"All of our sales are final."
Last December I bought a Mochila Ruffled Raffia Cross-Body Bag by Sensi Studio from Matches as a Christmas present for my daughter.
It can be found on Sensi's web site under "ruffled-mochila-1?variant=42594057158872"
Matches have subsequently ceased trading.
This is more a Summer bag, so she didn't start using it until recently. And then the trouble started. The raffia used to weave this bag is either too weak or is not used in a heavy enough weave. The strands started to pull away from all the draw string eyelets and the weak, open weave feature near the top started to unravel.
She emailed them pointing out their design flaws and asking for credit.
"It's only been light use as a summer holiday bag but it's started to break in several places around the hoops and top section.
Please see photos attached.
I don't think it's repairable and if I keep using it, it'll fall apart completely.
So, I would like to request a credit note or replacement of some kind."
Their response was
"...All of our products are extremely delicate since they are made from straw.
Unfortunately, we cannot offer you any returns, refunds, exchanges or in store credit.
All of our sales are final.
...
However, we can offer you a 10% discount on your next purchase"
Her reply was
"Sorry but this is a very unsatisfactory response. You are selling goods that are not fit for purpose, especially given the premium price point.
I appreciate straw is delicate - as such this style of draw-string bag should not be offered, only smaller, hand-held designs. And as a journalist specialising in ethical / Global South design, I really do know what I'm talking about!
With that in mind, can you offer something better than 10%? Such a discount makes very little difference to the purchase price."
That was 2 weeks ago, since then nothing.
I'm not sure that this is even legal as the bag is not fit for purpose under the Sale of Goods Act.