Complaint Review: J. D. Marvel - Champlain New York

(J. D. Marvel: if you're reading this, please comply with my request and I will offer an update confirming your action.)

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J. D. Marvel Products is a mail order company with an address in Champlain, New York, and a phone number somewhere in the Montreal area. They advertise in magazines and via website (www.jdmarvelproducts.com), offering primarily novelty items (bird clocks, slippers, lingerie among others), typically in the $5 - $25 price range, and typically of third world origin. Their prices and shipping costs appear modest.

I mailed an order with a check on 09/23/02 (they do not, to my knowledge, accept credit cards). My check cleared on 10/02/02. I do not know exactly when my product was shipped, but would estimate 10/31/02, because I received it on 11/07/02.

I was disappointed with the quality of the product (bedroom slippers), but I cannot state that they were entirely junk; although I was not pleased with them, another customer might have been.

I had noted a reasonable-sounding guarantee of satisfaction stated on their website and I went there again to search for return procedures. None were listed. I called the listed telephone number numerous times over a multi-week period. It was always busy. I emailed the only address listed ("info@ ..."), initially on 11/08/02, then subsequently on 11/18/02 to complain that I had received no reply.

A few weeks later, I had all but given up, when I DID indeed receive a reply, confirming a 90-day return privilege and providing an address and packaging instructions. Although $7.20 in shipping costs was a big chunk of the $18.00 rebate I was anticipating, I shipped my return via Parcel Post 12/06/02.

It was returned to me on 01/08/03, marked "Return to Sender", bearing a non-standard Postage Due tag. When I had originally shipped it, the Post Office had weighed the package and applied proper postage. They confirmed on 01/14/03 that this was not their tag, that they do not reweigh Parcel Post packages, and that the package had simply been refused by the addressee.

I emailed the mailbox of the customer service representative at J. D. Marvel who had replied to my original inquiry, explaining all of this in detail. My email concluded with the following:

"NOW ... I am always reluctant to accuse any individual or any company of acting in bad faith, and it is possible that the combination of obstacles ... the long delays ... the inadequately detailed web site ... the "hard to reach" Customer Support Department ... AND the refusal to accept the package ... were ALL simply bad luck. But the burden of good faith is now yours, not mine.

"I suggest you refund my $18.00, PLUS reimburse the second $7.20 it will cost me to reship the package, for a total of $25.20, and THEN I will ship the package to you. OR if the cost of the merchandise to J. D. Marvel is so low that it is not worth $7.20, then merely refund my $18.00 and instruct me to discard or donate the merchandise, which I will do willingly.

"Alternatively, you may email me, or CALL ME at the number listed below (preferably before two weeks from now), and we may work out something else. Obviously I'm not about to take legal action over something this petty, but if I do not receive a full refund I will donate the slippers to charity and describe this incident to anybody who will listen, including the occasional website to which I may post.

"Thank you."

(I included my signature with name, address, phone and email)

Al

Austin, Texas
U.S.A.