I mail ordered a santa costume from Japan. The description said that it was a high quality costume used for rentals and by department store Santas. The cost for the costume was $239.
Shipping and import duties came to another $100. The first thing I noticed about the jacket was that the plush trim on the sleeves did not always lie very well where it was attached to the velour. Otherwise it fitted quite well the outfit looked quite good in the mirror.
Then I made a closer inspection of the sewing. Loose threads everywhere! And evidence inside of unpicking and resewing. The worst discovery was a three-inch length of chain stitching that arched a quarter inch over the plush on the right sleeve. This is visible on the outside, and is on the most active arm. I live in Japan and Japanese people quickly notice that kind of thing.
I photographed the defect and e-mailed it to the company. Nancy replied and treated me like I was some kind of complaining crank! On the website it said that all Christmas costumes were non-retunable. She did, however, say that I could return the costume, entirely at my own expense, for a refund. This, I suspect was a bluff, because doing so would leave me about $160 out of pocket. The beard set and boots are probably worth that to me. After I patiently wrote to her, finally having to remind her of the company's policy for the return of defective items, her parting words to me were "I don't think that anything anyone does can make you happy. "
Previously she wrote (in separate messages) "Send it back. End of story. " "I suggest that you take a pair of scissors and trim the loose threads from the inside of the costume and get on with your life. " When I first patiently, detailed my problems with the finish and the defect she said
"Your insults are inexcusable. " So, if you are in the market for a costume, I suggest that you do not mail order it. Get along to the shop and inspect before you buy.
Pros: Prompt service
Cons: Quality issues, insulting customer service
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