PLEASE HELP! Shipped a computer and now it is damaged?

[Brandhaus]

Hi,

I sold my powermac on Ebay. I took it to a mailboxes etc where they packaged it, and shipped it VIA UPS. After it was delivered, a week later the buyer emails me saying it was damaged, and it is being sent back to me and he would like a refund.

I have never experienced something like this, and would like some suggestions on what to do? He says I need to file the claim with UPS. It was insured for up to $2000 (I sold it for $1650).

Any ideas on what I should do? I really don't want to end up with a broken computer. He said the handles were bent,

Here is his email :

"I sent you an email through eBay on Mon; please check it. the Power Mac G5 was damaged by UPS in shipping. It was obviously dropped - one of the top handles is completely bent and the rivets are popped (I have photos if you want to see it). They picked it up and are testing it to see if the damage is only cosmetic or internal. They will return the computer to you after they test it and let you know the results. Since you are the shipper, you have to handle the claim with UPS. As I mentioned in my other email I would like a full refund. Thanks"

 

[xfiftyfour]

I thought it was the buyer's job to handle insurance claims?

To be honest, if it were me, I'd make the other guy handle the hassle of the claim. It's HIS money that's been damaged, so it should be HIS job to get it back. Since it wasn't your fault at all, I'd say your hands are free.

I'd offer to do whatever I could (in regards to calling if needed, providing numbers, dates, etc), but that's as much as I would do. I wouldn't put my neck on the line for UPS.

Really, this is WHY he paid extra for insurance.

 

[Brandhaus]

For whatever reason, he says i'm the shipper and need to handle the claim? Is this true? Do I have to refund his money? Seems weird to me. Also seems weird UPS has to test it to see if the damage is internal or cosmetic? Do they have certified Techs for Macs there? I'm really freaking out about this right now...

 

[adk]

He's right. It is the Shipper's responsibility to get the product to the buyer in the condition that it was sold in. UPS is notorious for damaging the handles of powermacs. Fortunately for you you had UPS package it too. Your problem will be resolved, but for a while you will have neither money nor powermac in your possession.

 

[nightelf]

Never had any problem like this, but I would call UPS and confirm that the package was damaged and ask them who has to process the claim.

Then I would call PayPal or the company you used to receive the money and let them know that there was a shipping problem, that the Mac was damaged by UPS, and that you are trying to solve the problem, just in case the buyer decides to do a charge-back saying you never delivered the product, etc.

Hope you solve your problem. Good luck.

 

[sahnert]

sounds sketchy. He could have pulled your shiny pristine mac out of the box and replaced it with a damaged one only to claim that it was "damaged during shipping." He asks for a full refund and gets a new computer for free! While you get stuck dealing with an insurance claim on a product you are trying to get rid of anyway.

IMO it is his responsibility to handle the claim, although if I were in his shoes and it really was damaged in shipping that would be a big bummer.
Don't refund his money until you figure out exactly what options are open to you.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Think about this in reverse. If you were the buyer, and the product you bought was damaged, would you accept having paid money for a product that was broken? No.

It is the shipper's responsibility to deal with UPS. (I have dealt with this both as seller and buyer. Every time, it's the seller that deals with it, not the buyer.)

 

[Brandhaus]

sounds sketchy. He could have pulled your shiny pristine mac out of the box and replaced it with a damaged one only to claim that it was "damaged during shipping." He asks for a full refund and gets a new computer for free! While you get stuck dealing with an insurance claim on a product you are trying to get rid of anyway.

That's exactly how I feel... UPS is supposed to be calling me back. I guess I just want to be sure that he can't' take legal action against me if I don't refund his money right away. I want to be postive I am going to get my money back if I refund his. I am not about to send him his money without being sure. I just want to make sure everything works out for the best, but I dont' want to be taken for a ride either. It seems odd that is he almost demanding his money back. He send the computer back without even talking to me about it? It was delievered on Friday, and I have been making sure to check my email to see if he emailed me. He didn't even email me until this week?

 

[Brandhaus]

Just spoke with UPS,

They said it has been sent back, and is pending inspection. Once they get an approval code, they will send me my money in 4-5 weeks. I guess I will let the buyer know what as soon as I get the approval code, I will send him his refund. Does this sound fair?

 

[davidjearly]

Just spoke with UPS,

They said it has been sent back, and is pending inspection. Once they get an approval code, they will send me my money in 4-5 weeks. I guess I will let the buyer know what as soon as I get the approval code, I will send him his refund. Does this sound fair?

