Missing shipment/non delivery complaints & fraud

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Missing shipment/non delivery complaints & fraud

Unread post by guru »

Situation: Sometime back, I received a message from a backer saying that he hasn't received the reward even after a month or more had passed after my update on the completion of fulfillment. It was half brick and got me really concerned.... I tried checking through the tracking number but got a message that due to some technical issues, this info wasn't available on the website of the local post office (of that country). The backer asked for a refund which I obliged right then and there, though in my mind I'd an inkling that something wasn't right because I never heard of packages getting lost when this fulfillment partner was involved, and in fact, other creator on Kickstarter had vouched for the same when recommending the name. Still, I do understand that such an issue of lost shipment can happen, shipments are never foolproof.

Anyways, I dropped a message to that country's local postal service facebook page and then forgot about this issue. Few days back, I got a message from them saying that the package was delivered and asked me to check the website which I did and was able to confirm that package was delivered to and signed by that person itself. Long story short, I messaged the backer and he confirmed the delivery while telling me that he will be making the payment again which hasn't happened till today. One thing that I've observed after looking at this backer's profile on Kickstarter is that he has been pledging for decks on other Kickstarters but the creators are relatively new with just one or two projects under their belt. This guy hasn't backed any of the decks from established and famous creators like Jackson Robinson, Steve Minty, Jody Eklund, Lorenzo, Gio etc. I don't want to do any name & shame but looking to share the name of this person with other creators in confidence so that they do not suffer a loss like I did.

Has anyone else seen these type of issues and what did they do about it? I do offer full tracking even on single deck pledges and has observed that few creators do not offer tracking for International backers, at least. In that case, what do they do when a backer complains of not receiving the package?
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Re: Missing shipment/non delivery complaints & fraud

Unread post by 4.of.Clubs »

Was the package delivered before or after you refunded him?
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Re: Missing shipment/non delivery complaints & fraud

Unread post by willroya »

If the package is not marked as delivered after a reasonable amount of time, 1 to 2 months for international, either refund or reship.

If it is marked as delivered open a lost / stolen package investigation and work it out with the customer depending on the report of the postal service, and just use your discretion.
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Re: Missing shipment/non delivery complaints & fraud

Unread post by Bradius »

My concern is if the backer asked for a refund after he received the rewards. If he already received the rewards and then asked for a refund saying he did not receive them, then he should be reported to Kickstarter. I would hope they would take action. Definitely, you should share this with interested new Kickstarter developers so they don't potentially have to go through this also. I guess it is possible someone who backs tons of stuff could forget what was delivered if they back tons of stuff and it was a minor reward (to which a half a brick of cards would not be a minor reward to me). Even so, Kickstarter has a great tool to mark which of your rewards you have received, which really helps me keep track of many outstanding projects. Again, I would report him to Kickstarter.
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Re: Missing shipment/non delivery complaints & fraud

Unread post by guru »

willroya wrote:If the package is not marked as delivered after a reasonable amount of time, 1 to 2 months for international, either refund or reship.

If it is marked as delivered open a lost / stolen package investigation and work it out with the customer depending on the report of the postal service, and just use your discretion.
Yes, it was delivered within a month of shipping the package (and before the request for refund) and at first, the tracking was not available on the local postal service's website due to some technical glitches but once that issue was corrected, the details did show up. The problem I faced was that the postal service did take a long time to respond ( which I think is okay given that they must be dealing with similar enquiries from others, but they did respond). As he asked for the refund specifically, I processed it or else I could have given him an option to ship another package. Anyways, lesson learned....
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Re: Missing shipment/non delivery complaints & fraud

Unread post by Cardician_82 »

Guru,

How long is an acceptable wait time before someone can file a claim? If the postal delivery is a problem then a better shipment service is required. For a few dollars more you can get the package to anyone within 7-10 business days, for a few dollars more you can express post the package which includes signature upon delivery and for a few dollars more you can include insurance on any package to make sure this issue never happens again and you can get your money back.

We all know postal services are through the roof and most creators try and cut the cost as best they can but if you continue to have issues with your international shipments then a higher shipping service should be charged to include a signature upon delivery. Most creators tend to offer the lowest amount of shipping to international customers by charging $6-$10 and then run into these issues.

There are other options but you can't expect everyone to sit tight for months upon months waiting for a package to come if 1) They can't track it within their countries postal services website because the creator has chosen to ship the lowest possible way and 2) If they've waited 6-8-12 weeks.

Kickstarter is a business. You as a creator have chosen to use KS to fund YOUR business idea. Most business owners know there are going to be losses with every product made and shipped. That's business.

Learn from this and move on.
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Re: Missing shipment/non delivery complaints & fraud

Unread post by 4.of.Clubs »

guru wrote:
willroya wrote:If the package is not marked as delivered after a reasonable amount of time, 1 to 2 months for international, either refund or reship.

If it is marked as delivered open a lost / stolen package investigation and work it out with the customer depending on the report of the postal service, and just use your discretion.
Yes, it was delivered within a month of shipping the package (and before the request for refund) and at first, the tracking was not available on the local postal service's website due to some technical glitches but once that issue was corrected, the details did show up. The problem I faced was that the postal service did take a long time to respond ( which I think is okay given that they must be dealing with similar enquiries from others, but they did respond). As he asked for the refund specifically, I processed it or else I could have given him an option to ship another package. Anyways, lesson learned....
Sounds like he received the package and took the postal glitch as a opportunity to defraud you. However, it might be difficult to get your refund money back. I highly doubt he'll return the money at this point since he knows there's nothing you can do that would justify the cost.

I would definitely expose this person, report to kickstarter, and talk to your bank or paypal (assume you used paypal to refund) to see if there's anything they can do. I'm sorry this happened to you.
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