Importance of customer service and communication

[Bazinga]

A little tip for those that are always looking for a bargain.

Being rather annoyed at ebay and its moderation at this time and while searching for a blood pressure monitor I found a site that was a good 25% cheaper then the cheapest I could locate on ebay. Crazysales.com.au  had just what I wanted and while showing my daughter who also is a big ebay customer she spotted an Oz flag that she wanted for her x nam vet neighbor who’s flag is looking rather tatty at this time.

Joined 12-10-09 8:23pm via check out
Order confimed  12-10-09 8:34pm

Order updated as paid and sending 12-10-09 8:36pm paid paypal with existing funds

Trackiong details received 14-10-09 am

Item received 15-10-09 reg post

 all great and very happy, open package and flag is missing, not happy and this is where things go wrong.

Sent email 15-10 no reply

Sent another 16-10 no reply

Sent another this morning advising of my disappointment

Postie comes and I have a flag in a large envelope

Have to write yet another email advising all is OK now.

The lack of communication over such a low value item has taken the joy out of this transaction totally.

A simple reply to my first email  of sorry for error and flag is being sent would have had me as a 100% happy customer.

So sellers remember that a small thing like replying to a complaint is as important as fixing the problem.

Will I buy from them again, yes after checking to compare ebay prices.


 

[*Ubbie Max*]

Interesting Hawk. Are you saying that the buyer originally sent an empty package or did the flag fall out & was found by the postal people? I suspect you were originally sent an empty package, am I right?

[Bazinga]

The BP monitor turned up by registered mail but no sign of the flag.

The flag turned up this morning in a AP large envelope.

They have decided its time to reply to last weeks email and advised that the flag was sent seperate and delivery time can vary

What I didnt understand was the items display in checkout and delivery as one package, no indication they were being shipped as individual item, it sounds strange  to me that two items orded at the same time and paid for together would be shipped seperately.

I now have evey thing I ordered.

My only complaint was about poor communication

[Bazinga]

Ok on refection

First point
I would like to make is that I went looking for an alternative to buying on Ebay because I am  pissed off with their poor moderation and unfair treatment of posters.

I wonder how many other people feel the same way and now no longer buy or sell on Ebay because of this?

Has this got more to do with poor sales than the economic crisis, considering it doesn’t seem to be affecting many other businesses?

Second point
Letting you all know of an alternative place to buy from or compare prices to

Third and most important point

Communicate with your customers, a quick reply to my initial inquiry as to where my second item was would have avoided a lot of frustration.
Even better would have been to show items separate with separate shipping information to avoid the impression an item had been forgotten.

Did I say this is because of ebays unfair treatment of posters?
I hope they think keeping a certain power seller happy is worth the lost sales and many unhappy members.

[*CountessA*]

Alternatives to eBay abound if you're looking for sellers' websites, and often you can find things more easily there, with the process being better and the seller happy to do business with his buyers.

I agree that good communication is a must.

If an error is made, or if something goes wrong, sellers must put themselves in the position of the buyer. The buyer will probably be worried or concerned, and it doesn't take much (just a quick email) to reassure the buyer that the communication's been received and the problem is being investigated for quick resolution.

[Bazinga]

Alternatives to eBay abound if you're looking for sellers' websites, and often you can find things more easily there, with the process being better and the seller happy to do business with his buyers.

I imagine a lot of ebay sellers that feel they have been unfairly treated or just plain riped off due to ebay's ever increasing fees adding to costs have opened their own sites over the years, I understand even deals direct were a ebay seller to start with

[*Yibida*]

Alternatives to eBay abound if you're looking for sellers' websites, and often you can find things more easily there, with the process being better and the seller happy to do business with his buyers.

I imagine a lot of ebay sellers that feel they have been unfairly treated or just plain riped off due to ebay's ever increasing fees adding to costs have opened their own sites over the years, I understand even deals direct were a ebay seller to start with

And before that Hawk I think deals direct were from memory Sales.com ?..auction site?..memory is really fuzzy now...

[*CountessA*]

Do you know... just slightly on another subject... I find it incredibly annoying that when I'm looking for particular titles or items in Google, eBay listings (even closed ones) are consistently appearing higher in the results than legitimate sites selling those titles or items?

I will now not even click onto those search results leading to eBay.

[*Yibida*]

Do you know... just slightly on another subject... I find it incredibly annoying that when I'm looking for particular titles or items in Google, eBay listings (even closed ones) are consistently appearing higher in the results than legitimate sites selling those titles or items?

I will now not even click onto those search results leading to eBay.

Thats not new countess...I've had the same problem as you for a very long time...Ebay spam is what it is, and to make it worse some auctions have finished or just goes to a general page and you have to sift through it all to find the item that is sort !....

[Bazinga]

Do you know... just slightly on another subject... I find it incredibly annoying that when I'm looking for particular titles or items in Google, eBay listings (even closed ones) are consistently appearing higher in the results than legitimate sites selling those titles or items?

I will now not even click onto those search results leading to eBay.

Yes that is an ongoing problem, it did seem to get better for awhile but I think its desperation on ebays part to try to reclaim some buyers to the site.

The manipulation of google search I believe can be achieved on a couple of levels including paying for advertising on google and they bump the results.