insurance claims...

[The Less Blob]

sorry if this topic has been addressed.

 

i bought insurance (out of my own pocket because I underestimated postage costs) on a slab I sent to California.

 

buyer says there's a crack in it and wants a partial refund to pay for CGC to re-slab it. there was no crack when I sent it out and I put about 29 feet of bubble wrap on it, but I guess anything can happen.

 

The way I read the usps rules is that the buyer has to take the damaged item along with all of its packagaing, etc. to the post office to get the partial refund.

 

(Were it lost in the mail we could just apply on-line for the money.)

 

Am I reading this right? So him trying to get money out of me because I "insured" it doesn't do me much good because I can't collect on the insurance without bringing the damaged item in.

 

Now, assuming I e-mail him proof of mailing, receipts, proof of purchase of insurance, etc., I assume he can collect even though he wasn't the insurance purchaser, right? Otherwise insuring the item against damage would be sort of pointless, right?

 

Having spent money on insurance I am not so eager to hand over $15 if I can't collect on it.

[BassGMan]

I once sent a book to a buyer that was damaged in the mail. The Wolvie (mini-series #1 9.8) was fully insured. He went to the post office to complain. He filled out forms. I had to send him my "half" of the insurance notice (the half they give back when it is mailed) as well as fill out some paperwork from the post office that the buyer sent me. It took over a month but the buyer received the full insured value of the book, plus got to keep the damaged book. That is how it works. You cannot collect yourself unless you have the damaged item in your posession with all packaging materials. He can collect if he wants to go through the hassle. My suggestion? It may not be "right", but I'd just send the guy $15 and forget about it. It will leave a positive image in the mind of the buyer and neither of you will need to go through the hassle of filing a claim.

[WernerVonDoom]

Normally the post office keeps the damaged package and contents. They destroy it and then keep it, very irritating.

[drbanner]

Normally the post office keeps the damaged package and contents. They destroy it and then keep it, very irritating.

 

That's what they are supposed to do (retain the damaged goods), but they don't always keep them...which can be kinda nice on an expensive/damaged lot.

 

If there's one thing I've learned about the established PO policies on things like shipping and insurance, it's that their level of consistency is highly inconsistent!

[The Less Blob]

Really annoying. I guess anybody can just claim a crack in the case to try and squeeze you for $15, although I have no reason to doubt this guy. It basically cuts my profit on a $100 book I've owned for 3 years down to about $10 and that's optimistic. Really F-ing annoying.

 

What's irritating is that I got a crappy price on a book that usually sells for $110-$125 (a 9.4 with white pages), in fact, this guy has paid in that range for multiple copies of the book, some of them with OW pages. What's the big deal about a little crack anyway?

 

So, basically, insurance is useless for partially damages goods like this because you'll spend hours trying to get $15 back?

[krazykat-migration]

the blob,

 

Screw him.

 

Send him the insurance form,..tell him if he wants to pursue it ,..it is his perogative.

 

Dont get bent out over it. The guy has recourse....it should not fall on you.

 

KK

[The Less Blob]

actually, I might be losing money if I cough up the $15 now that I think about it...

 

I'm half tempted to e-mail his other sellers to see if he does this frequently, but if he doesn't and it's legit that is sort of an invasion of privacy (not from a legal standpoint, but from a common courtesy standpoint)