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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this customer is unreasonable?

214 replies

WhataBelta · 30/07/2020 08:44

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 Confused

OP posts:
Passmethecrisps · 30/07/2020 11:27

You have had lots of helpful responses op but I suppose I wanted to add my indignation to this.

He bought £1300 of products. He regularly spends £100 on gifts does he? I can’t think that I know 13 people who would want a specific tool worth £100 let alone know 13 well enough that I would spend that on them.

He is a cheeky bellend who likes your product so much he wants to stick his own branding on it and sell it on for more. Bollocks to that.

I bought a picture frame for my husband. Personalised for Father’s Day. I accidentally put two ‘the’ in it. So it said “to the best daddy in the the world” I checked it 484748 times and still missed the typo. Did it enter my head to blame the company? Nope. Nope it did not.

How hard do you think he will push? If you stand firm and say no as he was outwith the 14 days do you think he will make a pest of himself?

Zaphodsotherhead · 30/07/2020 11:28

He could have been giving them as 'corporate' gifts, which would account for him needing so many and unengraved.

Viviennemary · 30/07/2020 11:29

I think it's fair enough the customer didn't want your logo. But they should have made it clear if all your products have a logo. Which I don't think is necessarily a good idea if it's putting people off. But of course I don't know how prominent it is.,

lottiegarbanzo · 30/07/2020 11:29

Well he's BVU but, as they're not engraved, you can take them back, refund and re-sell. So no loss but postage.

rainbowstardrops · 30/07/2020 11:32

What a cheeky bugger! I think you'd be generous to offer him a refund but he certainly wouldn't be getting any unbranded ones sent to him!

Viviennemary · 30/07/2020 11:35

I agree with not replacing them. He might find something else to complain about. Can't you take them back and offset the loss against tax.. And sell them discounted.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 30/07/2020 11:35

I would refund and not do them without the logo.
And change your ts and cs to make it clear that your logo is on every item.

Tell them it's like a copyright stamp and not negotiable. Offer them money back in return for item, but they can't have a replacement without logo. (I bet you're right re resale.)

I think I would do this, too. If they have ordered a large quantity, it doesn't seem like allure going to be gifts - unless the customer has a business and wants to offer a "thank you" to customers - but in that case, why have a problem with the items having a logo?

The customer is likely going to re-sell at a higher price - perhaps even putting their own logo on them. Stuff that for a game of soldiers!

But at the same time you can do without giving them the excuse to plaster bad reviews all over social media and on you website. If they do leave a bad review anywhere you can calmly respond that you have refunded the customer's money, as the logo is not up for debate.

(Am I the only one dying to know what the item is?)

CouldBeOuting · 30/07/2020 11:39

@Zaphodsotherhead

He could have been giving them as 'corporate' gifts, which would account for him needing so many and unengraved.
My old boss used to give Mont Blanc pens as gifts. They would be engraved with our company name and the date of the contract. They also retained the Mont Blanc branding.
SchadenfreudePersonified · 30/07/2020 11:42

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.

Hadn't read this post when I replied earlier.

If you don't sell these, unpersonalised, very often, then tell him to get stuffed - he is outside your returns period and his instructions weren't clear - if they had been you would have declined the order. You could, i suppose, out of goodwill, offer a proportion of the value if he returns them in a new condition at his own expense.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 30/07/2020 11:46

Do you think he's hoping that you will offer to refund (say) 50% of the cost, and let him still keep the items?

Bettyhatesavocados · 30/07/2020 11:48

So, I order 13 branded pen and am asked if I want them personalised? I say no, pens arrives with branding on and I complain... Madness. Same thing here except the process your goods go through render them difficult to personalise after completion, making them harder to sell on.
He clearly wanted to pass off the 'gifts' as his own work or add his own branding and sell on at profit.
If your ts&cs are fairly tight, would you not be tempted to decline a refund? If he got what he asked for (as per ts &cs on you site) can't you refuse?

MilerVino · 30/07/2020 11:48

OP just watch that you're not in breach of distance selling regulations. I wouldn't make them again without your branding, but you may find you're obliged to take them back and refund him.

Figgygal · 30/07/2020 11:50

Nah he’s a CF

ProfessorSlocombe · 30/07/2020 12:00

@Zaphodsotherhead

He could have been giving them as 'corporate' gifts, which would account for him needing so many and unengraved.
making it a B2B sale ...
skylarkdescending · 30/07/2020 12:04

I agree he's a CF. You should accept a return and refund him.

I agree with a PP though, don't have a fixed mindset on this just out of principle - see it as a way to grow your business. If he was indeed using them as corporate gifts then can you offer that service ie plain unbranded items or with customer company logo at extra cost?

Then you both 'win'

ProfessorSlocombe · 30/07/2020 12:04

@MilerVino

OP just watch that you're not in breach of distance selling regulations. I wouldn't make them again without your branding, but you may find you're obliged to take them back and refund him.
Again, if it's B2B, then the Consumer Contracts Regulation doesn't apply.
roses2 · 30/07/2020 12:13

@Ellmau

Tell them it's like a copyright stamp and not negotiable. Offer them money back in return for item, but they can't have a replacement without logo. (I bet you're right re resale.)
This is a good idea

Is she allowed to return them under distance selling regulations?

nowlook · 30/07/2020 12:14

Agreed @ProfessorSlocombe
I think the OP also said that he was out of time (assuming he was made aware of the cooling off period) even if a consumer.

diddl · 30/07/2020 12:17

He said no engraving.

They weren't engraved!

Who considers a stamped company logo to be engraving ffs?

diddl · 30/07/2020 12:21

@Zaphodsotherhead

He could have been giving them as 'corporate' gifts, which would account for him needing so many and unengraved.
But then why would he care about the logo being on?
safariboot · 30/07/2020 12:23

The thing is although an unusual order, it's not blatantly a business one. So if OP tries to push that angle they could well lose.

Mountainpika · 30/07/2020 12:26

Why would someone want to give an expensive gift without proof on it that is an expensive item? The company logo shows who made it. Otherwise it could be a cheap mass-made item.

And 13??

Sounds dodgy to me.
No return, no refund. Tough.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 30/07/2020 12:28

Have you googled his name?

ProfessorSlocombe · 30/07/2020 12:30

@safariboot

The thing is although an unusual order, it's not blatantly a business one. So if OP tries to push that angle they could well lose.
A lot will come down to the OPs T&Cs. Although they don't trump contract law.

But in general, if you are offering a consumer product, it's best to be explicit about it in the T&Cs. That shifts the onus onto the buyer to ensure they've ordered under the correct regime.

orangenasturtium · 30/07/2020 12:34

YANBU

But does the website show images of personalised items that have both the branding and the personalisation visible in the same photo? If they are both stamped I can see how he might possibly have thought the brand stamp was to illustrate personalisation using your company name as an example.

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