Customer has not returned item

[ArtifactAbode]

Hello

I issued a refund to a customer and she has failed to return the item. It has been about a month. This is my first return and I realize that I should have issued the refund after receiving the return. Is there anything I can do besides counting this as a loss?

Thanks in advance!

[Former_Member]

You can message her and ask her to return the item. If the refund was done through either Paypal or Etsy you can open a dispute and see if you can either get your money back or get the customer to return the item.
But take it also as a lesson learned that you must get the item back before you issue a refund. I hope it works out for you.

[ArtifactAbode]

Thank you Frey Stitch. Lesson learned indeed!

[Former_Member]

If you've issued the payment, there really isn't anything that you can do at all.

Going forward you may want to wait until you have the item back before you issue the credit.

[Former_Member]

I am glad I read this before issuing a refund for two custom orders. The customer said that she did not realize that the frames would be plastic, something that I am always upfront about! She also said that the plastic over the picture part was smeared. That part is not plastic but glass. She wants me to refund her money plus shipping which I will do but I hope this does not ruin my business. I feel so bad about all of this!

[ArtifactAbode]

Hi Deb

I know how you feel. We want to have happy customers, but we need to protect ourselves as well!

[Former_Member]

If this happens again, or for anyone, please make sure you get the item back in your hand before you refund. Since we are dealing with strangers over the internet, this is the best way to protect you from getting scammed.

For Deb, this will not ruin your business, just ask them to ship the item back to you before you refund them for the purchase. Maybe take this time to review the feedback to see if you can improve your products so they don't end up smeared when they are sent out to the customer. How do you store your frames?

Because buying over the internet is tough since you can't actually hold the item in your hand, customers should always have the option to change their mind. This happens. I have something in my policies that they can return the item if they change their mind but have to ship the item back to me. For changed mind, they get refunded the cost of the item, MINUS the original shipping - but it's their cost to send it back to me. This is pretty standard.

For any returns that are due to breakage or something that is my fault, I refund them in FULL. I've only had that happen once due to breakage and instead of a refund, I was able to send them the item again repaired. They were happy in the end.

Sometimes you have to take these things as learning experiences. Sometimes you can take an unhappy customer and turn them into a happy one. Be prepared for everything and good luck!

[LeNidDeFleurs]

I doubt there is much you can do now to be honest. Just take it as a lesson for the future to not issue a refund until the item has been returned to you.

If you still want to persue it, I would advise you to see if you are able to obtain any proof the item was shipped in the first place, such as a receipt or proof of posting. If she is unable to prove she sent the item, you may have a case.