Am I being fair? Client demands full refund.

[cowgirl9768]

Hi,
I got an email today about how a lady bought a rabbit from me a while back (2 or 3 months ago). And she was showing her and the rabbit got DQ for malocclusion. This is a rabbit who won multiple BOB for me. I sold her for $50 cause I am in college and hardly have time for my lionheads so I sold everything else cheap. She is demanding I give her a full refund and take the rabbit back. I said I cant but ill give her a partial refund of more the half of what she paid. I do not think she has been feeding hay cause I showed her the rabbits teeth when I sold it to her. I also have it in writing that the rabbit was in good health to the best of both of our knowledge and I am not responsible for any future health issues. But I don't want to just be like hey look! Suck for you! But I am also an out of work college student with $50 total in my bank account. I am basically living of my parents till I get out of vet school and start paying of my loans. Plus my horse broke her leg so I am having to pay any money I some how make to helping her get better. I honestly can not just take the rabbit back and give her full refund. She even lives out of town and wants me to pay transport.... What is fair?

 

[Zass]

Was there any kind of contract at the time of sale?

 

[ladysown]

she is coming to you 2-3 months after the fact?

you owe her NOTHING.

Rabbit showed for you successfully.
And bad teeth are checked for at shows.

If she had bad teeth now it won't be due to lack of hay, it will be due to rabbit pulling on the wire of the cage or something.
It is NOT your issue.

DO NOT refund money.

it's one thing if she brought the rabbit home and then said HOLD ON.. I just saw something we missed.

BUT as you stated. You checked the rabbit over before sale. the buyer checked the rabbit over before sale.
Rabbit is sold AS IS. no guarantees on future showing ability, no guarantees on the ability to reproduce or anything.

Just tell her how sorry you are about the situation but you are NOT in the financial position to pay for the rabbit.

You can't fix every problem.
if the rabbit had a problem earlier she should have told you sooner.. not 2-3 months after the fact.

If she didn't know the rabbit had a tooth problem then she's not observing her rabbits as closely as she should. you owe her nothing.

 

[cowgirl9768]

Was there any kind of contract at the time of sale?

Yea just the general contract I have everyone sign.

 

[Nyctra]

:yeahthat: What Ladysown said.

 

[Zass]

Does your contract have a money back guarantee for health problems that were suddenly acquired after several months?

 

[cowgirl9768]

Does your contract have a money back guarantee for health problems that were suddenly acquired after several months?

No, it is a 15 day money back for anything and 30 money back for death or severe illness. After 30 days I have no guarantees.

__________ Sat Feb 07, 2015 11:08 pm __________

:yeahthat: What Ladysown said.

Glad you guys think think that. Makes me feel less of a bad person haha. <br /><br /> __________ Sat Feb 07, 2015 11:09 pm __________ <br /><br /> I know I do not have to pay her cause my contract protects me. I just still want to be fair you know?

 

[Zass]

You should remind her of that contract then. I think you are totally free of obligation here. You can't be expected to control what happens to the bun while it's in her care.

 

[Nyctra]

I think you're being totally fair if you don't give a refund...her agreeing to your conditions but then demanding it anyway after she's possibly exposed it to anything at the show and possibly damaged the bun isn't fair IMO.

 

[EnglishSpot]

Tell her you'll take the rabbit back.... for free. And she's got to bring it to you... with a cage.

 

[cowgirl9768]

Tell her you'll take the rabbit back.... for free. And she's got to bring it to you... with a cage.

I dont really what a rabbit with maloclution. I dont breed hollands any morre, I probably can not sell it, and I cant show it. And i really dint want to see this lady face to face haha :lol:

This is the reply one of the best known rabbit breeders in my area sent me. It is good to know for everyone I think.

"NO refund! You cannot guarantee teeth as you can't control the environment she went into. I just had a lady call me, she bought a rabbit several months go and the teeth are bad. Like you i go over a health check when i sell them, but I don't have them sign anything. Good for you! That is your proof. Her rabbit pulled his teeth on the cage, that is how the bottom teeth were pulled.Several months ago I found my rabbit stuck on the cage with her teeth, she would have died if i had not noticed. She pulled her bottom teeth out and now has a malocclusion.Your buyer is a bully, you do not owe her anything. Send her a copy of the health check and say that teeth are never guaranteed because you can't control what happens after she leaves"

 

[akane]

If you don't butcher rabbits you can't really take something like that back. What do you do with it since no one will buy a rabbit with problems? You might be able to trim the teeth yourself depending which teeth and avoid vet costs but you are still feeding, watering, toenail trimming, and teeth clipping a useless rabbit. Only option is probably to send it with a cull buyer at a show.

