[notfarnow]

Originally Posted by TerryBPP

Adding the word "disappointing" in your 1st email would have put me off a bit. Always make phone calls for 1st contact to avoid this.

Then I'm glad I didn't send my first draft, which said "shocked and pi$$ed"
You must have thin skin for a guy selling cars!

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

I'd be pissed. This guy seems to have no concept of how to conduct business. By waiting 7 weeks for his sail, you've been prevented from getting it in time elsewhere. Is it possible to ask him to put a rush on and deliver what you ordered real quick? Can you threaten legal action, making him liable for someone else to provide what you ordered at whatever reasonable cost it takes to get it ASAP?

He's offered a full refund, but it would cost me ~$130-150 to ship it down there and I would have no sail all summer.

Originally Posted by trap

What is unusual, however, is the price. $2500 for all of that is almost unheard of. Sunbrella isn't cheap these days - nor are brand new sails. I honestly can't imagine how they could have sold three new sails and two furlers for that money - even on 22 footers.
...
Overall, despite the crappy behavior of the sailmaker, I'd be resolved in the knowledge that it was all had for a great price. Two and a half boat bucks is a score for all of that.

The CDI FF2 furlers are ~$400 retail
The sails worked out to ~500-550 each.

Yeah, a really good price for what look like nicely made sails. But I feel like I ordered the soup of the day, and they substituted it for a steak without asking me if I'd like it well done or rare.

Originally Posted by cashflyer

I spotted the problem:
eBay

The seller advertises on ebay, and that's how I found him. But all communication was through email. In the end, I wish it had been through ebay... I think he would have been more concerned about feedback.

Originally Posted by the

I would have called, rather than e-mail. E-mail is inherently more confrontational than a telephone call, studies have shown that e-mail tends to escalate conflicts. It's a weird thing.

100% true, in retrospect.

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

You are entitled to either a credit on a mutually-agreed-upon value of the silver versus white material OR a full money-back/return negation of transaction, whichever you prefer. Depends what's going to make you happier here. Personally I'd stick it to the guy for being a prick and demand the full $2,500 back and return the sail. But you may decide that a simple credit will satisfy things.

The white & silver are teh same price.

Part of the problem is that the whole order was lumped together with my friend's sails... my end was ~1k. (One "boat buck", as trap put it. I like that!).

He's offered me a refund, but the shipping cost & lost sailing time makes a bad deal worse. A credit would be ideal, but realistically the sailmaker's margins were tight on these sails.

I'm leaning towards what trap says... I got a good deal and will probably just have to live with the colour