Small problem with new holster...

I won't say which brand, but it took a few weeks (at least) to arrive and when I tried my LCP in it, elsie didn't fit.
It's a kydex holster and if I force the pistol into it far enough to "kinda" protect the trigger, the slide moves back. Plus the, "sweat guard" (or whatever it's called) is a half inch from protecting the slide against my body. It just plain doesn't seem like the correct holster, in spite of the time it took to be made and arrive. Not to mention it was 15 bucks more expensive due to the extra 4 sq inches of kydex that was supposed to protect the slide??? That didn't seem right.
I contacted the company and upon speaking with a guy emailed them a couple pics. 24 hours later I was told there might have been a "production" problem and was told to ship the holster back. I emailed him within the hour asking for a shipping label and haven't heard back. This was mid afternoon.
Thoughts?
Is it common for the consumer to pay for shipping both ways due to receiving an item that doesn't work? Not in the rest of my life anyway. And I'm not asking for the world. I've got holsters I don't like sitting on a shelf, but at least they fit the gun. I'm kinda lost here with this company and am not used to moving so slow to resolve a problem.

Only one time I've ever returned a holster and asked for a refund. If they don't get it right the first time, I'm not willing to work things out more than once, and yes...generally they won't reimburse you for return shipping and may very well try to charge you with a re-stocking fee. IMO...it's best to stick with the more well known holster makers or (some of which support this forum). Word of mouth is worth a lot these days, and any reputable holster maker will make customer satisfaction number one, or they're pretty much out of the game (do to reviews and forums like this). I've bought most of my holsters over the internet actually. Quite a few from forum members and forum sponsors. Never been disappointed with any of those transactions. I've also bought a couple off EBay slightly used and never been disappointed. One time is all it takes to make the ball start to roll. This is where you have a back-up plan if the holster manufacturer won't make things right on your behalf. All you have to do is proclaim dissatisfaction over the ordeal once you've tried to work it out with them, and their sales will go down like the titanic. The internet is a powerful tool. Make it work for you. Open your mouth, or get your fingers dancing. I'm wishing you the best on this ordeal. The consumer is always right. I remember those days.

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Originally Posted by PAcanis

I emailed him within the hour asking for a shipping label and haven't heard back. This was mid afternoon....I'm kinda lost here with this company and am not used to moving so slow to resolve a problem.

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Unless I'm reading this wrong you reported the problem today, emailed in the afternoon and haven't heard back by the same evening. If that's correct I would say they probably just either haven't gotten the email yet(not that it isn't in the box, but depending on how much email they handle), or they just haven't replied yet. Personally I think email should be taken care of within 24 hours if possible, often quicker but I guess I wouldn't even start to worry about not getting a reply until at least 24 hours. That's just my opinion though, and I might be reading your post wrong.

On the topic of shipping I can only say what I do, I've heard second hand about some other holster makers but I don't want to pass faulty information. I always offer to pay shipping both ways if there is a problem on an order, some guys don't take me up on it and will pay the shipping themselves. The main reason I do it that way is I honestly think it's the right way and that's a bit of how I do business.

I will say in almost all other industries these days you will find you have to pay return shipping for warranty work, computer components are notorious for that. Actually some of the computer component companies will not only charge you a shipping fee back to them, they also will require you to pay shipping back from their service center(MSI, I believe was the company but I don't recall).

Either way just my opinion but I would give them the chance to make it right if they have been doing right by you so far. We all make mistakes and holster makers do as well;)

Take care and good luck getting things worked out!

Luke

I would give the holster maker at least 24 hours to reply with a return authorization number and shipping instructions. Shipping costs are out of control for most small businesses. The holster maker will probably spend more money than what the holster is worth if he pays for you to return and then ships you a new one. It is hard to say how he will handle it but chances are good that he will want you to be a satisfied customer.

Thanks for the replies guys. A patient person I am not (obviously). I waited so long to get it I was expecting a little snappier response when it wasn't right. I guess we'll see what happens today.
And I've got to say, this little piece of plastic sure doesn't look worth 70 bucks, let alone my pistol doesn't fit in it. Most of the manufactured kydex holsters that I see have a shape to them that conforms to the pistol, this holster just doesn't look right. I do not believe they are a sponsor here, but they are recommended by some of the members here. That's why I went with them.
I'll keep you posted.