Advice on costumer issue

[Emma]

Ugh, I always feel sick reading these kinds of posts, and for the first time I’m having an issue post sale and am hoping to get some advice.

I sold my Peaches a couple of weeks ago, the buyer received her and immediately sent me a message saying she loved my painting but wanted to ask if the babies face had possibly gotten smooshed during shipping and if it would go back to normal. She sent profile photos and a video and I could not see at all what she was talking about. I saw the odd shape of the forehead and face, but it was the shape of the kit I had received from Mac’s, and exactly the same as when I shipped it. I thought her face was sculpted terribly and I just hated the sculpt in person. We compared her photos to the listing photos and she agreed it looked exactly the same and that she must have just not liked the sculpt in person and said she would resell her.

Fast forward to last night, she sends me a message saying she bought another Peaches and that babies face is shaped totally differently so she wants to return my Peaches and wants a full refund, and added that the Peaches I sent looks nothing like the photos or video on her listing, which is the complete opposite of what she said after receiving her. She said she’s shipping her back to me and wants a refund immediately. I responded and screenshotted my return policy, I told her not to just send the baby back before talking to me, that if she does delivery will be refused, but told her I would get back to her about the issue.

I have a very clear no refund no return policy, but I always hold funds until the baby has been received and I know the customer is happy with what they got. In this case I knew she didn’t like her, but she had said she would resell her and never asked about a refund, so I didn’t anticipate further issues and spent most of the funds on bills, supplies and such. Like many of us I live baby to baby. I don’t have the amount available to refund her if I wanted to, and she purchased her for $1300, which is a lot of money to me and not an amount I have just sitting around right now.

I’m just not sure what to do, I have all her messages and stuff saying she agreed the baby was as pictured/described, so if she tries to file a not as described claim with her credit card company I don’t think I’ll have an issue. Thankfully I don’t use PayPal, I use square, which is 100% seller friendly, as long as you have a tracking number showing the baby was received. I’ve never had a chargeback, but several other square users have told me this in the past. But I don’t want an unhappy customer leaving a bad review or bad mouthing me.

I kind of feel like it’s a blank canvas, if I unknowingly painted a warped kit, showed clear photos of it from all angles can it be considered defective just because it’s not the same as other blank kits? It is what was shown when advertised. Like if I bought a canvas and it was curved instead of flat but I painted a painting on it and showed it was curved, could someone say it’s not flat like other ones, I want a refund? Maybe I’m reaching, I’m so stressed about this.

I’ve asked her for comparison photos of the new Peaches she bought with mine, but so far she hasn’t sent me any. I only purchased one Peaches kit, and have seen almost no profile photos from other artists so I don’t even know if my kit was mishapen, or she didn’t like mine, spent money on another baby, had no luck reselling mine in the first week so it’s trying to recoup some funds. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Profile photo shown in listing

Before filling head

Her profile photos

[DollyPardon]

Looks like I didn’t get this exact angle in any of my pics. Her head might be a little flatter or may just look that way because of the hairline. Hair is covering the round part of her head.

Regardless, this lady saw your pictures, which included the shape of her head, and purchased. It is really all on her.

I’m sure that you know by now that paypal does not care about our return policies. Maybe she will complain to them there was a defect that she didn’t notice right away. Maybe she will damage it herself for evidence. Or say she had to buy another one to verify the defect. You never know what a determined person could get away with.

This lady could trash your name everywhere, and though you aren’t wrong for anything, it’s sometimes a challenge to overcome this since she will carry on with this for a while. Big companies sometimes pay people just to shut them up. They know they aren’t in the wrong, but the easiest thing to do is to just get rid of them.

You aren’t a big company and don’t just have money around.

1. You can decide to fight her, possibly win, then have her give you a bad reputation.
2. You can fight her, lose, then still have her give you a bad reputation.
3. Make some kind of arrangement with her in writing, which may involve a little waiting until you get your funds together. You will be able to resell this doll, which means that you really wouldn’t be out of too too much.

