Defective Item

the costume arrived, and the mask that came with the costume was defective. and i emailed them telling them the problem. they called me back, and gave me 2 options. to get a refund of 15.00, which they claim is the cost of the mask with shipping, or get a new mask. being that halloween was less than a week away, i just opted to get the refund. however, the costume looks ridiculous without the mask, and i can't wear the costume. i asked for the full refund of $70.60 and they refused.

Comment On This

This consumer was telephoned immediately after we had received word that his mask had been damaged during shipping. Our customer service staff spoke with him and asked if he would like to receive a new mask or if he would rather receive a credit of $15.00 which was the cost of the mask and the shipping to deliver the new mask to him before Halloween.

The customer verified that the mask had a very minor tear and that he would like the credit for the item so he could still use it for Halloween. He was concerned about receiving the mask in time for Halloween and he stated so on the telephone call. Per his request, our customer service staff issued this credit for him the very same day to his credit card.

Later the same day this customer emailed us in a rage and stated that he wanted credit for the price of a mask that was on our website. The mask he wanted credit for was a deluxe helmet and was not the same mask that came with his costume.

Our customer service staff again explained the difference in the mask that he ordered with his costume and the deluxe mask from the website. We further explained that we had made the $15.00 refund to his credit card per his request earlier in the day.

Now, 3 days later, the customer emailed our customer service department again and said that he wanted a refund because the costume was no good without the mask even though he had stated that the mask would work just fine during a recorded telephone call 3 days prior when he requested to receive the $15.00 credit instead of a replacement.

This consumer also stated that he was not offered a refund for his product. The reason that he was not offered a refund was because the consumer placed his order during October when we only allow exchanges on orders due to consumer fraud. This policy has been clearly stated on our Returns and Exchange Policy section of our site since August 1. The reason for the policy is that some consumers purchase Halloween costumes, use them for a one-time purpose and then attempt to return them for a refund. This type of behavior is obviously unethical and it is fraud.

Since this customer made their purchase from our site during that time period, accepted the Terms and Conditions of our website by placing his order and verified that he had read the Terms and Conditions, his order, like all orders during that time period was only available for exchange which he was offered both by email and by telephone. Again, this consumer chose to receive the credit and was given the credit the very same day of request.

Our customer service department has made every attempt to assist this customer in an exchange, replacement and finally a credit for the damaged portion of his order before Halloween. The customer accepted one of the options given and has continued to ask for more compensation that is not justified ever since.