Bad Trader - mendvicdog

Tagging @mendvicdog here. Hopefully it's just some kind of miscommunication and somebody with that many trades isn't going to bail on you.

 

Tagged @mendvicdog

OP - Do you have any other information? This is pretty vague currently.

 

Thanks for the additional info. He's been on here for 10 years, has tons of rates, and tons of trades. Can't see him abandoning an account that's been active for so long. He was on today so hopefully next time he logs on he will view this thread since he was tagged. I'll tag a mod as well to review. @blue-dream

 

@nolinenowait already contacted me and I advised him to start this thread. Feedback on both sides of this trade has already been given, so it's closed in the system.

Bad Trader tag added to @mendvicdog until he comes to explain.

 

I'm here. I will write out a response once I've thought it over for a bit. Should be later today. If not today, tomorrow morning.

 

So we agreed on a trade and shipment date in early April of this year. Prior to setting up the trade I asked him about VT shipping problems because I had seen a few threads about it. He told me he had never had any issues before. We both accepted the trade request.

We both shipped when we said we would (he shipped a few days before me). My box was confiscated at the Williston VT location where there have been many issues. I doubt anything leaked, although it is possible. It was a box in a box packed tightly with lots of bubble wrap. After the box was confiscated, he told me he had moved to Montepelier in February. I felt deceived by the lack of transparency. He contends he does trades in other locations and has many shipments come in weekly. I obviously could have done more research on where the package would go and that's on me, but I trusted his statement.

This was a pretty big loss for me. I had a replacement for one of the two beers. We began discussing replacements for the other. His suggestions for replacements were above what I thought was fair. After a while I found out from a friend that he had the other beer, and that I could have it. So I would be able to give him the same two beers.

While we were discussing replacements we were also discussing how I would get his beer to him. My first thought was that I or one of my friends could hand deliver the beer to him the next time one of us was in VT. I went to VT 5 times in 2015 and my friends went several other times. I was confident that if he could be patient for a few weeks, I could get him his beer. I was a scared of shipping again and having the second packaged confiscated too. I offered to buy him a beer next time I was in Montpelier too for the hassle. The week before he left bad feedback my friend was considering going up to VT but in the end couldn't make it. I was still trying to figure out if any of my friends were going up soon when he left bad feedback.

He left bad feedback for me less than a month after I originally shipped him his package. My communication to him could have been better, but I was not avoiding him and was not trying to screw him over. In my mind we were still working things out. He also left bad feedback before I read his last few messages. In his bad trader review he said "and no efforts were made to replace and communication has stopped." This is completely false. I can prove that I sent several messages discussing replacements and getting him his beer. Not responding for a few days does not mean that I stopped communicating.

Anyway, I am discussing with him now how to resolve this.

 

Thanks for showing up to provide your side of story. One or both of you should post the beer mails so the truth is known.

 

I've seen the thread about shipping with FedEx in Vermont but can they legally confiscate the package? I would call FedEx customer service and file a claim. I had one package sent to me that had a couple of broken bottles, granted it was USPS but they allowed me to pickup the box in person.

 

It's illegal to ship beer. If they even claim they heard sloshing they could justifiably open the box as soon as it's beer they can dispose of the box and poof good bye and no acceptable claim

 

I think the bad trader tag should be removed until this is fully resolved. Just my two cents though.

 

So, did you send him beers that arrived safely? Did you ask him to return those beers? What were the compensatory beers you asked him for after his shipment was confiscated? No offense, but you're light on detail and quick and heavy on punishment.

 

So do people think it was unreasonable of me to ask him to wait a few weeks so someone could hand deliver him his beer after having my first package confiscated? I stated this was preference to him a few times, but he just kept responding with if you don't ship by tomorrow I will leave bad feedback (and I would not have read the message by his deadline). I felt uncomfortable with his constant threats instead of trying to work with me. I was going to give him really nice extras for the hassle of having to wait those extra weeks to get his beer.

My plan was to try to ship to him again if none of my friends could get up to him in a few weeks.

 

Did you consider trying a different shipper by chance if you had to ship again? I know the one thread was concerning Fedex, but people said they didn't have issues with UPS.

 

My point of view? No I don't think your request was unreasonable. If your message history is as you state I think the OP jumped the gun on the negative feedback. If that is the case this will be resolved you won't be marred a bad trader and OP will be told to change his feedback.

Communication is king and if you did it then you'll be fine

 

With your full side of the story I don't think this is unreasonable at all. You are out two beers one you mentioned not being able to replace so I can certainly understand your hesitancy to ship again. I also understand your reservations about shipping to begin with as I too have heard the issues with FedEx in VT but I guess fact remains at one point you did agree to the trade and you did get your beer while OP did not.

Shipping with UPS also sounds like a good course of action if others have said it worked out well but the key is to remain in communication with your other party. It's hard to tell if the gun was jumped on the negative feedback but it appears you guys have been communicating now and that you want to make this right.

 

If you are looking for sympathy @mendvicdog, you need to post the messages between you guys. The facts, as we know it, are that you made a trade by mail. Your box wasn't delivered (and his box was delivered promptly to you and noted in your feedback you left) and @nolinenowait was nice to agree to IP delivery by your friend that didn't happen. Unless your messages show otherwise, you needed to make sure you didn't slack off on communications. Kinda think you did (unless you can show otherwise) and you needed to reassure the OP and make it right. He didn't have to wait for your friend to deliver it so if he was being nice, you couldn't keep up constant communications? You came on this thread pretty quickly after @F2brewers tagged you and added the red BAD TRADER banner to your profile. I don't have a problem with this thread being started (with the current info) and the OP did consult the Mods before posting this thread. Remember, you admitted that your communication to him could have been better. Time to consider, even though you felt that you were not avoiding him and not trying to screw him over, that you might have made him feel that way. Bottom line, your communications was lacking and this is the reason this thread was started. You need to make this right ASAP to restore your reputation.