[kareninflorida]

Sadly, it feels like a refund for her. Just hope you get the doll back in the same condition in which you sent it. Like @DollyPardon said, you will be able to resell and recoup your money, or at least most of it I would think. Unfortunately, one upset customer can ruin a reputation. Reborning used to be fun. Now, not so much. I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with this.

[cajuncuties]

I agree with the first two suggestions. I would also look at getting the doll back, heating the head, and immediately stuffing with polyfil to bump it back out so it cools in that shape.

[jeanhai]

She doesn’t have the money to do the refund.

[Emma]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response! Luckily I don’t use PayPal for payments, so don’t have to worry about their policies. The negatives list are the exact thing I’m so worried about. It’s taken me so many years to build a reputation, I have all 5 star reviews and have never had a complaint so it’s terrifying. I think I’m going to try to make an arrangement with her to avoid any dings on my record!

[taylorsgirl]

Get the doll back and stuff the head enough to push out the face.
Then you can resell the doll.

[Emma]

Thank you so much for the responses you guys! @cajuncuties I don’t have the funds to give to her right now, and don’t know how I would repair it if she sends it back.
@taylorsgirl It came in that shape, was heated multiple times and never changed shape, and she was weighted with Plastisol, which is a solid, I can’t just pull it out and reheat it and try to get it to form differently

I’m going to try to offer get a couple of options, one being an exchange for another baby, the other being a partial refund of a few hundred dollars just to smooth things over, which I can do if she agrees to it. I also sent Cassie Brace a message with photos and am hoping she will respond to let me know if it’s actually mishapen or not.

[DollyPardon]

@Emma

I have all 5 star reviews and have never had a complaint so it’s terrifying. I think I’m going to try to make an arrangement with her to avoid any dings

This is for sure the route I would go since if she’s in doll groups or anything like that she could really end up costing you sales.

I really hate this for you.

I’m not familiar with what you used for weighing. Does it shrink at all? Possibly dry in a weird position to change the kit?

[Emma]

It does shrink a tiny bit, but because of this I do it in very small increments, letting it cure in-between. I would have thought that possibly had something to do with it. But the face had the same exact shape when it arrived as it did when it was sent out. It also only shrinks a tiny bit as it’s curing and she sat for 2 weeks prior to being sold, so it’s definitely something that would have been noticeable when I shipped her out.

[Bethany]

I have not bought a peaches kit but from the photos Cassie put up that head looks different. Unfortunately you didnt realise before painting her but have the advice on how to fix her head now.
I am sure it is alot of money for the collector as well so i would accept the return after explaining the money has been spent on bills. Offer whatever you can afford back now and the rest when the doll is resold.
Sorry that you are going through this, sending hugs to help with the stress.

[cajuncuties]

Can you offer to create another for her with a new kit from another dealer? Of course, having her take a partial refund would be the easiest. I wonder if the kits were produced in multiple factories and that accounts for the differences. It has happened before, but I can’t remember which kit, though.

[anjsmiles]

I did not like Peaches when I got her in person and sold my kit.

On the matter of customer returns. Until recently my listings stated no returns. I have changed them now to say this (mind you I know PP does not care one whit what we say but I am hoping this will be a deterrant to those to tend to buy and return on a whim.)

All Sales Are Considered Final. All items are shipped with insurance to fully cover if any damages are sustained from shipping handlers and in these cases a full refund will be given. I do not accept returns for changing your mind or “not bonding” with your doll. Returns are only offered upon my approval of the reason for the return. Request must be made within 3 days of receiving the item. It I approve your return, refund will be for the purchase price minus all shipping charges. Item must also be posted via Priority Mail Insured within 3 days and returned in its original condition with all included accessories. Once received by me you will receive your refund. Items returned to me with customer damages or smelling like smoke will result in a reduced refund by 25%.

