Refunds - includes delivery too?

[19ninety]

Could someone give me a little guidance on this situation please, couldn't find a answer online where the basic delivery option is free rather than paid?

I offer free 2nd Class Delivery on all my products.
My customer bought a product and paid for the 1st Class Delivery option.
My customer has returned the product as they no longer want it.

Do I have to refund them the full order amount including the 1st Class Delivery, or just the price of the product?

 

[lesliedocherty]

If they choose to upgrade the shipping, they only get cost of product back

 

[19ninety]

Thanks for confirming @lesliedocherty - I only found info which referenced customers getting refunded the difference between "standard" and "express" delivery if they paid for the faster delivery, but of course that assumed "standard" delivery wasn't FoC as in my case.
Again thanks for the reply.

 

[Pish_Pash]

I always just refund the whole amount....frankly it's not worth the grief to quibble over postage (unless you get a lot of returns) ...if you do just refund the cost of the product, you'll have a disgruntled customer (every customer on the planet wants the postage cost back too - thanks Amazon) with the possibility of emails galore, neg feedback blah blah...just look at it as a cost of trading online.

I find swearing a lot & using some very bad words when actually initiating the refund helps ease my pain.

 

[lesliedocherty]

never had a single customer complain or even mention about not getting extra shipping back, must just be lucky

 

[UKSBD]

never had a single customer complain or even mention about not getting extra shipping back, must just be lucky

To you

 

[lesliedocherty]

Not at all, when we done only 14 day returns, we heard from unhappy customers, if a customer does not like something they tell you, either by email or normally by way of a negative online review, never had any.
When a customer buys an item with say free shipping and pays for 'Next Day' or 'Saturday/AM' delivery i don't think they expect or would imagine they are entitled to get the extra they choose for shipping back aswell.

 

[Mr D]

Not at all, when we done only 14 day returns, we heard from unhappy customers, if a customer does not like something they tell you, either by email or normally by way of a negative online review, never had any.
When a customer buys an item with say free shipping and pays for 'Next Day' or 'Saturday/AM' delivery i don't think they expect or would imagine they are entitled to get the extra they choose for shipping back aswell.

they can imagine or expect. they usually will not get the extra.

 

[Guy Incognito]

We offer free next working day delivery for stock items ordered before 11am. There's a big countdown clock explaining when they will get it when they order. This is expensive as our items are oversize.

The number of people who order at 7pm on a Sunday night expecting delivery the next day is astonishing. As is the people who expect us to deliver on Sundays, Bank Holidays etc. People have a totally unrealistic expectation of what is achievable.

We charge for returns. We have to. It's either that or charge for delivery. It's in our terms and conditions, the refund is processed as soon as the TNT invoice comes through and the accurate shipping cost can be deducted. And people still complain.

 

[David White]

I guess this would depend on what's in yout terms and conditions but generally, you should refund just the cost of the item unless the refund is through a fault of your own.

My mate Dean might have a better answer, throw him a message via his site as he deals with this kind of stuff all the time with eCommerce sellers: https://hanleyandco.co.uk/ecommerce-accounting-amazon-accountant-accounting-for-amazon-sellers/

 

[deniser]

The number of people who order at 7pm on a Sunday night expecting delivery the next day is astonishing. As is the people who expect us to deliver on Sundays, Bank Holidays etc. People have a totally unrealistic expectation of what is achievable.

Same here and that is Amazon's fault for making people think it's the norm - that we all have access to Amazon's private 7 days a week delivery network and NEXT's direct train line from warehouse to postal depot.

We even have that expectation with people who order from USA!

As a result we have scrapped our next day delivery option and changed it to 3 working days. That way we don't get disappointed customers and if we lose some along the way so be it.

 

[lesliedocherty]

Same here and that is Amazon's fault for making people think it's the norm - that we all have access to Amazon's private 7 days a week delivery network and NEXT's direct train line from warehouse to postal depot.

We even have that expectation with people who order from USA!

As a result we have scrapped our next day delivery option and changed it to 3 working days. That way we don't get disappointed customers and if we lose some along the way so be it.

