Is this behaviour normal?

[Ceaiu]

3 months ago I have placed an order (1 kilo silver coin) to a relatively known Polish seller.

Receival of payment on May 2nd; coin was on stock therefore shipped quite fast.

Tracking the package it was clear at one point that there are issues with (UPS) delivery... probably stolen.

Contacted the seller to open a complaint with UPS. They [seller] were not transparent over the phone and asked me to wait two more weeks hoping that package will arrive still.

Only afterwards they advise me to open complaint on their Web site. Still complaint was not processed for another week at least.

They never offered a clear timelines for solving the complaint. 

UPS replied to one of my emails saying they have closed the case since June 17th, yet seller still asked me to wait because case is in progress.

Latest estimation is for next week August 4th to 10th to let me know what they have decided on compensation.

And here is perhaps the nastiest part...

Even though the coin is in stock, they don't want to send me another coin, but money back because price has moved up.

I had 1000 eur blocked for the last 3 months and now they are saying the price moved.

Is this normal?

I have opened a complaint with European Customer Protection but other than that I don't know how to handle them.

 

 

[CollectForFun]

That's unfortunate, sorry to hear the package got lost. On the brighter side, at least it was insured, as I understand, which is not always the case.

Regarding whether it should be expected that the seller sends you another coin, that's debatable. Of course, crucial is what is in their T&Cs, but I would rather expect that the standard handling of a lost package scenario is that you are reimbursed in money and then you can place a new order if you wish. Obviously, the price increase in the meantime makes this quite an unfavourable deal for you. And if the seller unnecessarily delays the reimbursement, I can only understand your disappointment with how this all played out.

So, I would first of all recommend that you check their T&Cs if you can find any support for your arguments. If not, try to reach some sort of a deal in the middle that would work for both parties. At worst, you'll hopefully get your 1000 euros back...

[stefffana]

14 hours ago, Ceaiu said:

3 months ago I have placed an order (1 kilo silver coin) to a relatively known Polish seller.

Receival of payment on May 2nd; coin was on stock therefore shipped quite fast.

Tracking the package it was clear at one point that there are issues with (UPS) delivery... probably stolen.

Contacted the seller to open a complaint with UPS. They [seller] were not transparent over the phone and asked me to wait two more weeks hoping that package will arrive still.

Only afterwards they advise me to open complaint on their Web site. Still complaint was not processed for another week at least.

They never offered a clear timelines for solving the complaint. 

UPS replied to one of my emails saying they have closed the case since June 17th, yet seller still asked me to wait because case is in progress.

Latest estimation is for next week August 4th to 10th to let me know what they have decided on compensation.

And here is perhaps the nastiest part...

Even though the coin is in stock, they don't want to send me another coin, but money back because price has moved up.

I had 1000 eur blocked for the last 3 months and now they are saying the price moved.

Is this normal?

I have opened a complaint with European Customer Protection but other than that I don't know howrecov to handle them.

 

 

I'm sorry to hear this... Probably the seller processed your complaint according their T&C and I don't think they will send you another similar item.

It's a shame, I hope to recover your money soon. 

[Jake0111]

15 hours ago, Ceaiu said:

3 months ago I have placed an order (1 kilo silver coin) to a relatively known Polish seller.

Receival of payment on May 2nd; coin was on stock therefore shipped quite fast.

Tracking the package it was clear at one point that there are issues with (UPS) delivery... probably stolen.

Contacted the seller to open a complaint with UPS. They [seller] were not transparent over the phone and asked me to wait two more weeks hoping that package will arrive still.

Only afterwards they advise me to open complaint on their Web site. Still complaint was not processed for another week at least.

They never offered a clear timelines for solving the complaint. 

UPS replied to one of my emails saying they have closed the case since June 17th, yet seller still asked me to wait because case is in progress.

Latest estimation is for next week August 4th to 10th to let me know what they have decided on compensation.

And here is perhaps the nastiest part...

Even though the coin is in stock, they don't want to send me another coin, but money back because price has moved up.

I had 1000 eur blocked for the last 3 months and now they are saying the price moved.

Is this normal?

I have opened a complaint with European Customer Protection but other than that I don't know how to handle them.

 

 

It sounds abit terrible but some companies do only give refunds back. Witch they will end up been on both sides of, they do it so it's easier to keep track of stock and keeps disputes down. 

[Ceaiu]

I'm curious if they will go for refund now, since the market has dumped and current price is lower than what I've paid.

[MBTPSilver]

Not many dealers want to resend after a failed delivery. It's too high a risk. Unfortunately that is one of the downsides with buying items of fluctuating value.

[Ceaiu]

Finally... took more than 3 months to get my money back, and immediately reordered it.

4€ difference 🙃