My customer has just informed me that an item is not suitable after 8 weeks. Do I have to refund the postage as well?
My understanding is that the customer has 14 days from receipt of the item to return it and get a refund on the item and the outgoing postage, unless it is faulty. After that, I don’t think you have any obligation to refund any of it, although you may wish to out of goodwill as long as the item has not been used. I wouldn’t be refunding the postage though as you will be out of pocket, unless they were a regular customer…then I might.
I don’t see why you have to refund at all, I presume the item isn’t faulty? You may want to make a goodwill gesture, but surely the customer should have contacted you much sooner as @KBCreations says.
Did your customer explain why it was not suitable?
8 weeks seems a long time to realise something isn’t suitable, are you sure it is being returned unworn? I might be being cynical and unfair to your customer but I have heard of people ordering clothes from a shop or website for a special day and wearing them (with labels carefully removed or tucked out of sight) then returning them afterwards as unsuitable or not fitting, I would imagine it would be even easier with jewellery. In any case if the item isn’t faulty then they only have 14 days to change their mind about it after that you aren’t obliged to refund at all but if you choose to do so then I would say that return postage is paid by your customer and don’t refund until you have received and checked the item.
Back in April she bought a bangle for her daughter’s 21st and it’s too large.
I am unable to re-size it because the design has a lot stones and it would mean practically destroying it to cut and re-solder.
A refund is the best solution in this case.
I don’t mind the refund so much, but the fact that it has been off sale for so long. Fortunately I have Open Studios starting in July so more people will get to see it.
I am only going to refund the bangle, not the postage.
She may buy something else, better get busy with a new design!
I wonder if the distance selling regs will change now that we are leaving the EU?
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