Mutterings

Life in the Slow Lane

Panther City Leather

September 9th, 2009 · 3 Comments

I had the worst e-commerce experience of my life and wanted to document it. This whole situation boils down to the first rule of Internet commerce: charge the customer and then ship the goods quickly.

Shannon Nelson runs Panther City Leather. I contracted her to add some additional perforation to my leather jacket based on a referral from a friend. She quoted me $137 to do the work. A timeline of relevant events:

  1. I mailed the jacket to her on 8/4.
  2. She sent me a PayPal money request on 8/11. At this point I figured she was following the rule above (charge the customer and ship quickly).
  3. I paid her on 8/12.
  4. I sent an email on 8/19 asking when I could expect the jacket.
  5. I disputed the transaction with PayPal on 8/21 since I have not heard from her.
  6. She refuses to ship my jacket until the dispute is closed, saying that she had been stung by a bee on the face and couldn’t see for several days. I close the dispute on 8/23, with the caveat “Please ship ASAP”.
  7. I reopen the dispute with PayPal on 8/27 when I still have not received anything.
  8. She again refuses to ship until the dispute is closed, stating my jacket is in a box, ready to go. I explain that PayPal explicitly told me not to close the dispute until she had put a tracking number in the dispute to prove she had shipped.
  9. She now refuses to use PayPal and won’t ship until she is paid in full via check or cash.
  10. I sent a friend to Dallas to pay her and pick up the jacket in person. She refused to turn over the jacket because “you didnt send the cash with her”.
  11. On 9/6 PayPal finally closed the dispute in my favor, returning the $137 I paid on 8/12.

Since she refuses to go through PayPal and I refuse to pay her in advance anymore, I’ve suggested delivery confirmation or even Collect-on-Delivery, where I would have to pay the full amount to the USPS to pick up the jacket. She refuses to do either. She won’t even send me a picture of the jacket to prove that she has done the work. I need something to regain trust in her and she will do nothing.

At this point, she has my jacket (which is $125 new) and I’m writing it off as a loss. I tried to pay her twice, both times she failed to ship in a timely manner and yet she still wants me to trust her to ship this time. She refuses to use COD, which would ensure that I can’t get the jacket without paying. Her mantra throughout this entire ordeal has been “I will not ship until I am paid in full”. Is this the behavior of a business owner who wants to make right with an unhappy customer? Is this a business with customer-friendly policies? I think it is safe to say the answer to both is no.

Tags: Motorcycles · Personal

3 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Kyle MacLea // Sep 9, 2009 at 11:01 am

    That stinks… I’m dealing with a mover vis-a-vis some moving damage right now. My experience seems similar, except I have no leverage except the bully pulpit. Ugh. I know how you feel.

  • 2 Janet Macy // Sep 9, 2009 at 7:25 pm

    Look at her little slogan; “Our name and reputation speak for themselves.” Sounds to me like it isn’t speakin’ good.

  • 3 bob // May 2, 2010 at 12:50 am

    Whatever happened with this situation?