I co-own a small clothing company. We have product in some stores around Seattle. Recently I received an email from someone in Atlanta claiming that 3 weeks ago he had bought two shirts at a store here and that after washing them, the buttons had started to come off.
I was immediately suspicious because I didn't recall us stocking that particular item in any stores over the last month. They are currently only available on our website. Still, I wanted to play nice.
He asked me how I could help. I apologised and told him that I would provide him with a pre-paid shipping label and that once we received the damaged product, we would ship out some replacements. He immediately became disgruntled and claimed that I should send him replacements first and that he would ship the damaged shirts back when he received them. I politely replied that this was our exchange policy and that most, if not all, retail stores use this method of exchange. I even provided a pre-paid shipping label to him.
He then became irate, claiming that his father was a lawyer and that he would sue me in small claims court for the cost of the shirts and court fees. At that point I decided to call him out - I asked him where he had bought the shirts. He named a store, and immediately I knew he was lying because we had not placed the shirt in that store...ever. In fact, we had never sold a single one of this particular shirt in any store since it was produced.
I told him me must have mistaken another brand for mine or that he was trying to receive free merchandise. He then continued on with the "SEE YOU IN COURT" attitude and then proceeded to swear at me and use condescending language. I ignored this, and today I received a message from him asking who the owner of the company is.
I don't want to answer him because I know this is all a hoax, but I also don't want to deal with some smear campaign that he may be trying to put together. I don't believe his legal threats because seriously, even if he had really bought the shirts, going to court from Atlanta to Seattle over $80 is hardly worth the trouble, especially when I was clearly offering an exchange in the first place.
Any suggestions on how to proceed? This matter is hanging over my head like an ugly black cloud. Thanks for any help. |
