Taraluna

Taraluna is an ethical business and we take great care in serving our customers, but despite our best attempts to resolve this matter, the customer did not accept our help.
 The customer purchased a wallet, which we shipped the same day.  It was delivered 3 days later and the...

customer acknowledges he received the wallet and noticed that there was a leather logo on it, however he waited until after our 30 day return policy expired and he had already left the country before contacting us regarding this matter.
 When I received the email, I immediately contacted the manufacturer who explained the logo was leather, originally made from recycled leather scraps – highly sustainable – but he is unsure of the process now, he will look into it and add the information to his product detail.  The manufacturer is Fair Trade Federation Certified.
 I added the information to our website right away, I emailed the customer that day and thanked him for bringing it to our attention, I apologized for the problem and I offered him information about our products, and our policies.   Although the 30 day return period had passed, I wanted to make things right with this customer so I offered a full refund of the product and original shipping charges, but noted that since we shipped within the Continental US I would not pay return shipping from Europe.  Because the item was coming from overseas, and it was already past the policy period I gave the customer a limited return period (with the date noted twice).
 Instead he waited another week, and made many more unfounded accusations – some of which he listed in this complaint.  The customer seemed not to notice or care that we had indeed taken steps to resolve the problem, including an apology, adding/changing information to our product detail page and we offered to give him a full refund.  Instead he continued to accuse us of intentionally misleading or misrepresenting our products, “green washing”, and purposeful deception.  The offer was not “inexplicably rescinded” nor did we refuse to refund.  Nothing could be further from the truth, our best efforts went unnoticed, the customer was hostile and he went past the return date again, so we felt it was best to not engage any further.  We have acted in an ethical manner throughout, but we have done our best and will not engage further.

The day we received customer complaint we acted immediately correcting the problem, we extended the return date for the customer and offered a full refund if he wished to return the item.  He did not return the item. 
We detailed each step taken to correct the error in our email response to the customer that same day, along with the return extension for full refund.  We have had a standard 30 day return policy for over 9 years, it is not arbitrary or unethical. We generously extended the return period for the customer, but he did not act, nothing was retracted.  I am sorry that we could not help this customer, but it was not for lack of effort on our part.
The facts are detailed in our original response.

I am rejecting this response because: nothing of great substance was added in the company's reply.  There are many vague allusions to 'hostility' and so forth -- and while I am glad to know that the company contacted the manufacturer and changed their webpage (both of which are heartening pieces of information I wish that I knew), this does not absolve them of their own response, particularly for a company that bills itself as 'ethical'.  Lashing out at customers based on the whims of the moment, and retracting offers for a refund inexplicably based on an arbitrary timetable, are simply unacceptable -- and not only unethical, but classic examples of poor business practice.
My complaint stands, and I hope that at least some potential consumers will see it so that they can be aware of the dollar signs that are the true objective, as opposed to ethical business practice and ethical retailing.

Review: I purchased a recycled rubber wallet on Taraluna.com. It was mailed to the address on file (a relative's) because I have been engaging in extensive travel recently. Once I received the wallet, which was some days later, I noticed that it had what appeared to be a sizable leather patch on it. This was indicated in no way in the item's description, and is a major problem for any product claiming to be 'eco' (since leather is highly unsustainable) and for an item that is has a sizable (if not majority) consumer base of vegetarians, vegans, Hindus, and others who are attempting to avoid leather (this was one of the original purposes of the first alternative wallets of some years ago). Once the manufacturer confirmed to me (after some time) that the patch is, in fact, leather, I contacted Taraluna for a refund, asking for shipping both ways to be refunded. She refused to cover shipping both ways, but did offer to cover the item, plus the shipping I had already paid, if I mailed it back at my expense. However, she then inexplicably rescinded this offer and then refused to continue discussing the matter. In the eco community, it is a serious violation to: sell a non-sustainable item as sustainable (this is known as 'greenwashing'), include ingredients/ materials that are not listed in the description, and especially to include animal products without notice. The fact that she engaged in these behaviors (out of ignorance or purposeful deception, I cannot say) is bad enough, but then to refuse a refund is beyond the pale.Desired Settlement: Refund as agreed upon before seller's rescission.

Business

Response:

Taraluna is an ethical business and we take great care in serving our customers, but despite our best attempts to resolve this matter, the customer did not accept our help.

The customer purchased a wallet, which we shipped the same day. It was delivered 3 days later and the customer acknowledges he received the wallet and noticed that there was a leather logo on it, however he waited until after our 30 day return policy expired and he had already left the country before contacting us regarding this matter.

When I received the email, I immediately contacted the manufacturer who explained the logo was leather, originally made from recycled leather scraps – highly sustainable – but he is unsure of the process now, he will look into it and add the information to his product detail. The manufacturer is Fair Trade Federation Certified.

I added the information to our website right away, I emailed the customer that day and thanked him for bringing it to our attention, I apologized for the problem and I offered him information about our products, and our policies. Although the 30 day return period had passed, I wanted to make things right with this customer so I offered a full refund of the product and original shipping charges, but noted that since we shipped within the Continental US I would not pay return shipping from Europe. Because the item was coming from overseas, and it was already past the policy period I gave the customer a limited return period (with the date noted twice).

Instead he waited another week, and made many more unfounded accusations – some of which he listed in this complaint. The customer seemed not to notice or care that we had indeed taken steps to resolve the problem, including an apology, adding/changing information to our product detail page and we offered to give him a full refund. Instead he continued to accuse us of intentionally misleading or misrepresenting our products, “green washing”, and purposeful deception. The offer was not “inexplicably rescinded” nor did we refuse to refund. Nothing could be further from the truth, our best efforts went unnoticed, the customer was hostile and he went past the return date again, so we felt it was best to not engage any further. We have acted in an ethical manner throughout, but we have done our best and will not engage further.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: nothing of great substance was added in the company's reply. There are many vague allusions to 'hostility' and so forth -- and while I am glad to know that the company contacted the manufacturer and changed their webpage (both of which are heartening pieces of information I wish that I knew), this does not absolve them of their own response, particularly for a company that bills itself as 'ethical'. Lashing out at customers based on the whims of the moment, and retracting offers for a refund inexplicably based on an arbitrary timetable, are simply unacceptable -- and not only unethical, but classic examples of poor business practice.

My complaint stands, and I hope that at least some potential consumers will see it so that they can be aware of the dollar signs that are the true objective, as opposed to ethical business practice and ethical retailing.

Business

Response:

The day we received customer complaint we acted immediately correcting the problem, we extended the return date for the customer and offered a full refund if he wished to return the item. He did not return the item.

We detailed each step taken to correct the error in our email response to the customer that same day, along with the return extension for full refund. We have had a standard 30 day return policy for over 9 years, it is not arbitrary or unethical. We generously extended the return period for the customer, but he did not act, nothing was retracted. I am sorry that we could not help this customer, but it was not for lack of effort on our part.

The facts are detailed in our original response.