I am going on almost 3 weeks now my customer of my last sale has had the doll. It has been a convaluted saga but the short version is I did everything I could to appease her. Offered her a $50 refund to keep baby. Offered return refund minus shipping fees. Then when she stated she was washing the head (silicone baby) and I knew she must be scrubbing it because she did not like the texture I told her to just return the doll and I would refund her purchase plus shipping to her but she would have to pay to ship it back to me. She got mad and said “PP claim coming your way. They will pay to ship it back.” Well that claim has been going on over 2 weeks now. She filed it as significantly not as decribed. I told my side. Then they requested more info from her and gave her until July 9 to respond. It is still in review. After all this headache I have decided the best thing to do with these disgruntled customers is to have a return policy and then offer them a return up front stating this is my policy as it was stated in my listing. I am hoping this will work. This is only my 2nd return in 18 years of selling reborn dolls so who knows?

Most important rule of selling though is never spend the money right away.

[Helenabeereborns]

I love how you state your policy now!

My concern is, how are we expected to wait so long to spend our profit. PayPal covers purchases for 6 months. Is it reasonable to have to wait six months? Because I have had customers wait months, and then request a return. It makes it so much tougher now to be an artist, especially because PayPal almost always sides with the buyer (in my experience)

[quiltsabunch]

To me I feel like your kit does look a little more sunken in in the bridge of the nose area. I don’t have the greatest profile pictures to show the perfect view but here’s what I have.

[lynn]

Emma, I am not familiar with this product “plastisol” but there is a possibility it could be the culprit. If it was me, I think I would discontinue the use of it and just “stuff” and weight the head as the rest of us do, with glass beads. JMO. I hope it all works out for you, this is a very stressful situation, so sorry.

[anjsmiles]

After seeing the profile on quiltsabunch baby I have to say that the profile on your baby is definitely sunkin in on the forehead and bridge of nose area giving her a flat faced appearance. If she were weighted with glass and poly fill it would be easy enough to remove that, heat the head and stuff it tightly with the weight pack and more poly fill to fix it. I suspect somehow that the Plasitsol is causing suction inside there as it cures and shrinks and thus pulling the head back to the original sunken shape that it got when smashed up in shipping. That might sure enough be an indication that using that product in the head is not the best idea. I dunno. But I can say that as a buyer and a person who tends to be OCD about details that the smushed in face would bother me as well. Especially now that it has been seen others do not look that way. You really won’t have a leg to stand on with PP about how it was shown in photos either because that is one of those things that is more noticeable in person and in comparison to another of the same kit. I am sorry but I honestly think if she won’t accept a partial refund to keep it that you are going to have to do a full refund. PP will put your account on hold and pull out everything in it and future deposits until it is covered. I know that stinks!

As to how long we should hold onto our money, that 180 days is ridiculous. Most places have a 30 day refund policy and I try to hold onto funds that long. After that it is a gamble. Even if not using PP credit card companies and banks will reverse charges too. It can be a no win situation for the seller. This is one advantage to reporting your sales on your taxes as you can write these things off as a loss.

[InfantInspirations]

She has some kind of buyer’s remorse, and whether or not she bought another Peaches she needs to prove to you. Keep all correspondence with her and be prepared to present it to the payment method. Also, in the second photo she took, it looks like some of the hair is missing or was pulled out. Looks like she may have damaged the doll.

[anjsmiles]

Coming back to say after rereading your comments I see you did not accept payment through PP. Sorry I misunderstood about that part. If she paid via CC she can do a chargeback though.

[Emma]

I just wanted to update you all. I sent my customer a very very long email and even though I thought it was so unprofessional to talk to her about my finances, I explained the situation I’m in. She was completely understanding and is sending Peaches head back to see if I can fix it. I’ve talked to Mac’s, who contacted Cassie, I’m not the only one who has this same exact issue. So I’m hoping with Cassie’s guidance I’ll be able to fix it. But if I can’t my customer has agreed to either an exchange of another baby or having me paint her a new Peaches, Mac’s will send me a hopefully defect free replacement kit if fixing it fails. Thank you all so much for your great suggestions and letting me vent, this was so stressful and I’m so relieved that it’s working out one way or another