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Forum -> Relationships -> Manners & Etiquette
Do I ask for a refund?



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amother
Lawngreen


 

Post Mon, Jul 06 2015, 12:19 pm
We went on vacation several weeks ago and spent a week in the mountains mostly hiking and doing outdoors-y things. One afternoon it was raining and the kids were getting restless so I took them to one of those pottery painting places. It was a total rip-off; they charged twice what our local place does. But it kept the kids occupied and me sane. Fine.
Since they weren't able to have the pieces fired before we left town, they made arrangements to ship. It was supposed to come 2 weeks ago but finally showed up today. One of the pieces, despite being packed in bubble wrap and surrounded by styrofoam is smashed to smithereens. I can't just repair with some glue. I feel so bad for my dd who has been so looking forward to getting this. She made it as a gift for dh.
Anyhow, my question is.... in this situation is it appropriate or inappropriate for me to call the company and ask for a refund on that piece? On the one hand, they did make the effort to pack the items well. But on the other hand, I paid a lot of money and not for broken pottery. Do I call and ask to be refunded or just shrug it off as one of those things that just happens sometimes?

Edited to add:
If I ordered dishes from some store and they came broken I wouldn't hesitate to ask for my money back no matter how well packed things looked. I guess my hesitation here is that it's a small rinky-dink operation, but really should that be a factor?
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PAMOM




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 06 2015, 12:27 pm
They should have insured it. If they didn't, that's their problem. Keep the pieces in case you need to show them to the shipping service. Take a picture of the pieces and call the store. Then email them with a copy of the pieces. If they agreed to refund the money, repeat the agreement in the email. If they don't agree, make the email a formal request.
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penguin




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 06 2015, 12:27 pm
I would. But I would also try to find a way to take DD to the local place & make the piece again, if that will make her less disappointed.
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SheveeS




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 06 2015, 12:39 pm
I don't understand why this is even a question. Does the OP like being a doormat? Of course you should ask for a refund!
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Dev80




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 06 2015, 1:32 pm
Keep the packaging as well that it came in. If they do insure their items the shipping company (DHL, FedEx, etc) may need the broken item in the original packaging when they do a pick up. But definitely call, you have nothing to lose!
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cbg




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 06 2015, 3:05 pm
You should ask for a refund, but if they say NO then just take it as a kappara from Hashem for something much bigger. And don't forget to thank Hashem either way.
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oliveoil




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 06 2015, 11:30 pm
I do not think it's appropriate to ask for a refund. They do not usually ship. You have to pick it up for a reason. They agreed to ship to you as a favor, they packed it well, and it broke anyway, as fragiles are wont to do. It's really not their fault. Why did you go knowing you wouldn't be able to pick the dishes up before leaving town? and the fact that they charge more than your local place is not at all relevant.
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notshanarishona




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 06 2015, 11:50 pm
oliveoil wrote:
I do not think it's appropriate to ask for a refund. They do not usually ship. You have to pick it up for a reason. They agreed to ship to you as a favor, they packed it well, and it broke anyway, as fragiles are wont to do. It's really not their fault. Why did you go knowing you wouldn't be able to pick the dishes up before leaving town? and the fact that they charge more than your local place is not at all relevant.


I agree. If they don't normally ship, it's a small comanpy that usually only deals with small business from tourists, and they were doing you a favor, then I wouldn't.
If they ship regularly I would ask for a discount.
Truth it, with these pottery activities, you are mostly just paying for the activity and the piece of pottery is more of a side point IMO.
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Notsobusy




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 07 2015, 12:45 am
I agree with oliveoil and notshanarishona, but, I don't think it hurts to ask if they insured it. If yes, then it doesn't cost them anything, and the shipping company will cover it.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 07 2015, 12:59 am
I would call and explain what happened. Very often they will offer some kind of compensation voluntarily and then you don't come off sounding aggressive. If they don't I would ask. And then, as cbg said, if they say no you just accept that for what it is and work on some other way to comfort or make it up to the DD whose piece broke.
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Ms.MaryMack(inblack)




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 07 2015, 5:31 am
Call the credit card and dispute the charge saying that it came broken....
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miami85




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 07 2015, 10:50 am
On the one hand the place may have charged more because its' a vacation place and either doesn't get as much business so they charge more or just during vacation season--that could be their right. Another point is you paid for the diversion--did you get your money's worth in that regard? Is the kid devastated about the broken pottery? You can certainly call and inquire about compensation, but since what you are paying for is the use of their materials and kiln they may not be able to refund, they may offer you a complimentary session next time you are in the area. It can't hurt to ask and see their response, but if there's "nothing" they can do either realize you paid for the diversion or perhaps you can contact the Better Business Bureau and see what they can muster up--I've done it and have received suprisingly positive outcomes.
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Barbara




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 07 2015, 11:07 am
notshanarishona wrote:
I agree. If they don't normally ship, it's a small comanpy that usually only deals with small business from tourists, and they were doing you a favor, then I wouldn't.
If they ship regularly I would ask for a discount.
Truth it, with these pottery activities, you are mostly just paying for the activity and the piece of pottery is more of a side point IMO.


I mostly agree.

I would still call and tell them that the piece arrived broken. They may have insured it, or they may be willing to offer you a partial refund.

But as you say, the primary appeal of these places is not to create a beautiful finished product that will be passed down for generations; its to have fun for an afternoon. So you got most of your value already. I would neither ask for nor expect anything more than a partial refund.
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amother
Lawngreen


 

Post Tue, Jul 07 2015, 11:15 am
OP here. Shipping was not an unusual service as this is a touristy area and they many times have to ship since they only fire pottery once a week, or sometimes even less if things are slow.

In any case I did call and request a refund for the one broken piece. It was insured and will not be a problem. The lady was very nice about it so I don't feel badly about it now.
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HelloG




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 07 2015, 11:35 am
Yeah, I Don't see why you can't ask... n deal with the answer then.... I'm glad you got refunded n Hope it makes your dd happy
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