After over 2 months of trying to straighten out a terrible experience I have had with the first wedding dress I ordered, I had to send the below email to PayPal today. I am posting this on here as an open letter for a couple of reasons. 1.) To warn you not to buy your dress specifically from this company but to perhaps use caution when ordering from any online store based in China and 2.) To warn you of how very difficult it may be for you to receive a refund through PayPal if you do have a problem similar to the one I have had. Please re-blog this as to warn other brides-to-be. It has seriously been a complete nightmare. (Email below).
HERE IS MY PROBLEM. I need help.
- I ordered a dress from www.dressesselling.com in June. The dress was pictured, it was a dress anyone could order.
- My only request with the dress was that they not include a simple silver band that came with the dress. Nothing was altered.
- When the dress came, I was horrified. This was to be my wedding dress. It looked nothing like the pictured dress. It arrived with a black stain. It arrived in NO bag at all other than the DHL bag. It included a built in bra when I had specifically requested to not have one. The listing had said it was a wrap dress, but the dress I received had a zipper. I wanted a refund.
- I opened a dispute with PayPal in order to obtain a refund.
- PayPal eventually ruled initially in the seller’s favor because the seller had said the dress was custom made. The dress was NOT custom made.
- I called PayPal and explained the situation. The representative appealed the ruling and ruled in my favor. He provided me with an address and told me to mail the dress back within 10 days. He said that as long as I got tracking and delivery confirmation, I would receive my refund when the seller received the dress.
- I mailed the dress out a few days later to the address he provided me with. I called PayPal again to give the representative a tracking number for the case. The only difference between the address I was provided with and the one I mailed to was one digit in the postal code because I was informed that the postal code I was given from PayPal did not exist.
- As of August 17th, my dress has been held in China because the address was incorrect.
- I called PayPal today to explain the situation. The unfriendly representative told me that the verification and tracking online from USPS matched with my physical receipt containing the address PayPal gave me is NOT enough verification that PayPal gave me the wrong address. Why is this not enough? She told me to call USPS and see if I could get China to send the package back with an ‘undeliverable’ stamp.
- I called USPS. The representative there informed me that the address PayPal gave me for this company was not only incorrect, but it didn’t even include a STREET NAME. She said she would open an investigation with China, but that it would take at least 24 days. In the meantime, I checked the seller’s website, www.dressesselling.com. The url redirected to a new url. The name of the company changed. A new, probably still fake, address was on this website. This company has likely scammed many people.
- I called PayPal back in order to let PayPal know that this seller has provided PayPal with the wrong address. The representative told me that the claim could be escalated, but that it still wouldn’t help me receive my refund. Why can’t PayPal help me? Why is PayPal not responsible for not verifying that an address even contains a street name? A street name is crucial for anyone trying to conduct a return/refund.
I expect USPS’ verification that PayPal gave me an incorrect address to be enough for PayPal. I should not be in this position when PayPal gave me an address for a return that I trusted to be correct and it was not. Now I have no dress and no refund and USPS is telling me that their investigation with China will take at least another 24 days. I need for a human to write me back, someone who can help me. I have been using PayPal regularly for over 9 years. I need more assistance please!
I am so sad about all of this and all I want is my refund so that I can put the money toward my actual wedding dress.
Please help me with this.
Elizabeth
13 September 2011
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