Case of wine was signed for but never arrived...

So a customer of ours ordered a case of wine - first time online customer from NYC looking for a particular vintage of a $15 wine.

We ship said wine, it is signed for by “A. Doorman” at the building the customer lives in. Customer calls and says he has not received the wine and the doorman does not have it or know anything about it.

Customer now wants a full refund. Should we just grant the refund and call it a day?

I’d contest it with the shipper. They are supposed to get a valid signature.

The signature says “A. Doorman” or is there a name ? I would find out exactly who signed for it and have your customer ask him about it. If the signature is not legible contact the shipper, they are supposed to ask at least the last name to enter into their computer to confirm delivery. Can you look up the tracking info and see who it says signed for it?
It couldn’t just vanish. I know you don’t want to insult a potential repeat customer but something is not right if they’re saying they can’t find it and it was signed for.

if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then …

Or the delivery person left it at the door and signed it that way. From a service perspective I’d refund the customer (or ship replacement wine) and contest with the shipper.

short term: re-ship the wine and ask the recipient to provide a business address to help ensure delivery.

long(er) term: contact the shipping company and ask them to run a trace on the original “lost package.” if it’s UPS, this may take 8-10 business days. in addition, i’d contact the shipper’s resolution desk and inform them of the situation and have them document your conversation. ask them to contact the driver (as suggested above) and find out who “really” signed for the package (i.e. the name of the doorman).

it’s been my experience that UPS is pretty good about resolving issues like this one with a lost package, and have been willing issue a refund on the product (and shipping) once a claim has been filed. FedEx is another story…

from a customer service standpoint, you’ve contributed to a positive experience for your client by shipping a second order while you deal with the first. be sure to inform your client of what’s happening and what the final resolution turns out to be, even if you end up eating the wine & shipping for the original order.

Call your UPS/FedEx Account Manager, they should help you resolve this.
Good point from Corey N. Also, doesn’t Shipping Insurance cover this type of predicament? Good luck!

ask if there are video cameras in the lobby. In this day and age most places are taping 24/7. You know what day it arrived and what time, who was said doorman on the schedule?

Good idea, but most of the cameras tape over after about 7 days max, so probably won’t help in this situation. Having the customer check the schedule of the doormen is also a good idea but it’s pretty easy for them to deny receiving it and unless there’s a doorman whose first name starts with an ‘A’ this is probably just some type of fraud.

Reship/refund customer and take the shipper to task. File a claim for stolen merch.

As was said take care of the customer first then bitch to the shipper. They screwed up and should pay.