I need advice!

Write off.

SpiderWebComm said:
Based on what you're saying, I'd just send the cry-baby a book. I mean, if he's willing to file claims, etc... do you really want the hassle? Just make a note of the guy and never do business with him again.
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Jay- Spidey's probably got this one right.

I think what makes it harder to make a business decision is that it has become more personal, where you feel your honesty has been questioned.

It may not feel like the right thing to do but it may be the correct thing to do in sending him another book. If this is the first 'shipping-receiving' blow up you've had among all the successful book shipments-that ain't bad.

If the guy's an azz-that aint going to change. You only control your actions-take the high road-there isn't much traffic to deal with there.

In all your years around the block-this probably isn't the first time you got stiffed-maybe think of it -as paying for a losers bus ticket out of town.

Let it go Jay. Don't sweat the small sh#t.


Take care

BTW- Thanks Jay for a well run Seminole tournament
 
Jay,

I'd simply refund his money. I'd let him know that you choose not to do business with someone that uses that tone and language when you have done nothing but try to make things right. My guess is he doesn't want to spend the money to ship it back and never intended to.

What happens if you just go ahead and send another book, and then the second one is also damaged???
 
jay helfert said:
Strange things are happening here. At the moment I sent Mr. X his refund, he was sending an apology to me, telling me how badly he would like to read my book. Now he has his money back and no copy of my book. This is all too weird.
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Maybe the guy was having a bad day. Now that he's apologized, guess it shows he's not the demon some may have thought he was. Everyone deserves a second chance. Get him a book Jay and your Q rating will sky rocket even further. :thumbup:

KK9 <-- thinkin Mr X been reading da thread
 
I personally won't send anything anywhere that I can't get a tracking number on. Yup, costs a bit more to use UPS or FredEx Ground, but that number is worth it.

If it were me, I'd require that on any returns as well, even if I had to participate in some or all of the shipping costs. That leaves no room for error, and no questions have to be asked. Either the shipping company has it, or they don't.

I'll be curious to see how you play this out, now that you've sent him the refund. I manage a retail store myself, I would have sent him the book anyway, but it ain't my money we're talking about. Good luck.
 
jay helfert said:
Yes, I have a problem and I'd like an opinion or two on how to handle it.

Some time back a guy ordered my book. Let's call him Mr. X. He paid me via Paypal, like a thousand others before him did. I shipped his book to him. After a couple of weeks he contacted me and told me the book was damaged in shipping. This was only the second time in over 1,500 shipments I had heard this. No problem, I asked him to ship it back to me for replacement.

So I wait and wait and wait some more and no book. Now he contacts me again a couple of times during the last week, and inquiries whether I've received the damaged book he shipped to me. I told him I have not, but when it comes I will gladly replace it. It has been nearly a month and I have yet to receive it, but today I got one more e-mail from Mr. X.

His tone had gotten quite ugly, accusing me of being petty by not sending him another book right away. He used profanity in describing my refusal to ship a $20 book until I received the damaged book back. He said he was prepared to file a claim with Paypal for his money back. Needless to say I did not care for this response. I felt I had done nothing wrong and did not deserve to be talked to like I was being unreasonable with him. I think if his manner had remained civil I would feel differently.

Now I'm not sure what to do. Do I just sent him a book or stonewall the guy? Right now, I'm still upset how he talked to me, so I don't want to act in anger. I did write back to him and tell him I was unhappy with the tone of his last e-mail and felt that I had done nothing wrong to him. There is no question that I did send the book to him promptly when he paid for it. He acknowledged receiving it. He is upset now that I even asked him to return the damaged book, without immediately taking his word.

It is only a $20 book, but I am hurt that he is accusing me of wrong doing.
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Jay,

First of all, I just want to say Jay is a very honest and responsible individual. If he says he's going to do something, it's done!

The best thing, the most convenient for both of you, would be to have just mailed him another book right away and not ask for the damaged book to be returned. What good is a damaged book to you? Is it just proof it was damaged? It just costs him more money and hassle to send it back. The post office probably has it and may have filled out a delivery slip. Or the lastest thing, mail is being stolen all the time.

When you want to operate a mail order business, this comes with the territory. To give you an idea how mail order companies operate, I bought some Docker's jeans on-line, got them on sale for half-price. Wore them for about a month when the distressed area in the front tore. It was a $20 purchase but I wanted another pair and they were discontinued.