This sounds very fair, and to clear this up it is not anyone's responsibility to handle the insurance claim, unless stated in the carrier's terms and conditions.

I have sold many computers via eBay and every time, I make sure the buyers pay for insurance. I do this as a service to them incase the item does get damaged. On one instance it has, and I have gave the buyer the details for making a claim. I believe it is the buyers responsibilty, not the sellers and I am fully aware of this when I buy a second hand system. I make it clear in mym auctions, that I personally DO NOT provide my items with a guarantee other than that they are not sent damaged. IF the shipping company damages the item, this is not the responsibility of the seller to make the claim.

I would tell the buyer that in future, he should contact you, the seller, before arranging UPS to collect the item and return it. If he has the authority to do this much, he has the authority to continue with the entire claim on his own. He/she is clearly able to use their initiative.

I would under no circumstances give him a refund until the shipping company has completed their testing and refunded you for the damaged item. Only then should the buyer receive his money back.

If the buyer doesn't like this, tough. This is what happens with insurance. It is not your fault. The process takes time.

Definately, DO NOT refund their money until the testing is completed and refund verified by the shipping company.

David

 

[Brandhaus]

This sounds very fair, and to clear this up it is not anyone's responsibility to handle the insurance claim, unless stated in the carrier's terms and conditions.

I have sold many computers via eBay and every time, I make sure the buyers pay for insurance. I do this as a service to them incase the item does get damaged. On one instance it has, and I have gave the buyer the details for making a claim. I believe it is the buyers responsibilty, not the sellers and I am fully aware of this when I buy a second hand system. I make it clear in mym auctions, that I personally DO NOT provide my items with a guarantee other than that they are not sent damaged. IF the shipping company damages the item, this is not the responsibility of the seller to make the claim.

I would tell the buyer that in future, he should contact you, the seller, before arranging UPS to collect the item and return it. If he has the authority to do this much, he has the authority to continue with the entire claim on his own. He/she is clearly able to use their initiative.

I would under no circumstances give him a refund until the shipping company has completed their testing and refunded you for the damaged item. Only then should the buyer receive his money back.

If the buyer doesn't like this, tough. This is what happens with insurance. It is not your fault. The process takes time.

Definately, DO NOT refund their money until the testing is completed and refund verified by the shipping company.

David

Thanks David, this is what I was hoping to hear. I have never sold anything of great value on Ebay, and in the future, will be sure to let the buyer know it is their responsiblity in the future.

Will UPS give me a refund for the amount I was insured, or will they go based on what the computer is worth today? (If you can even figure that out somehow?)

 

[CanadaRAM]

One more thing - since you had a company package it for you, you are in luck.
If you had packaged it yourself in not-Apple-original packaging, then UPS would deny the claim for reason of insufficient packaging.

There is a reason Apple uses those big mother pieces of dense foam in the box - and that is so that the weight of the machine is taken on the broad bottom surface of the machine, not on the handles. You can wrap it in 6 layers of bubble-wrap, and it will still bend the handles. It does NOT need abuse for that to happen, normal shipping handling will do it if it doesn't have the big foam blocks.

Buyers: Do not agree to buy a G5 unless it comes with the original box and packaging.

Sellers: Don't dispose of the Apple box. It takes major work to build a container that will adequately protect a G5 (and to a lesser extent, a G4 tower with the plastic handles.

 

[davidjearly]

Thanks David, this is what I was hoping to hear. I have never sold anything of great value on Ebay, and in the future, will be sure to let the buyer know it is their responsiblity in the future.

Will UPS give me a refund for the amount I was insured, or will they go based on what the computer is worth today? (If you can even figure that out somehow?)

They should give you a refund of the value of the computer as sold to the buyer. So whatever the buyer paid, you should get back once they have completed their investigation.

David

 

[mojohanna]

I thought it was the buyer's job to handle insurance claims?

To be honest, if it were me, I'd make the other guy handle the hassle of the claim. It's HIS money that's been damaged, so it should be HIS job to get it back. Since it wasn't your fault at all, I'd say your hands are free.

I'd offer to do whatever I could (in regards to calling if needed, providing numbers, dates, etc), but that's as much as I would do. I wouldn't put my neck on the line for UPS.

Really, this is WHY he paid extra for insurance.

