You didn't mention the time frame. If the seller responded promptly and
courteously, it sounds to me that you got a good deal. Unless you bought
the item "on approval," it seems reasonable for the seller not to pay for
the postage. Seller was responsible for the risk of damage during shipping,
which he resolved by refunding your money. Whether or not he made a "small
profit" is problematic, considering the cost of removing the part, packing
materials, etc.
Please DON'T post the vendor's name, as some other list people apparently
are more demanding, and would boycott this company.
--Roger van Hoy, '55DeSoto, '42DeSoto, '66Plymouth, '73Duster, Washougal, WA
-----Original Message-----
From: Roger Howard <rhoward@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Monday, January 24, 2000 7:30 PM
Subject: [FWDLK] General question
A general question to all: January
24, 2000
A customer agrees on a price to buy a used item from a vendor, and
sends in his check.
The vendor (in business for MANY years) writes back to say his price
doesn't include shipping. He asks for more money.
The customer sends in more money, and the item arrives. Upon opening
the box, the item is obviously broken and crucial parts are missing. When
contacted, the vendor apologises and offers to either refund the purchase
price or to repair the part at no extra charge.
The customer opts for the total refund and asks the vendor to cover
the cost of shipping the defective item back to the vendor. The vendor
refuses. In order to get his refund, the customer has to pay return
shipping.
In addition, the customer knows that the vendor's cost to ship was
less than what the customer sent in, so in reality, the vendor actually made
a small profit, while the customer spent $25 and came away empty-handed.
The Question: Is this acceptable business practice?
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