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jools02
07-03-2010, 06:20 PM
Hi everybody.

I have a problem. I sell fingerprint jewellery on ebay and on my website. A lady who purchased 2 x fingerprint necklaces each with two charms (one for her, one for her sister) has contacted me to say her sister's necklace broke and she lost it including the charms. She also said that her necklace had done the same thing but it was when she was in her kitchen so she still had hers. She says it seems to be a problem with the connection of the necklace and has asked me if any previous customers have had the same? I have sold around 200 of these and this is the first time I have heard of this happening. She says her sister is devastated and is going away travelling next week and basically if there is anything I can do to help them. Normally I would happily replace the necklaces free of charge but I don't know if they are trying it on or not, or if the lady is only saying her own necklace broke to try and illustrate that it is a problem with the necklaces just to cover the possibility that her sister had in fact not fastened her necklace properly.

Its really upset me as I don't charge a lot for the jewellery thus not making much profit and I would be out of pocket if I had to replace the two charms as well as the two necklaces. I always try and do the decent thing.

They left me positive feedback a few weeks ago.
What would you guys do?

Thanks.

Sheltie
07-03-2010, 06:39 PM
I always ask people if they have the item so I can inspect it for wear and tear.

I will then supply another or repair the one that they sent (retaining the original if necassary (?sp))

In respect for the lost one then as much as I would want to see them happy I would not replace. Put it this way if you bought a piece of jewellery from a big store and lost it, you would not ask the shop to replace.

Maybe not what they want to hear but we are in this business to make money...just because something is handmade the paying public think they can get it cheaper and that they can demand more than their statutory rights.

Hope this helps

Cheers
S

mizgeorge
07-03-2010, 07:38 PM
Did you make the necklaces themselves or were they bought in?

I think you need to see the one that they still have to see if it's been damaged by the customer, or if there is an issue in the design or fabrication of the necklace. If it's the latter, you may need to go back to your own supplier on this.

As for their statutory rights, we are obliged to sell goods that are fit for purpose, and if there's a problem with the chain itself, then it may be better to simply replace them.

This might sound a bit harsh, but if remaking two charms would leave you out of pocket, I suspect you're not charging nearly enough in the first place.

caroleallen
07-03-2010, 08:00 PM
George is right. You should probably charge a bit more to cover things like this happening. It's not worth the hassle otherwise. Are you making your living from selling your jewellery or is it a hobby?

jools02
07-03-2010, 09:53 PM
I know, however I price them on ebay in line with my competition, who seem to pitch their prices quite low otherwise I wouldn't sell anything. My website has only been live for a few weeks so I'm looking to come away from ebay very soon.

The necklaces are bought in and I always have the same supplier and the chains are great, I always quality check them before they get send to the customer, and have never had a complaint.

Thank you for your answers, I'm going to have to think about what to do with this one. Might have to just suffer the loss this time, however, in my ebay listing I offer the chain FREE of charge so might have to put my head around this for a few days. I just don't know what to say to her.

Dennis
08-03-2010, 12:20 AM
Dear jools02,
I have been very interested in your problem, particularly in how you quality tested. As a result I did the following experiment using a 1mm dia. snake chain fastened with a bolt ring. I gradually filled a plastic carrier bag with objects of known weight (1.5 Kg bags of flour),fastening the necklace through the handles and hooking it up with one finger to support the weight. When I had added four bags,totalling six kilos the necklace felt pretty taut but still did not break. I conclude from this that a six Kg. breaking strain might be a fair target to aim for and you could have a clear conscience as to the fitness for purpose. After all it would take quite a painful tug to break it. Having established this you could decide whether to replace as a matter of goodwill. Kind regards Dennis.

fiona davies
08-03-2010, 07:10 AM
Hi,
it is heartbreaking but you really need to replace items. They will thank you, tell their friends about how wonderful you are and you may even get business from it.....:). Put your prices up or don't sell on ebay as I really don't know how you can make any real money if your prices are too low!!

Jayne
08-03-2010, 08:48 AM
Hi Jools
Sorry to hear that you've had this problem :(
Unfortunately, if the bracelet has been lost as a result of the components failing (as the customer has claimed) then you will be obliged to replace or refund. If you examine the sister's bracelet & decide that it has been abused, I would still replace (with something heftier maybe?) or refund for the simple reason that it is good for your business.
If you offer an outstanding service to your customers they will, on average, go away & tell 4 other people. If you offer (what they perceive to be) bad service they will (again, on average) go away & tell 9 other people.
It's a bummer, but it's part of retailing and it's best to accept that this will happen occasionally and work it into your costs.
J x

jools02
08-03-2010, 09:23 AM
Thanks for your time everybody, I have contacted her to say I will replace both necklaces and the two lost charms. I've asked her to send me her necklace in the meantime. I'll just have to take this one on the chin I guess. Oh well, c'est la vie!

chrisparry
11-03-2010, 11:56 PM
Two points really to make here.

Without knowing all the details of your chain supplier, but guessing that you are selling these as cheap as possible. I presume you are using "cheap" chains. By cheap, I mean some really thin trace chain which in essence is cheap and allows you to compete on ebay.

So you may just find that the chain isn't as robust as a slightly heavier gauge.

Products have to be fit for purpose, so the definition here goes to what you are selling them for. If I bought a chain and locket for £10, I wouldn't be overly surprised if it broke in a week. If I spent £200 on a chain and locket, I would want it to be robust.

It would be good customer care to replace the lost items

You also can't presume that of your 200 sales nobody else has experienced the same problem. It might be a recurring problem but the other clients have not asked for replacement chains.

So you need to look at the quality of chain that use

You may also want to consider adding a disclaimer with your goods, "saying that you are not responsible for loss beyond reasonable wear and tear", but this is still a grey area.

Lastly, which most others have picked up on. You are not charging enough. Ebay is famous for the low prices and the competition. So look at retailing via other methods.

Do fingerprint jewellery parties or something......

hope you resolve your problem

vsf
12-03-2010, 04:19 PM
when you get the other one back, check to see if the bolt ring, or fastener was soldered properly.

It is the most common fault, about 80% of mass produced items have not been soldered.

Viv

MuranoSilver
12-03-2010, 04:30 PM
Another option is to sell them without a chain - the customer can go and buy their own.
You can then price accordingly & avoid the problem alltogether :)
Alternatively supply them on a suedette thong (just for presentation)
nicx