Mill Valley Sheepskin and Leather Failed to credit my account after return of merchandise. Does not honor advertised "no hassle" returns Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Mill Valley Sheepskin and Leather Co failed to return our money after we returned the coat... instead they sent us a piece of paper with "store credit" on it, contrary to their "no hassle" refund promised on the website. We are out $888.00! see www.MillValleyLeatherSucks.info My own story of internet shopping woe began with the brilliant idea that I should get a nice winter coat for my wife, Elaine, for Christmas. Shes a Texas girl and has never gotten used to the much colder winters we have here in Washington. She definitely needs a new coat, but what kind? For years she had admired a shearling jacket of mine so I thought I would get her a nice shearling coat of her own for Christmas.

I found two retailers on the internet that seemed promising, Overland Sheepskin Company of Taos, New Mexico, and Mill Valley Sheepskin and Leather of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Products and prices at the two sites were similar, but Mill Valley seemed to have a better selection so I picked out a coat that I thought my wife would like. All of the shearling coats were expensive, around a thousand dollars, some less, some more. By any measure a thousand dollars is a lot of money for a coat. Especially when one is purchasing on-line, without the ability to see, feel or try the item on. I certainly was not going to put out that kind of money without the assurance that the item could be returned if it were not just the perfect gift for my wife. I was reassured by the big bold headline at the top of the Mill Valley Sheepskin and Leather companys web page; MONEY BACK SATISFACTION GUARANTEE it blared in red. What could go wrong? I have made hundreds of internet purchases in the past few years with hardly a hitch. And on rare occasions when there had been a problem with an on-line purchase, the vendor was always willing to correct the issue, or offer a prompt refund. That is what on-line customers expect, in fact, such vendor integrity is a necessary prerequisite to foster the consumer trust that makes internet commerce possible. Without such trust in on-line merchants no one in his right mind would send hundreds of dollars to a nameless, faceless, stranger thousands of miles away. Apparently The Mill Valley Sheepskin and Leather of Jackson Hole is unfamiliar with the concept of customer service; but Im getting ahead of myself.

 The coat arrived, in early December in plenty of time for Christmas. My wife received the package at our home in Bethesda, but she didnt open it until I could be there to see it and share the excitement with her. I could tell right away when she lifted the coat out of the box that I had missed the mark with my gift. It didnt look nearly as stylish as it had on the models in the on-line catalog; more like a ranch-hand work coat not a stylish fur. And it was the wrong size, not only did it not fit, it wasnt even the size we had ordered. Since I had bungled the first attempt with the gift I offered that Elaine should go on-line and make her own selection from the Mill Valley Sheepskin and Leather of Jackson Hole and we would exchange it. I had hoped that there were just enough time to get the replacement by Christmas. Just to be sure, we called Mill Valley Sheepskin and Leather of Jackson Hole customer service on the telephone. (After repeated attempts over several days we eventually got through) We informed the Mill Valley Sheepskin and Leather of Jackson Hole agent that we were returning the coat for exchange and asked him if they could send the replacement coat in time for Christmas. The Mill Valley Sheepskin and Leather of Jackson Hole representative, who seemed unsure what he was doing, informed us that it takes weeks to process a return so if we wanted to receive the replacement coat by Christmas we should just order the second coat now, and write a note on the return form that we had exchanged for a different coat. Fine. Thats what we did.

 Elaine picked out a second coat more to her liking. It cost a bit more than the one I had bought, but if she liked this one it would be worth it. In spite of our efforts the coat did not arrive in time for Christmas. It was delivered a few days later and I have to say, Elaines choice was much nicer and more stylish than the one I had picked. In the mean time, I was keeping an eye on my PayPal account, looking for the credit for the coat that we had returned. Then, 3 weeks after Christmas what do I receive in the mail? Not a refund, but a zerox of a certificate on a plain sheet of paper sheet informing me that I have $888.88 in in-store credit that I can use any time at the Mill Valley Sheepskin and Leather company in Jackson Hole, WYOMING! Ive never even been to Wyoming. Ive only purchased one expensive sheepskin coat in my whole life and I cant see myself purchasing another one any time soon. This store credit is useless to me, and it is not what I expected at all. What about the MONEYBACK SATISFACTION GUARANTEE on the Mill Valley Sheepskin and Leather of Jackson Hole web-page? I was sure there had been a simple mistake and that all it would take is a call to the customer service department and the problem would be corrected. After all, that is what weve come to expect from internet retailers. Without a reputation for fair and reliable customer service no internet retailer can long remain in the business.

 After some frustration and some rather un-customer-friendly attitude from the customer service representatives at Mill Valley Sheepskin and Leather we were forced to seek redress with our credit card company, PayPal. Mill Valley Sheepskin and Leather continues to maintain a policy of offering store credit instead of a full refund in many cases and also charges a restocking fee, which can be substantial, on returned merchandise. Such policies are out-of-the norm for internet retailers and such vendor policies should be a red flag for on-line shoppers to avoid these retailers. In the end we returned both coats and I took my wife to a local department store where we were able to see and feel and try-on the coats. We bought a very elegant shearling coat at Nordstroms for about the same price as the on-line coat, and we know that Nordstroms will stand behind the product with customer service that is legendary.

The lesson in the end is that some purchases are best done in person. The internet is fine for mass market commodities, even for clothing, but only if the vendor maintains a high reputation for fair and friendly customer service. Avoid any vendor that does not offer a full refund on promptly returned merchandise. Store Credit Only and Restocking Fees are a red flag that these retailers are either not serious about their on-line business or are simply dishonest.