I made a huge order with an online company last week. I was putting away the fabrics (23.5 yards in total) and noticed that the first yard I was wrapping on my fabric boards seemed short. I measured and it was just barely 34 inches. It turned out that 8 of my individual yards was cut at just barely 34 inches and 2 more at 34.5 inches. Plus, they charged me $5 more than the actual shipping rate. I called and asked to speak with the manager but she wasn't in so I left the information with the employee that took the call.

I don't want to be a difficult customer and cost them a lot of money so I'm not sure what I should be requesting they do (other than credit me the $5 overpayment for shipping). Do I request a small credit for each short yard or have them recut the fabric and send me that with a postage paid slip to ship back the short pieces??

I would sure let them know.

yes- you should contact them- follow up- send an email to customer service- telling them each fabric that you were shorted on- they will probably have a (talk) to who ever they have cutting fabrics-and issue you a credit of some sort-
the shops i tend to shop with on line most often always cut generous cuts (38-39" per yard)
perhaps they have someone new who is lining up incorrectly on the cutting table- or is left handed and cutting on the inside of the ruler- what ever the reason they need to be aware- and fix the problem- you should not just accept this....follow up-
i worked in a shop for a number of years and we really did appreciate it when problems were brought to our attention- it is hard to fix what you do not know needs fixing.

You most definitely need to let them know. There is no excuse for shorting you on 8 different fabrics. It's not a matter of being difficult, it is a matter of letting the management know they have an employee that is shorting their customers. This is very bad for business. And if it turns out it is the owner, then maybe we all need to know so we can avoid ordering from them.

oh I certainly would let them know!

What if you needed exactly 1 yard...like for a pillow case? Or if you were making a dress and they said 1 and 1/4 yard??? You would be so upset if you were 2 inches short! Lots of reasons to let them know! 8 that I can see from here and the $5.00!!! Go girl! But be NICE and you will probably be rewarded!

of course you should contact them. you paid for things that you did not receive. everyone makes mistakes. i have had fabric cut short at the fabric stores. i usually remeasure while i am there to prevent from making a return trip to get it right.

someone did not measure correctly so the store should correct that for you. overcharging should be corrected also. it's your money that you worked for, so spend it wisely and get what you paid for: that's my motto.

I would think that the company would want to know if it wasn't right. Ask for a credit for the amount they shorted you.

On 8 yds that is short 2" each = almost 1/2 yd total. I would let them know.

I would definitely let them know. They could potentially lose a lot of future businesses from unhappy customers. If no one tells them, they might not realize the problem. Let us know how it goes.

I never thought to measure any of my fabric orders. Will go and do that now.

That is way too many pieces and the extra money charged is not acceptable. I have let things slip and not buy from them any more. also if I have pieces over 36 and one piece short I might let it slip. Kind of a wash even. Still it would deter me from ordering from them ever again. mI am sorry. I hate confrontation but in this case I would want them to reimburse me for fabric shorted.

The extra $5 shipping could be a handling charge! A lot of companies do charge that. I try to avoid them.
I would definitely let them know about the shortage of fabric. You wouldn't hesitate if they only sent 7 fabrics instead of 8 so let them know you are not happy to be shorted 1/2 yd of fabric.

If I was the manager, I'd want to know. They can't correct the problem if they aren't aware that there is one!

I've never thought to measure my fabrics before. I will from now on. Thanks

I would ask for replacement fabric.
And cheerfully return the bad-cuts IF they pay the S&H

Yes!

I would Deffinatly find out why it was 5 more than actual shipping and let them know about the shortages. It might be a new person who filled part of the order who didn't know how large an actual yard is or who didn't know how to line up properly. And suggest them sending you an envelope postage paid to ship the shortages back and them ship you the right amounts.

I belong to another sewing forum and they have a section on the forum where you can compliment a good company or report abuse from another. This way the rest of the forum members can read reviews and decide if they buy or not from said company.
It would be interesting for all of us to know who is selling 34 inches "yards" so we don't order from them.

Any reputable online store should acknowledge their mistakes and offer to make good on them to your satisfaction.

The person cutting the order was obviously new, untrained, or had a major brain-f**t when they were cutting, or they're in the habit of stretching the fabric as far as it will go.

Either way, I'd ask for replacement fabric, or, if they don't have any more and/or you don't want to hassle with sending it back, a partial refund.

Quoted shipping should be the most you ever pay, this is what you agreed to pay when you placed the order. If the shop or their shopping cart has underestimated the shipping cost, they should take the hit and consider it a learning experience, and adjust their shipping charges for the next customer before she arrives.

That's only fair.

Oh, and to the poster that said the cutter may have been left-handed and cut on the wrong side of the ruler, hmmmm...

I'm left handed and I don't see how you could do that and not cut your hand off. :-)

ditto

This is so true!

Yes, I would let them know -- for all the reason stated. I hope you will followup and let us know what happened!

I always look at things and ask my self " if I was the owner , would I want to know that a customer did not get what they paid for and was probably never going to order again?" .
You bet if you owned the business you whould know the cost of an unhappy customer, and that whom ever is doing the cutting is damaging the best marketing tool ..REPUTATION!

DEFINITELY yes. If you have never worked behind the counter cutting fabrics, TRUST ME, it is NOT as easy as it may look. We are all human. I HOPE they will listen to what you have to say. :lol:

Yes, I would let them know. See what they say and do.

In the negative event they do nothing I would report them to the better business bureau and let other people know as well.

On the other hand....also let everyone know if they did the right thing.

When I order online or in a store I expect to get a USEABLE yard, not something smaller.

I agree with all of the above.

let them know! They will probably issue you a credit...but whatever they do, I'm sure they want to know.

YES! contact them they need to recut and send you postage for return of fabric. If they don't please let us know which company. It would be one to stear clear of.

Definitely!! It is important for you to have what you need for your project; and also, the shop owner should be made aware that someone isn't cutting the fabrics correctly. It the owner is intentionally cheating people, than it gives them something to think about before they lose customers.
Never be shy about doing something like that.

I will be measuring mine too! And definitely let them know!

I would definitely inform them -- it's not fit for purpose !!!!!
It amazes me how many times fabric is not cut correctly - either short measurement or that it is cut crookedly.

ABSOLUELY! Without question. They may have someone working there who thinks a yard is 34". I had a similar problem with fabric strips that were too narrow and the company replaced them. It took some doing but they did the right thing in the end. I would call them AND send an email. Do it right away.
Michelle

Ditto.

I would call them & I would be interested in the outcome.
Good Luck!

i sure would be calling them. you paid for the full yard.

Absolutely let them know. If they do not correct it, let everyone you know including all of us.

please let us know what you get for a response.

Yes, definitely let them know and keep us all posted as to how this turns out for you. We do need to know which companies are willing to admit mistakes and step up to fix their error. With the cost of fabric rising daily, we want to get good quality material for a reasonable price and exactly what we order.

I would definitely let them know. They cheated you out of fabric and the extra $5.00. Hopefully it was not intentional and they will make it right.