Not quite sure where to go with this issue but I’m keen to know if anyone has had any similar experiences with sellers. I’m a steampunk fan and an avid collector of cufflinks - both of which have lead me to Folksy. I’ve been a big supporter of one particular Folksy seller for a while now and bought several pairs of cufflinks from her. I’ve given them repeat business because I cant fault the originality of their concepts and their product are unique. The problem is that everything I’ve bought from them is of such poor quality that its just fell to pieces the first time I’ve worn them. I was in regular contact with this seller through Facebook and twice I’ve given feedback on the issues I’ve had and both times the comments were deleted. However last night I also got 3 nasty rather caustic messages from the seller asking which products were faulted - then they deleted me so I couldn’t reply. I posted feedback on their shop page with photo’s - they got deleted. I posted again and the same thing happened around 10 times before I got a response. When I replied, I was subject to a personal attack - all because they couldn’t take negative feedback. I’ve learned my lesson in that I won’t give repeat business to someone when I’ve had poor quality products. However quite what the hell I do now is beyond me. Its not just that I’ve had bad customer service - I’ve come up against a Folksy seller who does not want negative feedback and then goes on the attack when they get it! Then this morning I got a notification from LinkedIn telling me that this person is checking out my profile - I’m now being stalked! 
I have no way of getting a refund for the garbage I now own but to be honest I really dont want any further contact with this person now I know what they’re like. However I’m just wondering if anyone else has had similar problems with sellers and what measures they took to remedy it? Glenn 
Sounds very disappointing all round , I am amazed you bought from them more than once.
If something is not fit for purpose/ ie falls apart you are entitled to a full refund . Still upsetting if you really love the idea of the item.
Deborah - I got to know the seller through regular communications about their products and made the mistake of treating them like a friend. I’m in Newcastle - they’re in West Yorkshire, so its more of a pain in the backside to keep posting things back when they break - especially when I offered to get them fixed myself to save her the cost. I just didn’t expect the backlash. You can see from the photos thats its pretty hard to defend the quality of the goods but I guess the old saying that the consumer is always right doesnt apply to some. Apparently those cufflinks are good quality - as long as you’re willing to bend the definitions of whats considered ‘good’ or ‘quality’! lol
I would be inclined to send them a paypal invoice for the cost of a full refund. Fautly = sold unfit for purpose whichever way you look at it and I’m pretty sure you are entitled…
“Unless faulty, the following types of items are non-refundable”
You could also message Folksy Support who might be able to help / advise.
I know you have had a difficult time with this seller & are, quite rightly, frustrated but it is not allowed to ‘call out’ other sellers on the Folksy forum.
Assuming you paid with PayPal the best, and only, thing you can really do is raise a claim through PayPal for a refund.
This is the sort of item I wish Folksy would crack down on- a ready-made thing glued to another ready-made thing is not a craft!!! Glue fails. I try to avoid using it when I can.
Sonia is correct, however frustrated you are calling out is not allowed on the forum. I’d definitely report the whole issue to Folksy support.
i think it’s one thing, one of us calling out a fellow seller on the forums,
but a customer (who doesn’t sell on folksy nor frequent the forums) speaking out about terrible goods and services when they feel they’ve nowhere left to go in terms of resolving the issue, is something completely different.
a seller unprofessional enough to warrant being “called out” in this way, potentially reflects very badly on the rest of us, who make high quality items and follow that up with the best possible customer service.
Yes, you do have a point there Fiona, I agree.
Sorry you are having problems but it’s not allowed to call out sellers or buyers in the forum.
You do have buyer protection you paid via paypal so go into your paypal account and raise a case with paypal. That is the correct way to deal with your problem of defective merchandise.
Sorry this has happened to you.
Hi @GLENNIQ180
I’m sorry you’re having problems. We’ve removed the images from your post which identify the shop, but if you email us at support@folksy.com with the details of the order and your photos/screenshots, we’ll do our best to help you resolve this with the seller.
You are protected by law if purchased goods are faulty, and so we would also encourage you to contact Citizens Advice for help and guidance about your consumer rights:
https://www.gov.uk/consumer-protection-rights
Yes I agree too Fiona which is why I didn’t raise the point when I responded earlier. The seller can be determined yes but not ‘directly’ only if you look at the photos so wouldn’t come up on any search or anything.
It is unpleasant to be called out directly or indirectly, but the great news is that you have the power to prevent this from happening. Be professional and helpful to your customers. Especially when they pay you upfront and wait for their order. Word of mouth is powerful and even more so when it’s negative in nature.
And make sure what you’re selling is to the highest quality it can be. If people are expected to pay a bit more for the uniqueness of handmade, there has to be a reason for that. I test some of my items through a whole garden season before I commit to selling them. And I make sure I use the best materials for the job I want them to do. There’s no point cutting corners and ending up with disappointed customers. Like Minerva says, word of mouth is powerful. Even if you are the nicest seller ever, if what you’re selling isn’t up to scratch that’ll harm your brand.
Hi Guys. Firstly I apologise for any upset caused from my original post - I didn’t expect the post to be so inflammatory so I can only apologise for not understanding the rules before I posted. As for the ‘calling out’ aspect - I didn’t intend to call anyone out and I had been careful not to name the seller in the text I wrote, but I accept that I hadn’t been as diligent to hide both the sellers and my own identity in the screenshots from Facebook. I chose not to post the more colourful posts where the insulting got really nasty, so in terms of asking for a refund, I didn’t ask because I suspected I’d be told where to stick the cufflinks. Thanks for the suggestions and tips though - I’m a lot more informed about what to do if I ever receive dodgy goods from a seller in future. As for asking for a refund in this case - I’ve chose not to pursue it further with this seller because I want no further contact with them. If they had any conscience I would prefer that they make a donation to charity for the value of the goods - can’t see it happening though! Anyways, going back to my original post, I was wondering if anyone has ever experienced this kind of thing with a seller before - not necessarily through Folksy? Also I don’t think its uncommon that a lot of promotion and selling goes on through Facebook, and payments for goods often go through PayPal as cash transfers to to a friend rather than as paying for good/services because sellers often offer them cheaper minus the on-costs they get from PayPal. Certainly this happened with me in that last orders I had placed with said problem seller, but I have done this with other sellers and never had a problem. Of course as a consumer, buying direct without going through the Folksy site doesn’t allow us to utilise the sites feedback system properly, but it also allows the more unscrupulous sellers to exploit consumers, so I was just curious as to whether there are any other routes to recourse or even enabling negative feedback to be given through the Folksy site when sellers are trading in its name? Glenn
I believe it is against Folksys t&c’s to go directly through the seller although I am sure many do. Paying through paypal as a gift removes all protection for both seller and buyer so its best to pay the commission in the long run. Personally I prefer to accept orders through Folksy (or that other selling site) even if approached through Facebook - I will tend to direct people here to actually buy, just keeps everything tidy, and it means they may have a little look at your shop on the way 
. Regarding feedback - on Folksy you can only leave feedback on items bought through the site and only if you are a registered buyer - not as a guest. If you feel strongly about a particular seller/item it is possible to report it to Folksy in a private and they will investigate - there is a “report this item” button on every item page.
That could well be the way to go. Not sure if it works for an already sold item and not going to test it on one of mine incase it does !
Hadn’t thought of that! But if you were really unhappy with an item I suppose you could always use another item as a gateway to Folksy admin.
I guess buying online but using the Paypal ‘send money’ feature rather than having a proper invoice is the modern day equivalent of buying off a bloke in the pub… with all the risks that entails!