Issue with Seller - Need TW Perspective

I wanted to post here to get some perspective from TW since the seller and I are not seeing eye to eye on the proper resolution. Hopefully some others will help us see the best way to handle.

I purchased a pair of headlights in like new condition from Savage707ron from this thread (https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/oem-headlights-w-drl.516885/). The pictures are gone now that he sold them. One headlight had a scratch, so he removed his headlight from his car and shipped that one with the passenger light from his friend so that they both were like new which was very important to me. They were sent to Kustom 54 for a retrofit and had told the seller from recommendation of Kustom 54 the importance of bubble wrapping the brackets well. They arrived yesterday to Kustom 54 with a number of plastic brackets and housing pieces broken off without much bubble wrap around the headlights in general, but instead with some microfiber cloths intended for protection. Obviously that didn't work whether a result of the protection or UPS. Either way.

Contacted the seller today and he said he would file a claim, but wouldn't refund me until the claim with UPS was resolved. As a buyer, the expectation of me is to pay the seller on time which I did. The expectation of the seller is that the item is as described and protected to arrive as described. Obviously the expectations of the seller were not met and don't believe I should have to wait to see if UPS refunds the money and if so, wait to be able to purchase what I intended which was a set of like new headlights to arrive to Kustom 54.

Please let me know what is realistic. Whether the seller should reimburse me now and deal with the claim or whether as a buyer I should wait for the claim to be done to expect a refund.

Thanks!

 

Bummer - not sure what you can do at this point

Good luck, hoping for the best possible outcome.

 

How’d you pay The seller? If credit card, you might have some options. I think it’s crap they are making you wait for the UPS claim with what looks like poor packaging.

Edited to clear up responsible party.

 

It wasn't Kustom 54 that I'm having this issue with to be clear. The headlights were sent to them from the seller, Savage707Ron, so that they could modify them for me. They arrived to them yesterday damaged. They just sent me the pictures letting me know.

 

That's a tough one...
I feel the responsible and respectful thing to do would be for the seller to issue a refund to the buyer and the seller needs to wait for the refund. After all the seller is the one whom improperly packaged the lights creating this whole hassle.

 

And I paid with Paypal. I've filed a claim with them and will call my CC (I used CC as payment on paypal) to let them fight it too as long as most agree that I shouldn't be expected to wait for a refund.

 

How did you pay? If you paid my credit card or PayPal, I would start a dispute.

 

Sellers issue, they packed poorly. Not on you to be punished for his half as wrap job. Dispute

 

Seller is at fault for poor packaging. He should refund buyer and deal with the claim for his reimbursement.

 

the seller should have to refund you if you return the lights..any other outcome is B.S. how do you know if they were really damaged from shipping or before they were put in the box??

 

absolutely it is the seller's problem to bear...
word to the wise...always use a credit card on paypal, preferably AMEX. They will refund you the money and make things right with zero questions asked

 

If UPS got a hold of the pics, I doubt they would accept responsibility due to poor packaging by the seller. Regardless, the onus is on the seller...hopefully they will step up and provide the refund now.

 

Ups would never pay out for this


Shitty packaging

 

Some of the poorest packaging I've ever seen. The seller is in the wrong here. UPS wouldn't pay out for these after seeing the shitty packaging.

 

Should have spent the extra $2 on bubble wrap and 1 minute of time to make sure they arrived safely. Lights can get damaged very easily in transit.

 

it was packaged correctly. the towel was used to separate the lights as a buffer. packing material was used. it will be resolved. I have yet to receive my damaged product. it was not my intention to have the item damaged. people are so quick to judge. things can get damaged in transit.

 

Thanks for clarifying.

 

Since we are all on the outside loking in with respect to this issue, we can only weigh the information we have to make our descision. Unfortunately, even some of the information presented to us is more or less 2nd hand.

As anyone who has raised 1 or more children, dealt with owning a buisiness, or been in a position to make rulings on disputes everything said to you by parties on either side of the dispute is clouded. I am not saying that anyone is being deceptive or duplicitous. I am saying we all give our stories from our own perspective which is rarely spot on accurate. Sorry, but we are all human with human failings.

Things get damaged in transit, it happens, and there is no 100% way to prevent it. It can be mitigated with careful packaging and handling. Even that is no lock. Again, this is a fact we all can and should accept.

As for who should bear the burden of the claim process...

If I buy from a buisiness, it is there problem and the buck should stop with them. They should pay imediately and deal with the freight handler(s) and any claims themselves.

If buying from an individual... the expectation is far different from my perspective. He/she is just another poor sot like me and we should will/suffer together. This is not a "cost of buisiness" for them as they are not a buisiness but ratehr selling some of there "stuff" to another party that wants used "stuff".

Risks of dealing with people vs companies is that while most of the time a person will deal more equitably, they typically do not have the means to resolve problems quickly. They may not pack, paint, prepare, ship, address, complete, or most any other aspect of the transaction perfectly from the recipients perspective.

OK that is my 2 pennies. I will take this soap box out back and toss it in the trash.

 

I mentioned I'll happily have Kustom 54 ship the lights back to you if you provide a shipping label. You told me not to have them sent back at this point. Ball is in your court...I just want my money back so that I can buy a pair of lights that get packed well enough to make it to Kustom 54 undamaged.