 

[MaggieJ]

Cowgirl, stand firm!

Do not give any refund and do not take the rabbit back.

The buyer is the one being unfair and the person who said she is a bully is right on the money. She is trying to intimidate you and manipulate you into feeling this is your problem. It isn't. You did everything right. I'm afraid that if you give in, your self-respect will suffer and it will make you an easier mark for unscrupulous people in the future. Please don't do it. Tell her no -- and refuse to discuss it further.

 

[Dood]

I don't really want a rabbit with maloclussion

Be sure to confirm it is malocclusion and not uneven wear which can be an easy fix and you might be able to go on to win another show with him, be sure to pass this info on to the previous owner :mrgreen: and you might even be able to re-sell the rabbit

I assume you sold the bunny as an adult so any malocclusion after maturity is due to trauma (pulling cage bars, fall etc..) or excessive uneven wear that wasn't nipped in the bud by the current owner

Either way you owe her nothing and the woman has a lot of gawl to ask for anything.

 

[SuburbanHomesteader]

First - I would NOT take the rabbit back or refund any money at all.

Second - learn from this experience. Make certain that all future buyers know without doubt that you do not refund money or take rabbits back for ANY reason. (I've been doing that for years and it's made things a little less complicated. Maybe I've lost a sale or two but at least I've never lost sleep!!)

Third - keep reminding yourself that you're right and she's wrong - period. Re-read Maggie's post above.

Best of luck to you - and hang in there!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

No, it is a 15 day money back for anything and 30 money back for death or severe illness. After 30 days I have no guarantees.

That is an incredibly generous guarantee when it comes to rabbits. Most people give no guarantee at all since rabbits are such delicate creatures.

I agree with everyone else- no refund. The malocclusion is obviously from pulling on cage wires or something.

If the rabbit had it when in your possession you would have known it- rabbit teeth grow incredibly fast. For that matter, if it happened just before or after the sale, it would have been obvious in your 15 day window.

Since it is not a genetic issue she can still breed the rabbit if she is willing to put in the extra care to keep her teeth trimmed. She can recoup her investment that way.

 

[cowgirl9768]

I don't really want a rabbit with maloclussion

Be sure to confirm it is malocclusion and not uneven wear which can be an easy fix and you might be able to go on to win another show with hir

She sent me a picture. They are budding. They hit each other flush. I would have noted that for sure at a sale. It happened after. But they are short and evenly worn down cause they are rubbing on each other. They wont even need trimming! And as others said it is obviously not genetic. It was trauma induced so she is a great breeding prospect. I would take her back except she was my last lop. I sold out of them to focus on my lionheads. <br /><br /> __________ Sun Feb 08, 2015 12:37 pm __________ <br /><br /> I thank you all for supporting me. I really do wish I could give her a bunny her daughter can show and take that bunny back. I had a breeder do that for me in 4-H but it was a kindess not an obligation. I just do not have the means and even if I did honestly mommy ruined it. "So what are you going to do to fix this?!" "This rabbit was for a youth. You knew that!" "I demand a full refund." Sorry lady. I may have gone over and above to help your 4-H kiddo. But not after that.

 

[JenerationX]

Yeah.... no refund. If I buy a horse that I checked previously and find out 3 months later it has a bowed tendon, whose fault is that? Animals injure themselves every day (some more than others). I'd definitely tell her that the rabbit would not have been BOB if it had that condition when you owned it, and that it's clearly something that happened while in her care.

 

[Susie570]

Heck, I paid nearly $40 for our lop buck at a pet store. They gave a 2-week guarantee (money back if it died) and I thought that was pretty generous. Hold firm.

 

[cowgirl9768]

I did and she gave up. She is culling her and I don't have to refund her. It is a shame to cull a bob for something not genetic but that is her choice.