I'm in a bit of a dilemma. I won a Bugaboo parasol in an auction on Tuesday. Item was described as 'Bugaboo umbrella in grey lovely condition' and accompanied by a photo of the parasol open. It looked as if it had faded slightly in stripes where the sun would have been on it when folded but otherwise looked fine. It arrived today and is in shocking condition: poorly packaged (and postage price was less than a quarter of what I paid, but that's the least of my worries) misshapen when opened, really dirty and dusty and smells AWFUL-really musty and damp, as if it's been stored in a damp shed for a few years. In fact it smells so vile I've had to leave it outside.
So, I contacted the seller who has denied that it smells and insists she sponge cleaned it and stored it in her bedroom, but is happy to give me a refund and pay return postage. Obviously I only have her word for that so I'm not sure what to do now. I can keep it and clean it up as best I can and post negative feedback. Or I can send it back but presumably I have no guarantee that I'll get my money back, particularly not the postage? Given that the buyer was so wide of the mark in describing the item in the first place I don't have much faith that they'll refund me. They previously had 100% positive feedback, though not much recently.
Any advice gratefully received about what to do. I feel like I've had my fingers burnt.