No Package Arrived, No Refund, No Replacement

[bateleureagle.livejournal.com]

I'm not disclosing the artist's name yet until I have a clearer idea of what to expect from the situation's resolution.
I will update and/or post the artist's handle if necessary as the situation progresses. For now this is just for advice.

In April, I ordered a product from [an artist who makes high quality handmade things marketed to furries.] This product was not handmade and part of a batch. They have a very good reputation. In their disclaimers they note that they are a 1 person army, so to be patient as packing can even take a few weeks. I was fine with this -- It was a stuffed animal, I could wait.

I received a shipping e-mail on the 25th of May with a tracking number, which I did not see until sometime early June. It stated that the item had been collected to ship out to me on the 8th of May. Why it took until the 25th for this information to get to me was anyone's guess. I checked the number in the tracker and it confirmed the item had been received for shipping on the 8th, but nothing further.

Weird, I thought. But, packages from the US to the UK can take a long time. So I waited another week. Nothing.
I tried the number in the tracker again. No further information.

I called the Royal Mail and Parcelforce to be absolutely sure if this parcel had crossed the border. No one had any records of it so I turned my attentions to the USPS, who told me they had no further information on the parcel.

So I send an e-mail stating all of this, requesting they chase it up from their end. I say that if the parcel fails to be found, I will have to ask for a refund or replacement, replacement preferred.

A few days ago I got an e-mail saying they'll try chasing it up, but they won't replace or refund me.
I'm livid.

I feel like I have waited over a month, been very patient, liased with a bunch of people and am now being told that I have paid the better part of a hundred dollars for the privilege.

I feel like they owe me either what I paid, or what I paid for. Nothing more, but certainly nothing less. I understand that this situation is nobody's fault but outright telling me they won't replace or refund me has got my back up like nobody's business.

I haven't gone totally public with this yet as I am giving them a few more days to respond, but after that I'm going to have to blow up, and I don't want to. I'm an artist too. I work freelance too. I know what it's like, but I also don't want to have shelled out for jack.

What should I do? If I don't hear back from them, what do I say?

Comments

[nambroth.livejournal.com]

Do I understand correctly-- it was indeed shipped, but right now is simply "missing" in the postal service somewhere? I read above that you paid for Priority International shipping.. I think that it does come with some coverage but I am not totally sure. If so, after enough time passes that it is clear that it is not simply stuck in limbo/customs somewhere, you can ask the artist to make the insurance claim, and then get a refund that way. It can take a long time to process, though!

For the record, I have had things I shipped from the US to the UK get stuck in sorting at the international dispatch facility (and then in customs) for 60 days before... with Priority shipping. It is no fun. :(

[bateleureagle.livejournal.com]

I have no doubt that the seller did actually ship the item -- It's just as you said, it's more than likely lost as there's no information in the tracker.

I will send them another e-mail.