It is the shippers responsibility to file the claim for the damaged goods. The shipper is the one that entered into the contract with the carrier, not the reciever. Even though the shipper probably charged extra for the insurance (to the buyer), the shipper paid for the extra coverage at the time they entered into the contract (i.e. signed the forms with UPS).

Sorry, but the shipper has to get this resolved with the carrier.

 

[mojohanna]

They should give you a refund of the value of the computer as sold to the buyer. So whatever the buyer paid, you should get back once they have completed their investigation.

David

Actually this is not correct. They will only give you up to the amount you insured the package for. So if you sold it for 2000 but only insured for 1500,you will only get 1500. Since you insured for more than the sale amount, you may only get the sale amount. The packing company should have asked you for what the declared value of the package contents were. (this prevents you from shipping something of little value and insuring it for way more than it is worth)

 

[Brandhaus]

From what the woman at UPS said, it sounds like they are going to give me the full $2000 unless it would cost them less to repair it. I don't want a repaired machine, but she said usually they don't do that since it takes time and money. I think it is all going to work out okay. I emailed the buyer, and let him know the situation. I wanted to make sure I had UPS package it, just in case something like this DID indeed happen.

 

[MacManTexas56]

i had something somewhat similar happen to me back in July. I shipped a dell computer via UPS of course and it was out for delivery....well i noticed the next day after it was supposed to be delivered...that it still said out for delivery. The buyer emailed me as they were concerned bc they wanted the computer. The buyer contacted UPS as they were anxious to get the computer. They told her that the shipper would have to be the one to file the claim and get all that taken care of. Since i was the one that paid for shipping etc... I didn't have any problems with the buyer and she said it wasn't a problem for her to wait until the investigation was over to refund her money. Even if she wasn't cooperative it's just the thing to do. I think the guy that bought ur machine may not be fully telling the truth. I know if i got a damaged machine i would try in every way i could to get ahold of the shipper bc i would be furious. I would by no means just ship the item back to him in hopes to get a refund. Now if the person paid via paypal this is where your luck may run out. Paypal only really cares about the buyer being scammed and not the seller so they may issue a refund immediately if he files a complaint. Not trying to worry you but just giving you a heads up bc it's happened to me on ebay a few times. Like suggested earlier, I would definitely wait and find out if you are FOR SURE getting your money back before issuing that guy a refund. Goodluck!

 

[jaw04005]

I've dealt with the same situation before.

Give the buyer his money back. It's not his fault that UPS damaged the package. You, as the seller, ultimately have the responsibility of delivering the good in the same condition as the auction stated.

You can expect UPS to take their precious time. It took me over two months to get my claim check, and that was only after threatening to sue. Fortunately, I, like you, had the UPS Store pack my iMac.

Good luck. Shipping companies offer insurance to customers never fully expecting to actually have to pay out in case of damage.

 

[MacManTexas56]

Actually this is not correct. They will only give you up to the amount you insured the package for. So if you sold it for 2000 but only insured for 1500,you will only get 1500. Since you insured for more than the sale amount, you may only get the sale amount. The packing company should have asked you for what the declared value of the package contents were. (this prevents you from shipping something of little value and insuring it for way more than it is worth)

this is also not correct. I sold a computer i paid $479 for. I sold that machine for $575 on ebay. I insured the package for $575. They asked me to provide them with a receipt of the purchase price and wouldn't accept anything from ebay/paypal. So I only got back $479 MINUS like 50% of the shipping fees i paid money on. So it's only UP to what you paid for insurance if you can provide a receipt that proves you really did pay $1500 for it. If you only paid $1200 and sold it for $1500 with insurance...you're only getting $1200 bc of the receipt.

 

[MacManTexas56]

I've dealt with the same situation before.

Give the buyer his money back. It's not his fault that UPS damaged the package. You, as the seller, ultimately have the responsibility of delivering the good in the same condition as the auction stated.

You can expect UPS to take their precious time. It took me over two months to get my claim check, and that was only after threatening to sue. Fortunately, I, like you, had the UPS Store pack my iMac.

Good luck. Shipping companies offer insurance to customers never fully expecting to actually have to pay it.

but how do you know the buyer is telling the truth? you don't.....so wait and see if you're getting you're money back first before you risk getting hosed on the deal.

