The only time I ever had a dispute that threatened to go badly, I ordered a 4pak of 30Qs. Was marked “delivered” (at work, and on Hallowe’en, yet!!), yet no one here got any packages delivered that day. Checked the whole building, nothing. And it was a notable day, so for sure someone would’ve remembered something. And nondescript pink cylinders isn’t anything that the average schmo would even know what they are, let alone what to do with them.
What was odd that it was also the only time ever (before or since) I got an email from GB asking me if I received the order and how everything went. In fact, that was my first clue that they were considered “delivered”. I checked the status, yep, “delivered”, then asked around and went on a hunt as mentioned above.
So who knows, maybe it was a known problem with the shipper that I got the followup email? No idea.
But anyway, after checking with the post office, everyone in the building, etc., and no one knew of any delivery, that’s when I opened the ticket. “Sorry, ain’t our problem, check with the shipper”, etc., so I was being squeezed in the middle. GB is blaming the shipper, the shipper was blaming me (“hey, it says delivered, so…”), and I didn’t want to eat the cost of the cells.
In the end, I got my 30Qs, ’though I don’t recall how, as it was a loooooong time ago. I think I just ordered another 4pak on my own, and GB refunded me for the original order, but it took a bit of tooth-pulling to do it. I think I just got frustrated enough to say, “Hey, I’m having the CC reverse the charges, then you can argue with the shipper all you want”.
But in the end, it worked out. Still ordered enough to let Mr Gearbest put his kids through school.