Complaints Against Suppliers - ECF Policy
Members occasionally have complaints about a Supplier's service and ECF staff will help when needed.
First we will try to mediate and assist those involved to come to an amicable agreement. In general, this approach works because there can easily be communication difficulties or misunderstandings. Both customers and suppliers can be unreasonable at times though, and we try to create some form of balance and an agreed outcome.
If a Member orders products and does not receive the order or a refund within 21 days, then we will intervene directly on their behalf as we believe this is unacceptable.
If a Member receives what they perceive to be poor service, then they have a choice of writing to us with the complaint, or posting a negative review of that Supplier in the forum which exists for that purpose:
Reviews of Suppliers - E-Cigarette Forum
Posts cannot be deleted in this board except by Moderators, who will not do so unless a Member repeatedly posts similar materials and the point has already been made; or if we decide that the Supplier has answered the issue to our satisfaction.
Documentation
Buyers should always keep the online receipt for their order. Without this it is very difficult to resolve an issue one way or the other. If no receipt exists then there is no proof the order was made and it becomes a matter of hearsay.
ALWAYS save your receipt and NEVER DELETE YOUR RECEIPTS - keep them for further reference even after the order has been received.
In some cases it may be necessary for you to save the order confirmation page in the ecommerce checkout and you should always take this option; however a good Supplier will email you with an order confirmation. Please inform ECF immediately if a Supplier does not issue receipts. You may also get an email receipt from the merchant partner / payment gateway system such as PayPal.
Complaints
Please address your complaints in the first instance to the Forum Manager:
forum [AT] e-cigarette-forum [DOT] com
Further issues may be addressed to the Site Manager at:
admin [AT] e-cigarette-forum [DOT] com
[rebuild these email addresses to the standard format, using @ and .com]
Please DO NOT use PMs for these matters as it is harder to track issues via the PM system.
If you can use the email subject line / header of SUPPLIER COMPLAINT then that will assist us.
Expulsion of Supplier
Members should note that we do take action against defaulting Suppliers because this site is run for the Members, not the Suppliers. We try to maintain a balance because it is not the case that all customers are reasonable all the time - but where there is proof a Supplier has defaulted we will pursue the matter.
If necessary, we may delete a Supplier's forum if they are at Forum Supplier level, reverting them to Registered Supplier, or expel them from the site. If at Registered Supplier level, they may be expelled from the site. We have taken these steps before and we will do so in the future.
Unregistered Suppliers
Members should only order from Suppliers who are registered with us. These have a user title - in the left-hand column below their name - of Forum Supplier, Registered Supplier, or similar. Those with no such title, or listed as an Unregistered Supplier, are not ECF suppliers and we cannot become involved with any mediation or recovery of funds.
Classifieds section
Suppliers are not allowed to post offers in the Classifieds section, it is strictly for member-to-member transactions. Please inform ECF admin if you suspect an advertiser in Classifieds is a supplier, either registered or unregistered.
Be advised that ECF cannot enforce any form of compliance in the area of honest dealing on Members and therefore your dealings in Classifieds are a strictly private affair between you and the advertiser or buyer. You must take all precautions to avoid being defrauded and you are entirely responsible for such precautions.
There is no way that ECF can assist in the return of funds or goods. All ECF Members are anonymous (unlike Suppliers) as we do not ask for a real name or address or phone number from anyone on registration. We cannot pursue anonymous persons so you must take all possible precautions; you should consider the fact that essentially your transaction is risky; and you should also consider limiting any transaction to the maximum amount that you can easily lose without injury.
You must never pay through PayPal using the 'Send as a Gift' option as that removes the ability of PayPal to return the funds to you if the seller defaults. You should be suspicious of any seller who asks you to pay using the 'Send as a Gift' option. Pay the extra fee and get protection.
Notes
Advice to Suppliers
There are several areas in which problems can occur, and you might consider checking to see if you have covered all the bases.
Receipts
Your ecommerce backend should automatically email every buyer with a purchase receipt. If it doesn't, you may be in line for some complaints. You should at least make sure that there are large warnings on the final checkout page that buyers need to Save or Print the page with the order details.
Back orders
DO NOT advertise and DO NOT take orders for products that are not in stock, even if you believe they will be delivered tomorrow. This is the single largest area of contention between buyers and sellers. Buyers expect immediate delivery and if you offer items for sale that cannot be delivered immediately this is bad practice, and likely to result in complaints to ECF.
What you must do is one of these:
- Remove the item from your store
- Mark it as out of stock
- Mark it as out of stock but backorders are being taken
If you don't have something you cannot sell it. Buyers can pay on the understanding the item is on backorder and that if it is not delivered to them within 21 days (and that means to their door not yours) they will receive a refund. If you clearly state a longer wait may be required, the buyer may agree to this, but in order to avoid disputes you should make all aspects very clear.
Members
If a Supplier appears to be selling out of stock items without prior warning before taking your money, we want to know.
.
Members occasionally have complaints about a Supplier's service and ECF staff will help when needed.
First we will try to mediate and assist those involved to come to an amicable agreement. In general, this approach works because there can easily be communication difficulties or misunderstandings. Both customers and suppliers can be unreasonable at times though, and we try to create some form of balance and an agreed outcome.