 

[Brandhaus]

i had something somewhat similar happen to me back in July. I shipped a dell computer via UPS of course and it was out for delivery....well i noticed the next day after it was supposed to be delivered...that it still said out for delivery. The buyer emailed me as they were concerned bc they wanted the computer. The buyer contacted UPS as they were anxious to get the computer. They told her that the shipper would have to be the one to file the claim and get all that taken care of. Since i was the one that paid for shipping etc... I didn't have any problems with the buyer and she said it wasn't a problem for her to wait until the investigation was over to refund her money. Even if she wasn't cooperative it's just the thing to do. I think the guy that bought ur machine may not be fully telling the truth. I know if i got a damaged machine i would try in every way i could to get ahold of the shipper bc i would be furious. I would by no means just ship the item back to him in hopes to get a refund. Now if the person paid via paypal this is where your luck may run out. Paypal only really cares about the buyer being scammed and not the seller so they may issue a refund immediately if he files a complaint. Not trying to worry you but just giving you a heads up bc it's happened to me on ebay a few times. Like suggested earlier, I would definitely wait and find out if you are FOR SURE getting your money back before issuing that guy a refund. Goodluck!

It does still seem somewhat fishy to me. Just because there was no coorespondence from him before the machine arrived. I emailed him to confirm his address before I had shipped it, and his response was minimal. I know when I purchase something, especially a pricey item, I like to make sure that the transaction is going smoothly. I wonder if the serial # of the machine would match the one I sold him if I checked it?

 

[xfiftyfour]

I've dealt with the same situation before.

Give the buyer his money back. It's not his fault that UPS damaged the package. You, as the seller, ultimately have the responsibility of delivering the good in the same condition as the auction stated.

You can expect UPS to take their precious time. It took me over two months to get my claim check, and that was only after threatening to sue. Fortunately, I, like you, had the UPS Store pack my iMac.

Good luck. Shipping companies offer insurance to customers never fully expecting to actually have to pay out in case of damage.

That would be dumb, IMO. Just give the guy his money back, no questions asked, and then just hope that UPS agrees to pay the claim?

Why does the buyer in this get out of all responsibility risk-free? He shipped the item back without even contacting the seller, and just demands a refund? No. The buyer is going to have to realize that the seller needs to cover his butt as much as the buyer wants to cover his own. At the very least, he should have to wait until UPS gives a final word to the seller that yes, they take responsibility for this, and yes, they will refund the money. THEN the buyer can have his money back. Until then, the seller has to assume that it's still a possibility that the buyer is taking him for a ride and could have done a swap like someone mentioned earlier. If the seller refunds the guy's money with no questions asked, when UPS could still come to this very conclusion or something along the same lines, and refuse the claim, then the seller would be stuck. Unacceptable.

 

[MacManTexas56]

That would be dumb, IMO. Just give the guy his money back, no questions asked, and then just hope that UPS agrees to pay the claim?

Why does the buyer in this get out of all responsibility risk-free? He shipped the item back without even contacting the seller, and just demands a refund? No. The buyer is going to have to realize that the seller needs to cover his butt as much as the buyer wants to cover his own. At the very least, he should have to wait until UPS gives a final word to the seller that yes, they take responsibility for this, and yes, they will refund the money. THEN the buyer can have his money back. Until then, the seller has to assume that it's still a possibility that the buyer is taking him for a ride and could have done a swap like someone mentioned earlier. If the seller refunds the guy's money with no questions asked, when UPS could still come to this very conclusion or something along the same lines, and refuse the claim, then the seller would be stuck. Unacceptable.

i totally agree with you. why should the buyer get out risk free when potentially it would be their own fault! It's not like you know the person and you can just go over there and get your money back anytime. Once you give the dude a refund and UPS doesn't honor the claim you're stuck with a broken machine just so you could look professional to a buyer on ebay? I don't think so. Always CYA over anyone elses haha

 

[thechris69]

For whatever reason, he says i'm the shipper and need to handle the claim? Is this true? Do I have to refund his money? Seems weird to me. Also seems weird UPS has to test it to see if the damage is internal or cosmetic? Do they have certified Techs for Macs there? I'm really freaking out about this right now...

if he paid for it, and ups fu**ed up, just ignore his email's and dont refund him, what could he do? if he didnt have any insurance or w/e its not your fault, the worst that could happen is if he leaves you bad "feedback" on ebay...

 

[WildCowboy]

if he paid for it, and ups fu**ed up, just ignore his email's and dont refund him, what could he do? if he didnt have any insurance or w/e its not your fault, the worst that could happen is if he leaves you bad "feedback" on ebay...

It was insured.

Oh, and remind me never to buy anything from you.