Reaction to earrings

Princess_x

I don't know if anyone here sells jewellery, but I've sold over 200 earrings, and this is the first time someone has had a reaction to the earrings, which is odd as they're nickel free, but may still be possible if she's allergic to something else.

As I've never had this situation before, I don't know what the protocol is for these kinds of things so wanted to know what to do.

I've currently asked for a picture of the rash so I can send it to the supplier.

Do I just refund her fully after the picture is received? Is she entitled to only a partial refund? (I would do this anyway)
Or is she entitled to a full refund without the picture?

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Return for a refund.

forgotmyname

Instant full refund and maybe a small gift of something else and hope it all ends there and they dont start checking your listing in fine detail to see what you claim the material was and what it really was.

Allergies are a strange thing. I used to be allergic to certain items when young but grew out of them and in later life got new allergies that i was fine with when young.

Princess_x

forgotmyname wrote: »

Instant full refund and maybe a small gift of something else and hope it all ends there and they dont start checking your listing in fine detail to see what you claim the material was and what it really was.

Allergies are a strange thing. I used to be allergic to certain items when young but grew out of them and in later life got new allergies that i was fine with when young.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head wrote: »

Return for a refund.

I'm not worried if they looked at the listing in detail as I have had the materials verified and checked and it is nickel free and certain if they were to test it they would get the same result.

Is automatic refunding the 'norm' then for cases like this? Don't retailers usually ask for proof before they refund? I've just had a look at the buyer's feedback and it seems she's had a few of these problems where the items she had bought didn't agree with her.

My question really is, when it comes to supposed reactions to jewellery, if the materials are listed and the buyer still buys it and they find after that they're allergic to one of the materials used (in this case zinc), is the seller really at fault? And is it still expected of them to fully refund the buyer?

Like I said, I haven't experienced this before so wondering what the correct thing to do is especially if I have no way of verifying that they're telling the truth.

campdave

There is no "correct" thing to do.

If you are happy that the materials in your items are correctly listed and the items you are selling contain them, then I would apologise and leave it there, especially if the buyer seems to have a history of issues with other purchases.

Turns out our son is allergic to pineapple - we just stopped giving him pineapple, we didn't go back to Asda and demand a refund on the tin.

Brywalker

Princess_x wrote: »

I'm not worried if they looked at the listing in detail as I have had the materials verified and checked and it is nickel free and certain if they were to test it they would get the same result.

Is automatic refunding the 'norm' then for cases like this? Don't retailers usually ask for proof before they refund? I've just had a look at the buyer's feedback and it seems she's had a few of these problems where the items she had bought didn't agree with her.

My question really is, when it comes to supposed reactions to jewellery, if the materials are listed and the buyer still buys it and they find after that they're allergic to one of the materials used (in this case zinc), is the seller really at fault? And is it still expected of them to fully refund the buyer?

Like I said, I haven't experienced this before so wondering what the correct thing to do is especially if I have no way of verifying that they're telling the truth.

The cynic in my would lead me to suspect that there is s good possibility that she is trying it on. I would ask her to return the earrings and you will refund her upon receipt. If she's being honest then she should have no objection to this.

mrcol1000

The problem is, if you received these back would you be able to re-sell them? Probably not. So the only thing in asking them to return for a return is that there a chance they may not bother.

It depends on the money. If it is not much money then I would just apologies, refund and block them. They are probably just trying it on by at least it is a quick and easy way to deal with it and move on.

Whatever you do, I'd ensure they open a SNAD case so there is a record of it and you get your fees back.

paddyrg

Have you personally tested that the earrings are nickel-free? If you're importing you may find the (Chinese?) manufacturer has just used a 'nickel-free' sticker, and used whatever potmetal was cheap that week. This affects major high street retailers, who have sold stuff mislabelled for this exact reason, so they'll have no hesitation in passing dodgy goods off on you. Unless you have personally tested it, assume it could easily be contaminated.

http://jezebel.com/5894749/buying-cheap-jewelry-could-have-deadly-consequences

forgotmyname

Bought a very intricate necklace from China, it arrived partially distorted and a small broken piece. No problem i think just solder the broken bit back together and heat i up to reshape it.

Except it didnt quite goto plan, the metal melted at a much lower temperature than my electrical lead based solder.

Nickel coated unknown base material? Where the coating is a bit thin or non existant?

The right thing to do is upto you, if you think they are trying it on then make them jump through hoops to get the refund. If you think they are genuine then i would refund right away.

It would be risky to resell them so are they worth the return postage?