What do you do when a customer demands a refund?
No matter what we try, refunds and requests for refunds, are part of the handmade business and they always will be.
However, there are instances when customers demand a refund even if it’s not your fault. Here’s a problem of Elly from EpicEvent:
“I ship all of my party supplies based on Party Date, so at the time of the order I always make sure I get this information from my customers.
I have a customer that says she did not get her items in time, but she did.
Her items arrived on Saturday at 10 am. They were accepted by a clerk that accepts the packages at her building. (party was Sunday) She did not get notified of the package until 9pm via an email sent by this clerk.
So now she’s upset she got them so late at night, unable to use them for the next day and she is demanding a full refund.”
It’s quite a headache, right?
The basic solution for this problem is to state your online store’s policy. For example: “Full refunds if you are not happy with your purchase. Please message me within three days of receipt to notify me of return and ship, with delivery confirmation, within 7 days of receipt of item.” Or as simple as, “No Refunds, No Exchange!”.
However, online shops notices such as “No Refunds” or “No Exchanges” do not limit the rights of your customers. Some shops display these notices, particularly during the sales, but this does not take away your customers’ rights under consumer protection law if the goods are faulty.
There are endless reasons when it comes to refund requests whether it’s your fault or not. To give you light on this matter, check this video by Marie on how to handle refunds and unhappy customers:
If you have insight or experiences to share (respectfully, of course!) please leave a comment below. We are VERY interested to hear your stories on this one and let’s learn from each other.
Check our free A to Z Handmade Business Guide to help you on issues similar like this.
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