Not everyone gets to stay in business. If negative reviews are fair, then so be it. If the owner of the shop feels entitled to waste my time and money, then I get to let potential customers about this pitfall. There is no other way for small sellers to have a chance to compete in the bigger marketplace. The capacity to know upfront what to expect gives unknowns a fighting chance. I would not feel compelled to protect slackers in any way (beyond what you already did, because I would absolutley give them a second chance.)

No I don’t struggle with it provided I contacted the company prior to posting a negative review and gave them a chance to make it right, if applicable. I try to make the review as objective and factual as possible and keep the emotional ranting out of it. I’ve had that happen where they try to pressure me to change a negative review which I would not succumb to.

If you can edit your review to show they replace again, then I would do that. They would probably save money packing better.

Like Allison, I tend to come down on the side of giving a small/indie maker more leeway especially in cases like this one, in which there was no egregious problem. The seller didn't scam you by not delivering the item, it wasn't misrepresented etc. Seems they might not be as careful as they should be with their packaging but then too ordering in early December may have meant the seller was overwhelmed trying to get holiday merchandise out ASAP.

In today's Amazon/online world I think we all get used to and expect almost perfect and almost instantaneous service when we order online. That's not unreasonable, however I can definitely picture a small cog getting chewed up pretty badly trying to turn that commerce wheel so to speak :).

If I were in this situation I'd definitely post a positive update.

I would edit my review to reflect that they are trying to make it right. But it is reasonable to keep the issues you've had in the review while commenting on their dedication to making it right.

I agree with Fori. I think other potential customers have the right to know that a seller does not package their product with care. And while it's admirable that the seller IS trying to "make it right", others might opt to shop elsewhere if there is a known issue. I would appreciate such a heads up, and then I could make up my mind whether or not I wanted to order from someone who has exhibited poor attention to packing details.

I always try to be fair in reviews. Unfortunately I am most likely to leave a review when I am displeased. I always leave reviews of Airbnb’s and VRBO s where I have stayed. So far I’ve only had a couple clunkers and mostly great experiences. One place advertises that they had a sofa bed. Well, there was no way to open the bed without moving some furniture out into the deck and the sofa itself was so yucky I could barely sit on it, much less sleep on the bed, so I mentioned that the sofa bed was disappointing In my review. I think that is the point of reviews, to say what’s good and what’s not so good about whatever it is you’re reviewing. I’d have been more than annoyed that something arrived broken twice, but I do think it’s fair to mention that the seller tried to make it right.

Yes, the struggle is real! Recently we stayed at a B&B in Maine. The breakfasts were incredible, the hostess and her husband lovely, lovely people. The room, however, left a lot to be desired. I wanted to forgo the review process entirely but DH is a firm believer in leaving reviews. I didn't read what he wrote but he said he felt good about it so I'm sure it was diplomatic but honest.

Thanks all, I'm certainly going to leave a review noting the seller's great efforts to fix this, but I don't think I should remove my original negative review. This isn't the first time I've ruminated on something like this so it's been helpful to read other's opinions.

One reason I prefer a star system of rating rather than just positive or negative is because of exactly what you experienced, @Bestyears, great customer service and product, but poor execution on the part of the seller which cost me time and effort. I especially would be frustrated when the seller sent the replacement without any added protection when you specifically mentioned that this was a problem. In my mind, the seller deserves a rating of three stars, but not a negative or a positive.

It does seem unfair to give them a negative, but as a buyer, I would want to hear about your experience. What if you had been under a time constraint? The replacement might not have reached you in time for your needs.

I left my first ever Yelp! review yesterday after a horrible experience at a local Anthropologie location. It was cathartic! I wonder if the ability to leave negative reviews helps lessen the overall tension level of the world?

Well, here's an interesting update... As promised, the Etsy seller sent a replacement. But instead of sending me what I ordered, which was a flat, 3-inch ceramic disc with a photo printed on it, intended to be an ornament, she sent me a metal disc with the photo printed on it. It is slightly smaller, maybe 2-2.5-inches. The good news -it didn't break! LOL! But it isn't what I wanted, seems a little cheap looking, so I don't think I'm going to bother updating my review.

I understand why you feel bad after them putting a sort of guilt trip back on you.

You ordered a product that came broken (it happens) but would it have happened with more thoughtful packaging?

Maybe maybe not!

After polite communication you received another. They ignored the bad packaging warning and took no extra precautions. Next item broken.

If they would have taken extra packaging precaution, you would have thought them conscientious. But, they didn’t.

At this point you owe it to other potential buyers to give them a heads up. A heads up through a review.

^^ Agreed. It's a kindness to others to tell it like it is. At the end of the day, this is commerce, not friendship, with the seller.

Geez Bestyears, how ridiculous ... I wouldn't change the review either.

I sell lots of old family pieces on eBay, and I know that packing & shipping are SO important! Most of my feedback says how well packed the item was. Someone asked me to sell a few for them and I said I would ONLY if I also packed and shipped the items. It's my feedback I need to protect.

I give the vendor a chance to make it right…if that doesn’t happen, then, yes, I write a negative review. Hopefully, another shopper will be spared.

I think that your responsibility, if you can call it that, is to your fellow consumers not to the seller. Be fair but honest.

I love that Rhizo

If reviews are fair and honest--what's the point? Will you ever be a repeat customer for this shop--assuming you ever get the said item delivered safely? Buyer beware is a thing but still the process is in place for a reason. Truth is never wrong.

I think, in reflecting on this situation, that I felt uncertain about posting because the seller had a five-star rating -all glowing reviews. So the question is, was this a one-off? Or did others have negative experiences and not post reviews? Since it happened twice, and in the end, I didn't even get what she said she was sending, it's hard to imagine this was a unique situation, but who knows.

If it's for a larger store, then I have no problems being extremely honest but fair in my assessments. (Lots of larger stores are now filtering their reviews too, so that anything negative never sees the light of day. It's very disappointing.)

I too would struggle with a smaller/single person vendor. It feels much more personal. However in this case, getting the items to travel safely through the mail is going to be a key part of their success anyway, so I would probably be inclined to tell the truth. I'd strip every piece of emotion out of it, and just factually state what you've said here.

Humanity is very disappointing lately.