Horrible Customer-How do I deal with her

[Former_Member]

I need some advice, please!

We sell baby/children's bedding and always make sure that we put out a great product and offer great customer service. All of our customers have been really happy until this one! We sent her a twin bedding set. She wrote that part of it was terrible and started making demands, EVEN THOUGH, she never specifically asked for the things she is bashing.

I offered to remake everything that she is complaining about, and told her to keep the item that was defective (I shouldn't have done that, I know), and she keeps writing me with other things that is wrong with it.

I just want to be through with her. Rather than remake everything, I would rather refund her money, although, she says she doesn't want her money, back; she wants the items we will be making.

LAST THING. Is there any way to get rid of her without getting negative feedback, other than remake everything?

SORRY FOR THE LONG MESSAGE
Kerry

[Former_Member]

If she is truly abusing you, you can report her to abuse@etsy.com - that being said, try to stay calm. I know it's hard when you've got a dragon lady breathing down your neck, but try. Be polite and firm in your replies to her., If you've offered to remake the bedding, then do so. If she's still not happy after that, you may want to cancel the sale and refund her money anyway. If she leaves a truly horrid feedback that is unwarranted, Etsy will sometimes take those away.

You'll be all right, hon, just one step at a time.

[Former_Member]

Erin,

Thanks. I didn't know that Etsy might possibly take bad feedback away. We always go above and beyond for our customers and this one is definitely trying to push as hard as possible for as much as she can get!

Thanks so much for the pep talk!

[Former_Member]

Even if she does leave negative feedback and etsy doesn't remove it, you have glowing feedback from wonderful customers. I wouldn't worry all that much. Looking at the feedback you have now, one negative wouldn't stop me from buying from you.

[CatherineMarissa]

I would offer that she returns faulty bedding and you repair OR cancel the transaction and refund. Once a transaction is cancelled (completely by Etsy, not just filed by you), I don't think the buyer can leave feedback.

[Former_Member]

Hi Kerry! I'm sorry you are dealing with this situation. It's never fun and I'm one of those people that dwells on it for way too long. It's always good to have a shoulder to cry on and to voice your concerns. My husband is my sounding board and it's quite therapeutic.

Take note of what's wrong with the bed set (or at least what she thinks is wrong). Ask her to take pictures and send them to you of the issues. Cite that you need these pictures in order to make sure that these issues will not be present in the next set.

Can you have her send the set back, make 'repairs' and then send it back to her? I think you need to get the set back, whether you make a new one or repair. It doesn't seem fair for her to get two sets. BUT if it eases your anxiety, then send her a new one and TAKE PICTURES of everything on the new one.

Sometimes, just to get the icky ones off of my back, I break policy and refund or send a new one without having them return it. One negative will not kill you...you might feel like it does for awhile. But you have 185 other POSITIVE feedbacks. People will take that into consideration instead of one crazy negative one.

[Former_Member]

Hmmmmm, I agree, NEVER give a customer the 'defective' item- it could also be part of a ploy. It seems, though, you already know this. I would suggest that if she requests another change in the tem to politely notify her that you feel your quality cannot match what she desires and that you will be issuing a refund. Then, quickly refund and cancel the transaction!

[ecarlateboutique]

I agree with the above the above responses. I try to weigh what is worth my while. For instance, I have had a few instances with customers where they didn't read the measurements and it didn't meet their expectations. I cancelled and refunded because simply it wasn't worth my worry. It is easier said than done I know but once that is completed it is easier to focus on the positive.

Hang in there:)

[StuckOnSilver]

If a customer finds an item to be defective, why would she want to keep it?

Politely advise her that you've changed your mind and it's important that she return the defective item to you.

If she returns the item and it is defective, cancel the transaction and issue her a refund. Also refund her postage to send the item back to you.

If she returns the item in other than original condition. Ask Etsy for advice.

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

Be careful what you post on the Etsy forums because buyers can read them too. We're not supposed to discuss disputes here.

[Former_Member]

Thank you so much everyone! This has really exhausted me and it is good to such this good advice. I am seriously debating cancelling the transaction if she complains of anything else.

: ) Kerry

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Ouch, and now she can read in the PUBLIC forums how you tell the entire world that she is a 'horrible customer'!
This is against Etsy rules and certainly won't help your business reputation.

And no matter how you feel about her complaints, be professional and try and do everything possible to turn this transaction into a positive experience for your customer.
She made it clear she does not want a refund, but she wants an improved version of the product. That means she did not give up on you yet, so why would YOU give up? Sometimes you have to swallow your pride and do what has to be done.
This is your chance to save your reputation. Give it all you got.

[kidsstore]

If it were me, I would tell her (in a nice but firm way) that in order to make sure she had the quality product she wanted, you need to have the defective item in front of you to actually see what the problem was and figure out how to correct it. I once had a fitted sheet that the customer said would not go on the mattress. Since I use the same pattern, I couldn't figure out what was wrong. She wanted to keep the set, and since I had enough fabric to make a new bottom sheet I had her return the original one to me so I could see what what was wrong. It turned out that I had cut it out about 2" too short. I made her a new one and she was thrilled. I also paid for both the return postage and the postage to reship the sheet. Just convince the customer that you are trying to make sure that she has the perfect item, but to do so you must have the original returned to you can actually see the problem. Photos don't always show flaws or mistakes.

As for letting the customer keep the original items and still get new replacement ones, I definitely would not go along with that idea. Your items are obviously higher priced items, and you would be losing quite a bit of money. If the item is really defective but has not been used, you might be able to salvage some of the fabric for a different item.

[Former_Member]

I don't know. She sounds like a whole lot of trouble. It might be worth the risk of negative feedback to get the item back, reimburse her, and be done with it. Maybe point her in the direction of another shop who could do it for her?

[WintergreenDesign]

I agree that this probably isn't the place to discuss this...

I would simply apologize that she was unhappy with your efforts and refund her money and say that unfortunately you will no longer be able to accommodate her order. If she would like to return the item at your expense than that would be a bonus if you are sure that nothing was wrong with it.

[Former_Member]

Thanks for the advice. I didn't realize that this was a open forum. I apologize for sounding unprofessional.

[Former_Member]

Betty, no worries! People make this mistake all the time, and there's always someone who quickly comes in and points it out. An admin will come along at some point and close the thread. Don't sweat it! (and there is absolutely no way for us to know who you were talking about, so I wouldn't worry about hurting a specific customer's feelings).