chargebacks for custom made items

[professorchaos]

Hi

I recently made and sold two custom made to measure dresses, that were paid for via Paypal money request, and received an email from the buyer a week ago to say they weren't happy with the quality and finish (of one of the dresses in particular). They pointed out the flaws, that I had previously been unaware of, and I offered to ammend the issues at no additional cost (we had previously agreed before I posted the items that if there were any issues with the fit etc, the buyer would post the items, or I would travel to her home to collect them, and make any neccesary alterations). The buyer refused, essentially saying she wanted nothing further to do with me and that her mother would do the alterations.

I'd actually previously made two sample dresses prior tot his, int he same style, and in inexpensive fabric, that I sent to the buyer, so she could try them on the two ladies (I often do this with made to measure items to check the pattern) , and she emailed me after receiving these to say she was very happy with the fit and style. The finished dresses are exactly the same fit and style as these. They are however, in a different fabric (I'd also sent a swatch of the fabric to the buyer to check sghe was happy with it, and she was), and different fabrics tend to hang differently. Other than that, there is no real difference.

I recently received another email from Paypal to say the buyer had opened a 'item significantly not as described' dispute, and had provived pictures of the flaws. They also included an image of the original design for comparison (however since the buyer wanted the neckline and the colour of the dresses to be quite different to the original design, this does not provide much of a basis for comparison).

I sympathise with the buyer, yet I feel I have tried to ammend the situation, and as I have put a lot of work into this project (quite alot more than I charged for) , I am reluctant to issue the refund that is being requested, particularly since the buyer said only a few days ago that they intended to keep the items.

Do I have a leg to stand on here, or should I just issue the refund and save a lot of hassle?

Also, if Paypal sides with the buyer and they win, which I understand is what happens most of the time in these situations, will I receive the item/s back, or will the buyer keep the items as well as the money?

Thanks

[professorchaos]

(this was off ebay by the way)

[PayPal_barry]

Hello professorchaos, issues like this between buyers and sellers are always difficult. I can only suggest that you continue working with your buyer on this (I appreciate that you have done this already, but please continue doing so).  In a case like this, the best outcome maybe to have your buyer return your item for a refund. This effectively puts you both back to where you were before the transaction completed. Alternately you can offer the buyer a partial refund to close the claim.

[professorchaos]

Thanks Barry.

I've contacted the buyer to offer a partial refund, and allow them to keep the items (although I don't hold out much hope). I've done this via email, do I need to do so in the resolution area aswell?

[PayPal_paula]

Hi professorchaos

When a case is open in the Resolution Centre we would always advise to respond directly through the Resolution Centre. If you are offering the customer a partial refund and the option to keep the item then I would suggest you log in to your PayPal account and send the partial refund offer through the case. If you are not able to do so through the case then I would suggest that you send PayPal an email through the contact us page and we can add it to the case for you.

I hope this helps,

Paula