Unhappy Customer...Not really my fault right?

Crystalina wrote: So here is a convo I just got:

Crystal,

I just wanted to let you know that the orange color of the hat is quite a bit brighter than I expected. I don't feel that the photos on your shop match the actual color very well or that the yarn color of the hat coordinated with the orange (and other colors) in the tassles.

I am not asking for any sort of compensation for this. I realize that colors from photographs are rarely "true" to the color of the actual item. I was mostly just dissapointed because I didn't think it coordinated with the tassles.

I hate to give you this not-so-happy news, but I thought it might be useful to you for your future orders, as I'm sure you like to have happy customers.

Thanks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``

OK, now here is the listing.... http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27413792

Is it not obvious that the hat in the photo with the baby has been edited? It's not even close to being as bright as the actual hat. Does anyone else feel she didn't even look at the photos or is it just me getting all defensive?

I explained to her that I would put up a note in the listing saying that the hat in the photo was edited to look less bright (which I did right away) but am I wrong to not offer her money back? She recieved exactely what she ordred and I do hardly any editing to photos I list unless it's to remove shadows or clone out a yorkie in the background or resize. I leave the actual item as untouched as possible and if I hold the hat in my hand up to the screen it looks the same and my moniter is not even callibrated.

What do you think?

MommyToAshley replied: She says she doesn't want any compensation, but if it were me, I'd probably ask her if she wanted to exchange it for a different color (or a hat with different colored tassles). Even though it is evident that she didnt' look at the other pictures, I would give her the benefit of the doubt and offer her an exchange. I don't think I would do a refund, but an exchange sounds fair for both sides.

I think it is hard not to get defensive about something you worked so hard on, but try not to take it personally. I think the hats are super cute just the way they are!

Good idea on adding the text about the photo being edited.

Crystalina replied:
Right now, in that style of hat, those are the only tassles.

And if I exchange then who would pay for shipping? Would I have to eat that? Never had this issue as of yet so it's all new to me.

She said that she was not happy with the tassle colors versus the hat but here http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.78647253.jpg give a very close up picture of both.

I know that before I buy I always know what I'm buying. I can't imagine that she purchased this and did not look at the rest of the pictures.


ETA: Thanks for the compliment.

CantWait replied: I don't even have to have my screen full size to see how bright the hat was. Which by the way was CUTE

I'd just put a note up with the listing, and not worry about it. Like you said if you offer her a new hat you're also eating up costs for shipping.

cameragirl21 replied: I'd tell her that I'm sorry the item is not exactly what she expected and that you made a note on your site to try to prevent this from happening in the future and that you'd like to offer her 50% off her next hat as compensation for her disappointment.
That way, you don't have to worry about who pays shipping and whatnot and you do encourage her to do business with you again, you ARE offering her something and showing good customer service and yet it won't cost you anything except a bit of future profit. It will make her more likely to order again.
Very cute hat, btw, I'm very into bright orange lately, so it's right up my alley.

Kentuckychick replied:
I think this is the best option right here.

"I'm sorry that you were disappointed with your item..." and then offer her the 50% or however much off of a future purchase and let her know you've fixed the listing.

I personally like the original colors (the bright colors) better than the toned down ones, lol... but maybe that's just me!

Crystalina replied: But you guys DO see the major color difference don't you? It's not like I was trying trick anyone into buying one thing and then shipping something totally different. The pic with the baby is just to show what the hat looks like. Photographers edit the way they want and are always messing with adding or muting colors to suit them or the baby which is why I have so many other pics of the hat up.

I like to think that the customer is always right and try to make them happy but sometimes I think they just need to pay attention to what they are buying. I've already answered her and said my apologies and that I noted the listing and I feel terrible that she is not happy with it and it's still bothering me really. I think I will send her another convo and give her the discount you mentioned.

MommyToAshley replied: From the perspective of the business owner, I would probably eat the cost of shipping and fix the original problem even if the error was on the side of the customer (as it appears to be in this case). From the customer's perspective, I probably wouldn't buy from someone that I was dissatisfied with (for whatever reason) regardless if they gave me a discount.

I understand that you don't want to be taken advantage of by the customer and that the shipping will probably eat up your profits, but I don't think this customer is trying to get something for free. And, what you will gain (a good reputation) is more valuable than the cost of shipping. If you treat your customers right, word will get around and you'll save yourself a lot in advertising dollars. It's obvious that you care about how your customers feel, otherwise it wouldn't still be bothering you. Besides, I think shipping both ways is still less than 50% off another hat.

But, that's just how I would handle it, it doesn't mean it's the ONLY right way. Good luck, I hope you are able to resolve things to both of your satisfaction. KUP.

MommyToAshley replied:
Me too!

A&A'smommy replied: I think you should do what Jennifer said, especially considering it was customer error and IMO it seems to me like that person wasn't really paying attention I can understand you feeling bad though and I NOTICED the color difference it wasn't that hard!!!

BTW I LOVE the hat I think its super adorable and I love the vibrant colors!!!

My3LilMonkeys replied: I can see I'm in the minority here but why would you edit the photo so that the hat didn't look as bright as it really is? To me it seems like you would want to leave the photo untouched so that they would get a true sense of how it looked, especially since that is the main photo. I'm not trying to say that what you did was wrong or anything, I'm truly just confused.

