Refund on personalised item

[Baddabingo]

Sorry it’s a long one

I am really concerned and I’m not sure if I’m being unreasonable or not.
I ordered a personalised item back in October and it said 3-6 weeks delivery. I finally got it 10 weeks later a few days ago and when it was arrived it was broken.
I had messaged the company a few times prior to this and didn’t really get much communication and in the meantime I had already bought something else instead.
I asked the seller if I could return for a refund and they said no, and that I would have to send the item back to them so they could repair it. I didn’t really want to wait another 10 weeks so I again asked for a refund to which they said no again.
They then said this:

“This is appalling, you have taken advantage of our small business by allowing us to hand make a custom item for you then once made and received you request a refund. This is why we have policy’s in place”

I rang my bank and got a charge back for the item and posted it back to them as I didn’t feel this was right. They have emailed me this morning threatening me with debt collectors and said they are going to warn other companies that this is what I do to small businesses.

I am now feeling that I may have been unreasonable and just sent it back for repair, however I don’t really like the threats they are making. Does anyone know where I stand here?

@Xfox

If it's faulty / damaged the seller can choose to repair, replace or refund. Legally, it's the sellers choice, not the buyers which of the 3 options they go with.

However most would let the buyer choose what they prefer, but she doesn't sound like customer service is her strong point!

They are legally entitled to a refund if its rejected within 30 days. If after 30 days they can offer a repair instead.

YANBU and they are wrong. If the item was faulty/broken, you had every right to a refund.

The shitty comments saying 'how dare you do this to a small company yada yada' are nasty, pathetic, passive aggressive, and very unprofessional. I would give them a bad review on whatever website you are able to do it/wherever you got it from.. Be that Amazon, Etsy, Ebay or whatever...

Flip side, you buy something else and it arrives conveniently "damaged"

Lol, don’t know why posters come onto threads and give incorrect advice. (Especially when the are so pompous about it ) It’s weird.

OP, you are correct. Of course you should be refunded. I’d ask them to return the cost of you posting it back to them just to wind them up 😅. If they asked you to post it back then legally they are required to pay for it or to arrange their own carrier.

@LessTime

Lol, don’t know why posters come onto threads and give incorrect advice. (Especially when the are so pompous about it ) It’s weird.

OP, you are correct. Of course you should be refunded. I’d ask them to return the cost of you posting it back to them just to wind them up 😅. If they asked you to post it back then legally they are required to pay for it or to arrange their own carrier.

Very tempting 😂😂 Thank you for your reply

Yanbu. As pp’s have stated the item is faulty so you are entitled to a refund. The delay without update or apology is also unacceptable IMO.

I don’t generally leave negative reviews but I would in this instance as I wouldn’t want to deal with a company like this. You may be saving others from long, unexplained delays and abuse when asking for issues to be rectified.

Utterly unreasonable of them, it was faulty.
I bought a personalised bracelet from notonthehighstreet.com and the fixings were very poor and it came off twice in the first day of wearing. I emailed them and I very promptly had a reply apologising and a full refund without even having to send it back although I did send pictures. It was excellent customer service, I've used them many times before and I certainly will again.

I wonder if the threats were designed to put you off leaving negative feedback as the seller knows that being aggressive puts unhappy customers off complaining. If it's through an online site, could you raise concerns about the threats with them?

@Enough4me

I wonder if the threats were designed to put you off leaving negative feedback as the seller knows that being aggressive puts unhappy customers off complaining. If it's through an online site, could you raise concerns about the threats with them?

I actually cannot find anywhere to leave a review. The threats did disturb me but after seeing the majority of replies I feel a lot better about it. I wouldn’t know who to go to regarding the threats but I have reported them to trading standards due to them refusing the refund in the first place.

Did you buy it through a selling platform such as Etsy?

Speak to trading standards. They are out of order. It was unsatisfactory

I think what most posters are not seeing is that you actioned a chargeback so we're refunded by the bank, who in turn were refunded by the payment company. The seller is angry because she lost the money and will also have had to pay a fee (usually c£25). However she should have refunded you anyway, then she wouldn't be in this position. You did the right thing.

@LessTime

Did you buy it through a selling platform such as Etsy?

No I got it directly through their website. They have an Instagram as well but no Facebook. I’m wondering if this is because they don’t want reviews.