I bought a coat from a shop in Ireland online for almost £1000. When I tried in on it was far too long (almost touching the floor) and far too small (it wouldn’t even meet let alone fasten)!
I contacted the company and the owner agreed to an exchange and told me to return it to her home address and declare it as a gift to avoid customs charges as she’d already paid £80 customs to ship it to me.
I did this but received an email from Irish customs saying I need to pay €400 for it to be delivered otherwise it will be returned to sender (ie. me). After looking at the customs website it looks like only gifts below €45 value are free from customs charges. She’s now not replying to my emails.
I buy a good coat every few years as I find it lasts a long time and is worth the investment and I can’t afford to lose £1000 (or pay an extra €400 on customs to exchange it). I also desperately need a new coat so don’t want this process to drag on for months (as it’s an exchange rather than return).
Is there anything I can do?