Trouble with buyers wanting replacement - do you always replace?

[craftycornersaus]

I had a customer contact me regarding one of my latch hook kits. He said the canvas had ripped while he was completing it and said it was the canvas's problem not the way he had done the kit. He's wanting me to replace the canvas.

This is one of my very popular kits (I have trouble keeping them on the shelves) and he is the first one to complain about the canvas quality.

Would you just replace it - so that you keep 100% good feedback? Or not. Its a $30 sale (which is a lot for my small business)

Looking forward to hearing your feedback.

[joethenuts]

what would you do in his shoes  and thats your answere.

0 to5 in a 100  products are faulty 

the new nbn boxes 1 in 60 are faulty

[5kazam]

I think the operatve words here are 'while he was completing it'.

If it was a faulty product, I don't  think it would wait till effective completion before becoming a problem.  Maybe there is a dog, cat, or child who could have caused the 'fault', and while the first  two mentioned aren't able to fess up, the third may be too young, or....

And  (curiousity)  how do you replace a canvas on a near completed project?  Wouldn't he have to unpick all his latch hooking and start all over again?

[phorum_junkie*]

I have no idea what the item you are asking about is but I am rather disturbed that you consider the feedback issue to be the reason you would base your decision on. It would be the last thing I would consider, I would base what I did on the level of customer service that I hope a seller would extend to me were the roles reversed.

I would probably offer a partial refund if there was any way to repair it, a full refund if they sent pics and it couldn't be repaired. If that was not acceptable to you or the buyer I would ask them to return it and say I would have the item tested and if it is a manufacturing fault I would refund including cost of return.

[designers*n*more]

Regardless of whether you replace, refund or partially refund, you could still receive a neg, depending on what the buyer is like. I've the fact that it ripped might pee them off regardless of what you do to try and resolve the issue.

[sueken4812]

I find it difficult to understand how the canvas could rip, having worked on similar items.  But you have to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Send them another one, but only if they can send you a photograph of the ripped canvas. If the photo does show that it has ripped, then I would be asking for it to be returned, so you in turn can return it to the manufacturer,   

[craftycornersaus]

My concern for feedback was more to the tone of his emails back to me.

I had already done some research and discovered that the main cause of ripping canvas is due to the pressure put on it when using the tool. His initial email (there have been a couple) was asking me how to fix it, rather than wanting a replacement. He did not say that there was a problem with the canvas when it took it out of the box. When I told him that he could do a patch over the broken bit of canvas (you can buy them from craft stores) that's when he started wanting me to replace the canvas for him. I think he's actually ripped the canvas himself, but wanting me to take responsiblity.

I just think I'm being done over but I can't prove it. Call it gut instinct.