Disappointed fellow small business owner.

As a small business owner myself, I am aware of the hardships and challenges of making sure it all works and every order / encounter goes well. In saying that, I am a my wits end in dealing with Infinity Chandlery.

During December 2023 I enquired to order about 200 candles for an event happening of which I am curating the product offering and also acted as a supplier with my own ceramics business.

Roxanne, the owner, assured me she will definitely be able to do what was needed, and I was immediately relieved and went ahead with using them as the supplier of candles.

In January 2024, I ordered samples of the candles, to the value of R1700 odd - from my own pocket to show our clients, and to err on the side of caution, as I had never worked with this new supplier before.

The candle samples arrived a few days later on 16 January (of which I also paid the overnight shipping out of pocket for) and they were not at all what was promised. A large portion of the order never arrived; the other half of the order was wrong; they were made badly, where moulds did not line up correctly, so seams were uneven; they tunnelled, so most of them were hollow; and the colour was absolutely wrong.

I contacted Roxanne immediately on 16 January 2024 and informed her that this won't work and I'll return the samples for a refund, as per her website terms and conditions. She agreed, and I sent her my banking details. She would then also arrange a courier for the collection of the candles.

On 22 February I am yet to hear from her. She has not responded to my emails, WhatsApp's, calls and Instagram messages. When I call her, she either does not pick up or her phone is off (or she blocked my number).

As mentioned, I am aware of the challenges faces when running a small business and am open to working out a way to make the refund work, with the courier costs as well, but deliberately not communicating and ignoring clients when you are in the wrong cannot be excused. This is blatant disregard for any client. Roxanne was very responsive and quick when requesting payment and sending invoices but the same demeanour is not present after the fact.

After reading the other reviews, it's clear which ones have been written by friends and family.

Beware.