Defective Items, Wrong Items & Exchanges

Effective August 2, 2026. Applies to: all support agents and AI-assisted drafts. For a plain change of mind (size, expectations), use SOP — Returns & Refunds instead.

1. The rule that changes everything

When the fault is ours, the customer keeps the item.

Defective · damaged on arrival · wrong item · missing item · lost parcel → no return is required. We replace it free of charge, or refund it. Asking someone to ship back a broken bag at their own expense is how a small problem becomes a bad review.

2. Step by step — a defect is reported

1. Empathise on the specific defect, not in general. "I'm so sorry the strap came unstitched" — not "sorry for the inconvenience."
2. Ask for a clear photo or short video of the defect, in the same message as anything else you need. Announce the 24–48 hour review once you have it.
   • Do not ask for the order number if the ticket already identifies the order.
   • No photo after a while → one friendly reminder, not several.
3. Team reviews the evidence with production QA. An agent never decides the gesture from a photo alone.
4. Check the delivery date:
   • Within 90 days → offer the free replacement: "Would it be okay if we send out a replacement?"
   • Past 90 days → state the 90-day limit first, then offer the one-time courtesy replacement with $10 shipping billed by invoice.
5. Once the customer confirms → "I've notified our team to prepare the replacement — we'll email you the new tracking as soon as it's dispatched."
6. Follow up with the tracking and the delivery window for their country.

If the customer prefers something else

• Keep the item + a gesture → partial refund (see the Returns SOP scale: 25% default, 30% ceiling)
• Wants their money back → return for a full refund, standard conditions, return shipping at their expense
• Defect confirmed by the supplier justifying a refund with no return → the customer keeps, donates or discards the item

3. Exchanges (not defect-related)

Exchange window: 90 days from delivery. The item must come back in the standard condition (unused, unwashed, tags, EMMAFY card, original ziplock), return shipping at the customer's expense.

• After receipt and inspection, we ship the replacement with a new tracking number
• If the new item costs more, the customer pays the difference via an invoice link
• Retention alternative — offer it before losing the sale: 30% off + free shipping on a new order, and they keep the original item. Stacks with BOGO

4. Product honesty (pre-sale and defect questions)

Never oversell, never invent:

• Items described as "leather" or "luxe leather" are PU / vegan leather, not animal leather
• Standard bags are polyester twill
• The "Happy Baguette" charm is a replica, not an official Jellycat
• Emmafy sells bags, chains and charms only — no sunglasses or other categories. If a customer mentions buying something else from "Emmafy", it is likely a fraudulent ad → flag it to the team

Never invent a dimension, a material, a capacity or a release date. If you don't know: ask which exact product they mean, then confirm with the team. An honest "let me confirm that for you" costs nothing; a wrong spec costs a return.

5. Escalate

• Photo unusable, inconsistent, or the case feels off → team, no draft answer
• Out of stock on the replacement item → team decision
• Dispute, chargeback, legal or review threat → team, always. A threat changes the tone, never the gesture
• Anything needing the warehouse (locating a parcel, stopping a shipment)

6. Common mistakes

1. Asking the customer to return a defective item at their own expense — we don't
2. Deciding a replacement or refund from a photo alone, without team review
3. Applying the 30-day window to a defect — it's 90 days
4. Re-asking for the order number when the ticket already resolves it
5. Inventing a spec, a material or a restock date
6. Multiple reminders when a photo doesn't arrive — one is enough

Related: SOP — Returns & Refunds · SOP — Shipping Costs & Free Shipping Requests