I called the customer service but they were out of jeans and offered a refund. They mailed me a pre-paid return envelope bar coded for the refund. I sent them back the jeans and they credited my card. I also bought some pants that didn't fit and same thing.

Bascially, I was very impressed with them and wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again.


Chris

Ps, good idea on the refund, but a book would have been better.
 
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The guy doesn't deserve to read your book. I'd send him $20 and a book on how to act.
 
It sounds like this situation is more or less resolved. In the future in might be good to post a return policy of something along the lines suggested by BobN. It may help prevent these types of misunderstandings from happening in the future.
 
jay helfert said:
Strange things are happening here. At the moment I sent Mr. X his refund, he was sending an apology to me, telling me how badly he would like to read my book. Now he has his money back and no copy of my book. This is all too weird.
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Jay,

Come on, you are a nice guy.

Take his money back and mail him a book. He's a pool player!

Chris
 
I work out at the same gym as a car driver named Carl Edwards who drew some attention earlier this year when he deliberately wrecked another driver who had previously wrecked him a couple of times. If I was Carl with a reputation to protect, I would probably not have done that. Being Al, a Scotch-Irish guy from Missouri, I would have done exactly what he did.

If I was Jay Helfert with a reputation to protect, I would play nice and send him another book. Being Al from Missouri, if the guy cussed me out about it, I would have told him to suck a fart out of my ass.
 
I would send the guy a refund and write it off on expenses and forget about.

Jay's reputation doesn't need any defense from me or anyone but, I bought 4 copies of "wars", kept 1, gave two to other pool players and donated 1 to the Kenosha Public Library. Jay claimed I over paid him and included a note to that effect and a ten dollar bill for the alleged overpayment.

Dave Nelson
 
Similiar situation:

I bought some house cues from an online site. They arrived broke right in half thanks to UPS. I contacted the company and they wanted to receive the damaged cues prior to sending me out the replacement cues. This didnt really set right with me and it took some discussion to get them to send out the cues right then. They then gave me a shipping # to put back on the box and asked me to leave the cues out for pick up by UPS. The box sat for a week and never was picked up, I called the company back inquiring about why it wasnt picked up as I wanted the off my front porch. They said just throw them away at that point.

I initially thought if I could send them a photo of the box and broken cues that woulda been alot quicker fix and save them money, but they did have an initial process to get the damaged goods back first. I guess companies and customers just need to find the middle ground.
 
Good news, Jay. Lou and Tony just called in and everything's copasetic. The guy said it was a simple missunderstanding, right after Tony showed him a couple of before and after photos. :wink:
 
Perk said:
Similiar situation:

I bought some house cues from an online site. They arrived broke right in half thanks to UPS. I contacted the company and they wanted to receive the damaged cues prior to sending me out the replacement cues. This didnt really set right with me and it took some discussion to get them to send out the cues right then. They then gave me a shipping # to put back on the box and asked me to leave the cues out for pick up by UPS. The box sat for a week and never was picked up, I called the company back inquiring about why it wasnt picked up as I wanted the off my front porch. They said just throw them away at that point.

I initially thought if I could send them a photo of the box and broken cues that woulda been alot quicker fix and save them money, but they did have an initial process to get the damaged goods back first. I guess companies and customers just need to find the middle ground.
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I think you were a little hard on them. Some nails and a little duct tape and those house cues would have been solid players.
 
Jay, I would send him a check for $20, and tell him to shove it up his ass! He doesn't deserve your book!
 
There are nits and people who tell the truth in all walks of life. Being a pool player shouldn't gain a free pass.

Business math: Is it cheaper to send the book or lose more money from possible bad word of mouth by not sending it?

"You can make some people happy some of the time you can't make everyone happy all the time".
 
I have now offered to send Mr. X a copy of my book, and after he receives it he can pay me. We'll see what happens. I do feel better taking the high road. Once again you guys have kept me on the straight and narrow. I do tend to stray sometimes. ;)
 
accustatsfan said:
"You can make some people happy some of the time you can't make everyone happy all the time".
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My second wife was a classic example of your quip, accustat. She made some of the people happy, several times. The Postman eight times, the UPS guy five times, the pizza delivery dude twice. The rest of us she made miserable. :D
 
Send him another one. I would also ship him a book for anger managment. I'm dead serious! I wouldn't want to piss this guy off. He seems like a loose cannon
 
Jay, twice in 1500 shippings, that's not too bad. Just send him another copy and be done with it and put his name on the ignore list. Not worth the aggravation. No use in losing what hair you have left.
 
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