If a Member orders products and does not receive the order or a refund within 21 days, then we will intervene directly on their behalf as we believe this is unacceptable.
If a Member receives what they perceive to be poor service, then they have a choice of writing to us with the complaint, or posting a negative review of that Supplier in the forum which exists for that purpose:
Reviews of Suppliers - E-Cigarette Forum
Posts cannot be deleted in this board except by Moderators, who will not do so unless a Member repeatedly posts similar materials and the point has already been made; or if we decide that the Supplier has answered the issue to our satisfaction.
Documentation
Buyers should always keep the online receipt for their order. Without this it is very difficult to resolve an issue one way or the other. If no receipt exists then there is no proof the order was made and it becomes a matter of hearsay.
ALWAYS save your receipt and NEVER DELETE YOUR RECEIPTS - keep them for further reference even after the order has been received.
In some cases it may be necessary for you to save the order confirmation page in the ecommerce checkout and you should always take this option; however a good Supplier will email you with an order confirmation. Please inform ECF immediately if a Supplier does not issue receipts. You may also get an email receipt from the merchant partner / payment gateway system such as PayPal.
Complaints
Please address your complaints in the first instance to the Forum Manager:
forum [AT] e-cigarette-forum [DOT] com
Further issues may be addressed to the Site Manager at:
admin [AT] e-cigarette-forum [DOT] com
[rebuild these email addresses to the standard format, using @ and .com]
Please DO NOT use PMs for these matters as it is harder to track issues via the PM system.
If you can use the email subject line / header of SUPPLIER COMPLAINT then that will assist us.
Expulsion of Supplier
Members should note that we do take action against defaulting Suppliers because this site is run for the Members, not the Suppliers. We try to maintain a balance because it is not the case that all customers are reasonable all the time - but where there is proof a Supplier has defaulted we will pursue the matter.
If necessary, we may delete a Supplier's forum if they are at Forum Supplier level, reverting them to Registered Supplier, or expel them from the site. If at Registered Supplier level, they may be expelled from the site. We have taken these steps before and we will do so in the future.
Unregistered Suppliers
Members should only order from Suppliers who are registered with us. These have a user title - in the left-hand column below their name - of Forum Supplier, Registered Supplier, or similar. Those with no such title, or listed as an Unregistered Supplier, are not ECF suppliers and we cannot become involved with any mediation or recovery of funds.
Classifieds section
Suppliers are not allowed to post offers in the Classifieds section, it is strictly for member-to-member transactions. Please inform ECF admin if you suspect an advertiser in Classifieds is a supplier, either registered or unregistered.
Be advised that ECF cannot enforce any form of compliance in the area of honest dealing on Members and therefore your dealings in Classifieds are a strictly private affair between you and the advertiser or buyer. You must take all precautions to avoid being defrauded and you are entirely responsible for such precautions.
There is no way that ECF can assist in the return of funds or goods. All ECF Members are anonymous (unlike Suppliers) as we do not ask for a real name or address or phone number from anyone on registration. We cannot pursue anonymous persons so you must take all possible precautions; you should consider the fact that essentially your transaction is risky; and you should also consider limiting any transaction to the maximum amount that you can easily lose without injury.
You must never pay through PayPal using the 'Send as a Gift' option as that removes the ability of PayPal to return the funds to you if the seller defaults. You should be suspicious of any seller who asks you to pay using the 'Send as a Gift' option. Pay the extra fee and get protection.
Notes
- Don't do nothing - unless you tell us, we won't know.
- Keep your receipts, they are crucial.
- If you don't get a receipt, then tell us.
- You may post both good and bad reviews in the forum shown above.
- If you have a problem then PLEASE write us or post in the Supplier reviews board. Do nothing, and the result is that we know nothing.
- We are interested in any reports of less than perfect customer service. TELL US.
- If you think that a Supplier uses a sales tactic that is not acceptable, please tell us.
_____________________________________________________________
Advice to Suppliers
There are several areas in which problems can occur, and you might consider checking to see if you have covered all the bases.
Receipts
Your ecommerce backend should automatically email every buyer with a purchase receipt. If it doesn't, you may be in line for some complaints. You should at least make sure that there are large warnings on the final checkout page that buyers need to Save or Print the page with the order details.
Back orders
DO NOT advertise and DO NOT take orders for products that are not in stock, even if you believe they will be delivered tomorrow. This is the single largest area of contention between buyers and sellers. Buyers expect immediate delivery and if you offer items for sale that cannot be delivered immediately this is bad practice, and likely to result in complaints to ECF.
What you must do is one of these:
- Remove the item from your store
- Mark it as out of stock
- Mark it as out of stock but backorders are being taken
If you don't have something you cannot sell it. Buyers can pay on the understanding the item is on backorder and that if it is not delivered to them within 21 days (and that means to their door not yours) they will receive a refund. If you clearly state a longer wait may be required, the buyer may agree to this, but in order to avoid disputes you should make all aspects very clear.
Members
If a Supplier appears to be selling out of stock items without prior warning before taking your money, we want to know.
_____________________________________________________________
.
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