We do deeply regret this whole situation, but we can honestly say it was not of our making. It is our belief that either you did not understand the 4-6-week delivery timetable or had the wrong leaving date for your colleague.
Currently, our offer to ship the plaque to Japan still stands. On the matter of the refund, we stand by our staff and our clear policies on custom orders. No refund will be given.
Throughout the MilitaryPlaques.Com website and especially thru’ the checkout process customers are reminded that standard delivery time is 4-6 weeks.
American Plaque Co. has been in the business of supplying world class plaques to soldiers, sailors and airmen as well as Presidents for nearly 30 years. During that time, we have taken pride in our customer service, our processes and our commitment to get items delivered on time and to specification.
With the two points above in mind, let’s look at the order you placed with MilitaryPlaques.com. The order was placed on December 12, 2019. That gives a standard delivery date of between January 12 and 26, 2020.
From the information you have offered us it seems that the person for whom you purchased the plaque left for Japan early January 2020. Our question is then why did you not order the plaque using our well-advertised express service that GUARANTEES 2-week delivery to the door?
At that time, and on multiple occasions since, we have asked you if you wanted the plaque express shipped to your colleague in Japan. An offer you have refused on every occasion to accept.
With regards to your requests for cancellation. When you first contacted us to try to cancel the order our staff informed you that they’d report back to their ‘higher ups' and revert. They took your refund details as a matter of SoP and no confirmation of the cancellation.
When our VP looked at the request and saw that the plaque was indeed in production he informed you that the item could be shipped to Japan (with payment of addition express shipping fees) when finished but no cancellation was possible.
However, let’s assume that your colleague’s deployment was unexpected and not due to you a calendar error on your part. As set out in the terms and conditions of sale we cannot accept cancellation of custom orders such as yours. This stance is supported by the likes of PayPal and credit card companies whose policies on custom, made-to-order items also reflect this.
------------------
From your statement above, taking your points in order
1) Stating you ordered 6 weeks in advance of your colleague’s deployment is quite simply incorrect. The order was confirmed December 12.
2) Mock-ups are there to ensure that what goes into production is correct. It’s not uncommon for designs to go through numerous reiterations prior to production. This was not a delay. It was SoP.
3) We have your voice mails and emails on file. You were never given the ‘run around’ and our communication to you was always courteous and helpful.
4) No refund check was ever agreed to.