be a fair date for the next step.
I can almost assure you that you'll be getting your CD before that date since it was tracked moving within the system on Jan 3rd per the tracking number I provided. I can virtually guarantee that you get your package in the end. I have never, and I repeat, NEVER lost a package. They ALWAYS show up unless you got some porch pirates where you live.
So we'll just have to wait until the 30th to see what happens.
Say, let's hypothetically USPS delays even further and you end up getting your package after Jan 30th...would I have your word that you would re-pay for your item after a refund? I certainly will be checking the tracking number every chance I get because, frankly, I'm heavily invested in this ordeal at this point. I'm curious to your thoughts on the matter. You know, since it's been agreed that I sent your package the same exact way as this "other vendor" you speak of and even price matched his postage fee.
Perhaps I'm not so crazy after all and that my claims that the USPS is wildly inconsistent and backed up seem to be making sense.
By the way, and this is just a personal anecdote...
I recently spoke to a mutual friend who works for the USPS in Ashville, NC. He has worked 12 hour shifts every single day since New Years because with Covid/Holidays/Understaffing, all of which is highlighted on the website of the USPS warning as occurring within the department, and his branch is still THREE WEEKS behind. As in, they have three weeks worth of arrivals to sort and move on to their final desinations.
Just an anecdote, believe it or not.
Ain't that just a hoot Brian?
Looking forward to your next correspondence.
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I'm having a lot of fun with this one. I'll update as this continues.
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LastFM
SUPREME POO BAH MODERATOR EXTRAORDINAIRE
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01-13-2021, 04:10 PM
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