Venting!

[caroleallen]

This is the photo. Does it look like it doesn't have a back to you?

[Gemsetterchris]

I thought I was being kind to offer a refund, as I believed the mistake was hers

Sorry but I don't get how you figure that
Sorry to hear all this by the way, & I'm not siding with the customer just being neutral.

[caroleallen]

I felt the image was misleading as there appears to be a back on the piece.

[Animalnutty]

That sounds awful I always get really upset at any ill feeling and want to make customer happy so buckle, but the one exception is if they get horrible and that is just horrible!! I have luckily only had one really unpleasant experience and that was recently while in and just after getting out of hospital, I was lucky though as it turned around and the woman actually apologised for being so horrible to me. Looking at that response, I can't imagine this lady apologising for being so vile :/

Looking at that photo, it definitely looks like it has a back to me, so I would have done the same as you. Sorry you have had to deal with this. To put the upset of a 13 year old to you is absolutely disgusting, what a manipulative woman. I think you are being very good to be refunding at all, so can't imagine you would be doing anything at all wrong to insist she sends them back first, I certainly wouldn't refund without them there with me because she sounds like the kind of person that would then turn round and say we feel like we deserve to keep them for all the upset (in her mind).

Take care.

Karen

[pearlescence]

From the photo the pendant has a back. Unless she has the piece already how does she know from that photo it doesn't?
I've once or twice told an over-dithery commissioner (first wanting black pearls then switch to white then 8mm then 11mm..) that it is clear I'm not on their wavelength sadly, so recommend they go elsewhere.
You never will win with that sort of customer. It will never be right. There are people like that all around (watch L3 for some super-ditherers who want a mansion for £50k)
And always get them to put their final spec into one email to you. Keeps it all very clear and weeds out the indecisive. Amazing how many ask you in passing for stuff but won't even bother to put the request in an email. I was at an event a couple of weekends ago and at least half a dozen were burbling about how they would like me to get them x. I asked for an email and not a one has come.

[Gemsetterchris]

It looks like a prison cell to me, probably appropriate for your customer.
I'd just make yet another & get it right 3rd time

[CJ57]

If she does send them back I would pierce out where she thinks there is no back and send it back to her. No one else would want the awful things anyway. Strange design for a 13 year old, you have to wonder if her mother is upsetting her rather more than the awful pendant.
I'm with you about commissions too, never like making things other people design, it's fraught with all sorts of things and I Realise I don't even have photos of them for my file.

Realised it may have sounded as if I was insulting your work Carole rather than the design

[trialuser]

She was correct - until June this year.
Now the goods have to be returned before refund, prior to June they did not, just a notification of the intent to return.
But, as Peter says, this is a made to order item and there is no need to provide a full refund.
However if it were me I'd do just as you are proposing, refund in full including carriage as soon as you have the goods back in good condition.
Good luck, remember, you have thousands of happy customers!

[medusa]

I felt the image was misleading as there appears to be a back on the piece.

It looks like it has a back to me as well. What do you mean by a box frame from the second one you made? Also, if the first one had a back on it, why didn't the stupid woman say that after she got the first one?

Threats to slander you online…. well maybe there is a legal route you can take for that?

I'd just make yet another & get it right 3rd time

Ummmm… what if the customer changes her mind again? Would you keep making repeatedly? This woman already has two pendants and only paid for one. I doubt Carole could ever get this 'right'.

[trialuser]

And another thing!
I just did a google reverse image search and found this
It talks of the pendant being polished on the outside and rough on the 'inside', so it has a back!
Probably fed up as she realised she could have bought it for $15!