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Post by wrongersine on Jul 16, 2020 23:36:07 GMT -8
I thought I would leave a review of my recent purchase with theinsectorcollector dot com as it wasn't a great experience.
I do a lot of buying through the usual well known traders and up until now I have never used theinsectorcollector
It was a small order for a Vespa mandarinia japonica. 45 Euros and postage.
When the order arrived the box had been clearly damaged in transit and although the specimen was packed very well it was unfortunately pretty smashed up.
I wont bore you will the details but in a nutshell theinsectorcollector said it wasn't his problem.
I have never had such a response in all my years of buying specimens from people or buying anything in that matter. I understand its never great to be out of pocket due to damage, but to flatly not care for a new customer and the potential new business that they could bring to your shop is a little odd. If it's so much of a worry to lose specimens to damage you would just send packages using a service which offers insurance. It's not as if the postage I was charged was cheap. It was 20 euros.
Anyway, Paypal had to intervene in the end and correctly refunded me under the buyer protection scheme.
Its a shame as he has some nice items but just rude and defensive from the outset of contact.
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Post by exoticimports on Jul 17, 2020 3:09:43 GMT -8
"the box had been clearly damaged in transit and although the specimen was packed very well"
Per INCOTERMS, the default shipment method, if not explicitly stated, is Ex Works, meaning the seller's responsibility ends when it leaves their hands.
As you yourself stated, it was well packed, but was damaged by the shipping company. Did you file a complaint with the shipping company? A claim? Take photos before opening the package?
That said, seller's website reads: "All material is guaranteed with the exception of antennae damage due to postal shock." and certainly this could, and probably legally would, be taken as inferring CIF, that means seller guarantees DELIVERY of unbroken material.
The "not care for new customer", "not as if postage..." blah blah blah is immaterial, and indicative of the Ebay mentality where the buyer has no responsibility.
All that said, Mr. Westphal has an excellent reputation; however, based on the "guarantee" on his website, it does appear that he should have replaced the specimen at his expense. HOWEVER, that is ONLY if the recipient obtained photographic evidence and filed a complaint WITH THE SHIPPING COMPANY; simply complaining to the seller because the shipping company destroyed the box would unlikely to win in a court of law.
If buyers want insurance, they should request it at time of purchase, and cover said costs.
It still amazes me the number of people who come here and contribute nothing but complaints.
Chuck
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Post by nomihoudai on Jul 17, 2020 4:16:03 GMT -8
Chuck, if this is in Europe then European Customer protection law kicks in. There the seller's responsibility ends when the customer has received the items unless explicitly stated otherwise.
So yes, there is no question that Robert should have handled the situation, except for antenna damage which he cannot guarantee.
If the 20€ shipping included insurance or not is solely the seller's duty.
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Post by wollastoni on Jul 17, 2020 4:21:14 GMT -8
I confirm that Robert is one of the best insect dealers I know.
And one of the very few dealers who goes himself to remote areas of the world to find rarely offered insects for all of us.
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Post by Paul K on Jul 17, 2020 4:52:54 GMT -8
I confirm that Robert is one of the best insect dealers I know. And one of the very few dealers who goes himself to remote areas of the world to find rarely offered insects for all of us. I only bought three times from Robert as I normally don’t buy specimen but they always arrived to Canada in excellent condition, very well packed and not even antenna was broken. Communication was always very good and I found dealing with Robert a good experience and yes two specimens I purchased were collected buy him self so the data is undoubtably very accurate. |
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Post by exoticimports on Jul 17, 2020 5:15:55 GMT -8
Chuck, if this is in Europe then European Customer protection law kicks in. There the seller's responsibility ends when the customer has received the items unless explicitly stated otherwise. So yes, there is no question that Robert should have handled the situation, except for antenna damage which he cannot guarantee. If the 20€ shipping included insurance or not is solely the seller's duty. Interesting. That would explain the high cost of business and shipping in EU, since sellers have to cover risk of loss and insurance. I can ship anywhere in USA up to 30kg with $200 insurance for $15 with USPS Flat Rate. Media ships at less than that. |
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Post by nomihoudai on Jul 17, 2020 5:35:38 GMT -8
Depending on the country you also have very cheap options available. The best being in Germany. It's around €8.49 for 22 pounds in a box of around 50"x 25"x 25" insured up to 500€. For a very meager sum you can up the insurance to 2500€ and 16€ send the parcel to neighboring countries.
The EU is a trade zone, so they define laws that supercede local laws in European countries. They usually take a customer centric approach.
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Post by wrongersine on Jul 12, 2021 23:31:43 GMT -8
Yes I am in the EU. So as you have correctly pointed out it is the sellers responsibility to deliver the goods in tact. This is why I was refunded after simply sending photo evidence to Paypal.
Anyway, nice to hear some glowing reviews of Robert and also a couple of interesting private messages letting me know he is a grumpy bugger. I obviously got him on a bad day.
Good luck to him but he's lost a lot of sales over something that probably costs him next to nothing.
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Post by kevinkk on Jul 13, 2021 7:57:13 GMT -8
Damaged in transit is a difficult one, I've received items before with tire tracks on them- and some people just don't know how to
pack anything.
Apparently responsibility is different in other countries, I've bit the bullet before and refunded buyers I felt didn't deserve it,
in the big picture, it wasn't that big of a deal, even when I let the buyer keep the item, what ever it happened to be.
It just goes to show that either insurance or a buyer protected purchase is a good idea, especially when you're dealing with a new person.
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