Our checkout process tells he customer the likely delivery date, before 3pm on a Thursday delivery is Friday, after 3pm it moves to Monday, this has made a pretty big difference, whereas now we get really no customer queries regarding deliveries.
Also, we can populate the system with all the Bank Holidays and the system takes these into account when giving customers delivery info.

 

[Guy Incognito]

Our checkout process tells he customer the likely delivery date, before 3pm on a Thursday delivery is Friday, after 3pm it moves to Monday, this has made a pretty big difference, whereas now we get really no customer queries regarding deliveries.
Also, we can populate the system with all the Bank Holidays and the system takes these into account when giving customers delivery info.

Yes, we do that too. But people still ignore it and complain that things ordered in the evening don't arrive the following day!

My other favourite is calling us when the delivery company have left a card through the door. We don't offer time slots due to the cost and size of the items (DPD won't take our items) and rather than contact the carrier, they contact us. Makes zero sense for me. We have far less information than the courier.

 

[Mr D]

Same here and that is Amazon's fault for making people think it's the norm - that we all have access to Amazon's private 7 days a week delivery network and NEXT's direct train line from warehouse to postal depot.

We even have that expectation with people who order from USA!

As a result we have scrapped our next day delivery option and changed it to 3 working days. That way we don't get disappointed customers and if we lose some along the way so be it.

Is there any reason it should not become the norm?

We do shopping 7 days a week, why is delivery by some companies only 5 or 6 days a week?
Amazon meet customer demand - how long before parcel companies and royal mail catch up?

 

[Guy Incognito]

Is there any reason it should not become the norm?

We do shopping 7 days a week, why is delivery by some companies only 5 or 6 days a week?
Amazon meet customer demand - how long before parcel companies and royal mail catch up?

Depends - if customers are prepared to pay for it then fine. For our products it would mean increasing the RRP by a huge amount, and I am not even aware of a courier company / 3pl partner who can fulfil oversize items on the weekend and deliver to the customer the next day. Including Amazon.

For my business, we would have to move our warehouse to a company that was open on Sundays (increased cost), this warehouse would have to have staff working on Sundays (increased cost), the couriers would have to be able to collect oversize items on Sundays (increased cost) etc.

Amazon have the economies of scale to be able to do this for certain items and good for them. But items that we sell through them FBA (which are our smallest and lightest items) they do not offer delivery on weekends or fulfil orders placed at weekends until Monday - and that is with Amazon Prime options.

 

[Mr D]

Depends - if customers are prepared to pay for it then fine. For our products it would mean increasing the RRP by a huge amount, and I am not even aware of a courier company / 3pl partner who can fulfil oversize items on the weekend and deliver to the customer the next day. Including Amazon.

For my business, we would have to move our warehouse to a company that was open on Sundays (increased cost), this warehouse would have to have staff working on Sundays (increased cost), the couriers would have to be able to collect oversize items on Sundays (increased cost) etc.

Amazon have the economies of scale to be able to do this for certain items and good for them. But items that we sell through them FBA (which are our smallest and lightest items) they do not offer delivery on weekends or fulfil orders placed at weekends until Monday - and that is with Amazon Prime options.

That's the thing though - if it became the norm then there would not be increased cost.

Several times I have worked shift work - including Sundays which was just another day to the customers.
We were not paid extra, same annual salary as those not working Sundays, bank holidays etc. Just meant different days off than the weekend.

More efficient use of assets. Buildings and vehicles used 7 days a week rather than 5.

 

[lesliedocherty]

That's the thing though - if it became the norm then there would not be increased cost.

Several times I have worked shift work - including Sundays which was just another day to the customers.
We were not paid extra, same annual salary as those not working Sundays, bank holidays etc. Just meant different days off than the weekend.

More efficient use of assets. Buildings and vehicles used 7 days a week rather than 5.

I agree on this one, vans can be used 7 days a week, so may need less vans, better delivery rate over the weekend as well i imagine, but think its a good few years away yet