To think this customer is unreasonable?

[WhataBelta]

DH and I own a business selling a product. As with lots of branded products, it has our logo on it. These are products that take a lot of time and effort to make and as such, can be quite expensive.

As we offer free personalisations, we ask customers to leave notes with any requests when they checkout on our website.

A customer ordered a large number and left a note to say they didn't want any engraving. No problem.

We sent them out with just the logo on and no personalisation.

The customer has now come back and said he didn't want the logo on as per his no engraving request and wants us to redo them or refund.

AIBU to think you can't expect a brand to take their logo off products for you?! I would never order from a brand and expect them to send me something blank without their logo/name on if it's obvious they put it on everything.

Are we unreasonable to say no? It makes me wonder why, perhaps they wanted to sell them on as their own or something similar. They say it's because they are gifts and they want them blank but I kind of think well tough, you've bought a very clearly branded product

I'm not comparing like with like, but there was a story a while back about a couple who went to - for eg - a Greek island on an 'all-inclusive' holiday and thought that meant they could eat and drink for free anywhere on that island. I thought that was a wind-up until I was at work (a sort of boutique hotel) a few weeks later and two couples staying came in for their 'complimentary glass of wine on the patio'. I queried this and they pulled up our website and pointed to a paragraph saying 'Why not enjoy a glass of wine on the veranda?' I laughed. They were not joking.

@museumum

You are entirely right. The customer is wrong. But assuming you can now engrave these ones I’d offer a refund if and only if he returns them all at his cost and in resellable condition.

Unfortunately we can't now personalise these for another customer. We'd have to sell them to someone who didn't want any personalisation. As they are tools, the process they go through to harden them means they can't easily be stamped afterwards.

He is being unreasonable. Tell him you cannot provide unbranded goods but if he returns the branded ones you will refund him. Hopefully over time you will be able to sell these on.

Just tell the customer to return them and you will refund and that "all products come with the company logo stamped on them.

You also need to explain that you cannot fulfill their requirement of providing them without your logo. (I, too, believe they want to pass them off as their own).

Change your T&C's so that they state company logo stamped on all products.

Can you patent your product?

@KittyHawke80

I'm not comparing like with like, but there was a story a while back about a couple who went to - for eg - a Greek island on an 'all-inclusive' holiday and thought that meant they could eat and drink for free anywhere on that island. I thought that was a wind-up until I was at work (a sort of boutique hotel) a few weeks later and two couples staying came in for their 'complimentary glass of wine on the patio'. I queried this and they pulled up our website and pointed to a paragraph saying 'Why not enjoy a glass of wine on the veranda?' I laughed. They were not joking.

Wow!

Then really it comes to do you want him as a customer again.

Like others have said I expect the customer wants to sell them as his own handiwork. You have a business to protect and if the photos clearly state the logo, then there is nothing wrong with product, therefore it’s just tough luck for the customer. Why else would he want the logo removed?

Wow that customer is a cheeky sod. Bet they wanted to sell them on as their own, why else would you buy a large order of product and get pissy at a logo of the company?

Don't refund them. They are morons.

I agree with others. Just refund and not repeat the order.

CurlyMc

Post is quite delayed at the moment. It's possible he has only just received them.

I’d go with the copyright branding explanation.

If they are returned in perfect condition within 14days refund.

Cut your losses and adapt your t&cs so this doesn’t happen again.

Any idiot knows there is a difference between personalisation and brand labelling.

For the sake of not having an absolute idiot getting more upset, I would offer to refund though.

You may find that when you tell him that tha items can’t be sold without branding he decides to keep them.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

CurlyMc

Post is quite delayed at the moment. It's possible he has only just received them.

We send everything tracked and special delivery in the UK so I know he received it the next day according to the tracking info.

I probably will just refund though. We are certainly not redoing them.

OP, if they're chisels, rasps or planes I'll buy them for my DH!

Agree you should say he can return them for a refund but you're unable to supply unbranded products.

You do wait to receive the items back before refunding don’t you?

He sounds like a tricky customer and I wouldn’t trust him.

No don't refund. He's a cheeky sod and even if he does a bad review, he's just going to show what a moron he is. He doesn't deserve a refund. The only thing he should get is an exchange on his brain for one that works.

Logo is standard with any product. It prevents copyright infringement if. Nothing else.

Large number of unbranded products? How do you know he’s not intending to put his own brand on them and sell them under his own name. Tell him to do one.

@WhattheHhashappened

You do wait to receive the items back before refunding don’t you?

He sounds like a tricky customer and I wouldn’t trust him.

Absolutely! And if they aren't in resellable condition he wouldn't be getting a penny.

One point that jumped out at me that you may also want to consider in your response. You stated the order has a point for "adding personalisation", providing that your photos of the product show your logo, then he needed to be explicit in his order to remove the logo. The key being "adding an additional mark" so not subtracting an existing mark.

@AnnieOH1

One point that jumped out at me that you may also want to consider in your response. You stated the order has a point for "adding personalisation", providing that your photos of the product show your logo, then he needed to be explicit in his order to remove the logo. The key being "adding an additional mark" so not subtracting an existing mark.

Thanks, yes every single product on our website shows the logo/name visibly on the photos.

Only refund once you have the items in your hand!

He sounds like a complete pain! All you can do is take a hard lesson and change the wording in your T+Cs etc.

What an odd customer.

How many people have EVER considered the company logo to be non-obligatory on an item? It's part of the advertising - why would a company pay to have a logo if they were going to use it on a discretionary basis? I don't write to Domestos to ask them if they can tone down their logo for my bottles to better match my bathroom!

I think customer may be rather...inexperienced at this whole 'buying' thing. I'd refund, as a goodwill gesture, whilst making it VERY obvious that this is a goodwill gesture and telling them in no uncertain terms that the logo is not a discretionary engraving'.

How do you know he’s not intending to put his own brand on them and sell them under his own name

This is what I suspect to be honest.