Big time milkshakes for the jerk I bought an old Performa 550 from on eBay. The computer finally arrived on Monday and it was broken. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it and agreed to take care of the insurance claim with the Post Office myself. Except that didn't go smoothly. So I emailed the guy this afternoon and said this:
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A couple of problems.
First, the Post Office said that the shipping label only shows that there was Delivery Confirmation. It doesn't have anything saying that there was insurance on the package so they will need a copy of a receipt showing that insurance was purchased on this shipment.
Second, even with proof of insurance, they said that the item was not adequately packaged and, therefore, any insurance claim would be denied.
Two hours later, I get the following:
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So I guess nothing we do, will get your post office to pay off? They are pulling a con job, the item was Double boxed!!! Please, why don't you let me in on the details.. how exactly is it all busted up? You have NEVER TOLD ME AS IF THAT IS UNIMPORTANT. is there damage to the box in anyway? and most of all SEND ME THOSE PHOTOS>. you got to understand that there is no way one can adequately protect a monitor from a drop. I have shipped and received many monitors, there is no packaging strong enough to protect it from being dropped. With your computer double boxing should be more than adequate packaging to move it, unless it is dropped. So most important is photo the outside of the box that lines up with any damage on the computer. Understand that its not my fault if I can prove it was boxed correctly. We did take several close out photos showing the double boxing.
Was the item STILL IN A DOUBLE BOX????? i have asked this question a few times and you so far have not said a single word about how what or where the computer is damaged!!!!
Plus this is the first time you have said the item was not adequately packaged. Do you believe that? Or do you think the item was dropped. Its funny you didn't s
The reason I sound a bit upset by all this is I KNOW THE CONDITION OF THE ITEM AS IT WAS BEING PACKAGED. I know the was 100% good condition with not a mark on it. I have photos of such. Plus I know I double boxed it. So the only way, it was damaged was after it was shipped from here and it being double boxed there is no way it was get a minor bump that would travel through both boxes.. The boxes would should some kind of damage. If the boxes are perfect without a scratch and the item is deeply damaged inside then it was removed plain and simple and then damaged.
Please send photos. and explain how exactly the item is damaged.
It is not out of line for me to ask these questions
Now, this did nothing but piss me off. I was already convinced the guy was a douchebag but this just went too far. This is one of those people-in-glass-houses situations as you will see from my final response:
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Here are the details:
I received the box on Monday afternoon and opened it. Yes, it was double-boxed. I opened the top and saw that the case was broken. I did not have time to inspect it in detail as I was late for an appointment. Rather than delay, I sent you an email from my phone to inform you that the item was damaged. My description of the damage at that time, that it was, "smashed to pieces," was an overstatement based on a quick glimpse of the contents. When I returned home I was able to see that, in actuality, it was broken into two large pieces (as far as I was able to discern without removing it from the box). This break was along the seam of the case. The parts of the case where the screws hold the two halves of the case together had snapped. I chose not to disturb the contents by removing the item. I did take two photos. I will attach those photos to this email.
Per your instructions and those posted on the USPS website, I completed an online claim form. I submitted PDFs of the relevant email messages listing the auction total, the PayPal receipt and the shipping confirmation. I also included a photo of the damage. I then did as the site instructed and printed out a copy of the claim summary and brought it along with the package to the post office. The post office clerk pointed out that the computer itself was, width and depth-wise, the same size as the packaging and that there was no padding at all on the sides between the the computer and the box. In spite of it being double-boxed, they indicated that two layers of cardboard is not considered sufficient protection.
Now, as for your other comments... you need to calm down and start communicating in a more professional manner. I have reviewed all emails from you since I reported the damage on Monday evening. You did not, at any time, ask me if the item was still in a double box. Abrasive accusations implying that I am withholding information because I failed to answer questions that had yet to be asked are not welcome.
You are correct in that I made no statements to you regarding the quality of the packaging. I did not feel it was my place to do so. I have never filed a postal insurance claim before. Had I known that the process wasn't exactly a "smooth" one, I would have likely provided a more thorough description of the facts to you right away.
I do not find any of this to be "funny." While I do not doubt that the item was in excellent condition before shipment, it arrived broken.
Your latest email was inexcusably inflammatory. I have been nothing but civil to this point. I agreed to do the paperwork and legwork in an attempt to resolve this myself without burdening you. Before you direct any further accusations of dishonesty toward me, I would like to point out that the only deceptions in this transaction have come from you. Here is a review of this transaction:
1) I purchased this item on July 7th at 7:16am.
2) I paid for this item via PayPal on July 7th at 7:17am.
3) In spite of the fact that the auction clearly states that, "I ship the item within two days of your payment clearing," a shipping label was not generated until 10:33pm on July 10th.
4) At 10:37pm, four minutes after you generated the shipping label, you sent me an email saying, "your item has been shipped and I will forward the tracking number to you." You also said that the delay in sending the information was due to you being offline and needing to get a new cable modem. Curiously, eBay's records of your "Feedback left for others" shows that you were online on both the morning of July 8th and the afternoon of July 10th.
5) The following day, July 11th, the item was actually shipped. This is four days after the auction, not two days.
6) At 11:52pm on July 11th you sent me the tracking number along with a note claiming that my item had, "shipped earlier this week." While that statement was technically accurate, it was also misleading. Saying that it had, "shipped earlier today," would have been more forthright but I suspect you weren't eager to admit that you failed to fulfill your obligations as detailed in the auction description.
7) When the item arrived, I noticed that the shipping manifest inside had the corner torn off the page. The missing corner is the portion of the page that would have included the date it was printed. While this could have been a simple matter of coincidence, in light of these other points, I can't help but suspect that it was done intentionally in an attempt to mask evidence of your delay in shipping.
I tried to be reasonable. While I noticed these details, I chose to let them slide. I just wanted the computer I had bought and while a few days delay was frustrating, it wasn't worth arguing over. Even when the computer arrived broken, I didn't want to argue about packaging or who should go through the hassle of filling out insurance claim paperwork. I decided to just do what needed to be done in hopes that it could be resolved quickly and painlessly. When I ran into problems with that process, I sent you a very objective summary of what I had encountered at the Post Office. Upon receiving this, you chose to attack me rather than continue civil discourse. That was an inappropriate course of action.
I can tell you that the item is currently at the Post Office and, in spite of the clerk's comments regarding the inadequate packaging, his word is not the final word. My research this afternoon has yielded reports from others who say that they had similar experiences in that the postal clerk initially made a finding of Insufficient Packaging but the final decision ended with them getting a check from the Postal Service anyway.
I will let you know the results of their final decision when I hear from them. In the meantime, I suggest you review the communications between you and I and contemplate how you might have better handled this situation. You may assert that you are not out of line for asking those questions, the rest of your email was absolutely out of line.