And it may just be my monitor, but to me all four pictures have different tones of orange.

cameragirl21 replied:
Crystal didn't do it, the photographer who took the picture did. She bought one of Crystal's hats and used it for a picture and then photoshopped the picture to her taste and allowed Crystal to use the picture as an example of what the hat looks like when placed on a baby's head. It's not anything sinister that Crystal did to deceive anyone.
Also, your monitor is probably not calibrated so you're not seeing colors as they truly are and I say this only because generally only photographers and others involved in graphic arts who do these things for a living invest in calibration software which has to be recalibrated regularly so I doubt anyone who doesn't do this for a living is calibrated, it's not anything directed at you personally.
I'm guessing a photographer bought this from Crystal and she should have looked carefully at what she was buying. If the colors don't match from the baby pic to the various pics taken by Crystal then the photog should perhaps contact the seller to determine what the actual color is or be prepared for some variation when she receives the product.
I personally have little sympathy for this buyer...she didn't look at what she was buying and she is fully aware of that, otherwise she WOULD be asking for her money back. She's just being a PITA and that's her problem, not the seller's. While I fully agree with good customer service, the usual inclination in these sorts of businesses is offering free or discounted future product. For instance, a bride told me that the cake she ordered from a very well known pastry chef here in Miami was not what she wanted, apparently it didn't have filling, whereas the pastry chef insisted there was filling. I didn't taste the cake so I have no idea who is right, nor do I care. The bride and her family complained to the pastry chef who offered them a free cake for their first anniversary. I think it's more than fair, although I would be upset if the cake I got was not what I asked for but I also don't think the lack of filling is enough to ruin or even put a damper on a wedding, jmo, of course. I also find it hard to believe that this particular pastry chef would make that sort of error so I'm most inclined to believe that the bride didn't truly look at, taste, etc what she was buying...the pastry chef allows you to taste it in advance. That is why I a bit at buyer error...good customer service dictates that you should try to make the client happy and make up for it in some way but it should not be a huge inconvenience to the seller either, unless it's the seller who made the error.
Anyway, I can see why Crystal is upset but the buyer should make sure she knows what she's buying and I think it's a bit obnoxious to complain after the fact...she was not buying the product site unseen.
You know what they say--caveat emptor....

DVFlyer replied:
It doesn't matter what we think, you have the feedback from a customer. It's their perception you should be concerned with... and it will change with every customer.

Follow Jennifer's sage advice - Thank her for her "very valuable feedback" and offer a discount (cover your costs) for her next hat.

My3LilMonkeys replied:
I wasn't trying to imply that Crystal did anything sinister or wrong and I apologize if I did - I just didn't understand that the picture wasn't Crystal's. I guess that's what I get for trying to read with a migraine and a squirmy kid trying to eat everything on my desk.

Crystalina replied:
Being in the minority is good. It helps me understand how someone else is thinking.

I did not edit the photo. The photo was given to me to use by a repeat customer that I have given discounts to for the use of the photo. She made sure I knew she toned the hat down (even though it was obvious she did). She gave me another one to use that showed the true colors but the picture was not very flattering at all. The baby was in an awkward position and just looked uncomfortable but the baby was also surrounded by brighter colors that looked great for with the hat. For the photo I chose to use she just thought the orange was too harsh for the serene pose that the baby is in. There are many photos that people use that show edited versions of their hats/cocoon but you have to actually click on the listing to find the more detailed photos. Some sellers will be selling a cocoon and show a close up of the baby's face and all you see is a small amount of the cocoon. The front photo is more just to get you to open it up and look some more.

And I'm not sure why the photos would all be a different shade to you. Maybe just different moniters? I have no clue.

I added the note on the bottom about the picture with the baby being edited and I convo'd her that I would refund her money 100% if she sends it back. I hope that helps her walk away feeling un-jipped.

Crystalina replied:
Jennifer pretty much posted what I did in my last post. Thanks Jennifer. I'm thinking her (the buyers) monitor is not calibrated. I don't know.



DVFlyer...what I'm asking is that is there NOT an obvious change in color from the picture with the baby versus all the others. She also complained about the colors in the tassles yet I CLEARLY have taken a macro shot of the tassles (2nd picture I think). As one seller told me, we have virtual shops. We ONLY have descriptions and pictures to help us sell our products. If you are buying online you should realize what it is your buying. Even if her moniter is not calibrated she should see the color difference and if it bothered her she could have convo'd me.
She's not asking for a refund but the offer still stands. I am not really upset with the buyer because I don't find her message to be rude or anything. I just think she didn't look into it as much as she should have before commiting to buy.

Calimama replied:
I agree.

cameragirl21 replied:
sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad, was just trying to explain and maybe it came out a little harsh.
hope your migraine goes away, I hate those.

my2monkeyboys replied: The close-up shot of the tassels absolutely shows the colors. I can tell without a doubt that there is not a matching orange shade in the tassels.
I however, still think it is as cute as a button, and don't know how she could not see the colors.
I would not worry about it... I think the listing is more than satisfactory.

coasterqueen replied: I'm with My3LilMonkeys on this. I'm confused on why you would use edited photos. Now, I'm not a photographer, and I bet your customer wasn't either so they might not pick up on all the things you do, and you have to remember that. They might not see the obvious of the color difference. I know I didn't until you pointed it out. I know it may sound foolish to you, but you work with photography and I don't. Yes, I might have saw a color difference, but I might have dismissed it as a light issue or something, which could be what your customer did. I think if you are going to use edited photos then you have to realize some might not see the difference in them.

Celestrina replied: Another thing I noticed is that you did list any restrictions regarding returns. Generally if there are any limitations they should be noted. Sorry if that sounded harsh, but its just my opinion.

Crystalina replied:
She is a photographer and bought the item under her business name. Photographers are my buyers 99.9% of the time.


I messaged her that I would refund 100% including shipping but have heard nothing from her. I may hear something from her tomorrow. Weekdays are usually when they get in touch with me. I hope to hear from her.

Crystalina replied:
I have no clue what you are meaning or saying.

Crystalina replied:
Are you meaning my return policy? If so then those are not listed on the actual listing. If that were so our listing would be very full of words. We have an area for shop policies here . You can see under Refunds/Exchanges what I say about that.