Illustration by Dustin Elliott

By Christopher Elliott
Guest Columnist

When Alaina Chargois orders an outfit from an online marketplace called Afrikrea, she receives the wrong item. But after she returns it, the merchant doesn’t respond — and it won’t refund her $230. What should she do?

I ordered a custom outfit from Afrikrea, an online market that sells clothing, jewelry, art and accessories. I received the shipment, but it wasn’t the pattern I ordered and didn’t fit.

Christopher Elliott

I contacted the seller, who did not respond until I sent an email that the return package was back in their city, waiting to be picked up. The seller asked if I’d like a replacement or a refund, but then stopped responding.

I reached out to the Afrikrea site via email and Instagram and didn’t get any support from them either. Can you help me get a refund for the $230 I spent on the outfit, please? I’ve been waiting for three months. — Alaina Chargois, Washington, D.C.

Obviously, the merchant on Afrikrea should have sent you the right outfit. Based on what you’ve sent me, it looks as if you received the wrong dress, and the merchant just ignored you when you returned the package.

But there are a few issues. First, it looks as if you returned the outfit without a return authorization. Typically, a merchant will pay for your return or at least provide a barcode for a FedEx or UPS package so you can return it to the right place. It looks as if you sent the package back to the merchant and then notified the business.

Also, it looks like you didn’t contact the platform until after you tried to work out the return with the merchant. I think you should have let Afrikrea know about the problem before — not after — you tried to return it.

I checked with Afrikrea about your package. It says you reached out to the platform via its customer care email address ([email protected]) to let it know that you wanted to return your article. An Afrikrea representative says the company replied the same day asking for the order number in order to process your request.

“With no response from her, we did not proceed with her case,” the representative said.

There’s a possible explanation for all of this. It’s possible that you reached out to the merchant and Afrikrea and that they responded. But the emails might have gone to your spam folder. You might have also tried to call Afrikrea. The number is (929) 999-5810.

I contacted the company on your behalf. Afrikrea responded quickly and gave you a full refund.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at [email protected] or get help by contacting him.