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:
- I mailed the jacket to her on 8/4.
- 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).
- I paid her on 8/12.
- I sent an email on 8/19 asking when I could expect the jacket.
- I disputed the transaction with PayPal on 8/21 since I have not heard from her.
- 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”.
- I reopen the dispute with PayPal on 8/27 when I still have not received anything.
- 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.
- She now refuses to use PayPal and won’t ship until she is paid in full via check or cash.
- 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”.
- 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.
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?