STILL COUNTING THE COST OF DHGATE'S BROKEN GUARANTEES

DHGate is a marketplace front for sellers in China. It has ambitions to be the Ebay of the East, but where Ebay protects its customers, DHGate does not.
As a first time buyer DHGate promised me 'guaranteed satisfaction'.
So, I bought a black watch from DHGate but what I received was a brown one of a slightly different model, which didn't work as it should.

I completed DHGate's lengthy disputes procedure, contacting the Seller and uploading photo and video evidence. DHGate's decision was that I was promised a full refund of both the cost of the watch and its return.
I completed DHGate's lengthy return procedure, carefully packing the watch, using an authorised carrier and uploading shipping & invoice photos.

The watch arrived safely in China, where the Seller simply refused to accept delivery, asking the carrier to 'abandon' the consignment. The result? - a technically incomplete return process and my only option to pay again to get back a watch I didn't want or order. DHGate offered only a partial refund of the cost of the watch and NO REFUND AT ALL of the substantial cost of its return. DHGate's justification? - 'this way both and the Seller and you lost something'!!! Note, only DHGate lost nothing.

DHGate's stance is that China customs is awaiting docutments and are trying to contact the Seller, this is simply not true. UPS Tracking shows the parcel has passed its import scan and I have already sent DHGate their email stating the 'consignee refused delivery' and recently received this confirmation from UPS: "I am contacting you today regarding the above parcel. The receiver has asked to abandon the shipment. I am unable to advise why as customers are not obliged to give us the reason when they request a parcel to be abandoned".
DHGate continues to ignor the above facts in favour of its own fiction to avoid honouring its promisses.

I followed DHGate's instructions every step of the way yet I have lost a large amount of time and money. The only thing I did wrong was to buy from DHGate in the first place.
The Seller advertised and sold a watch he knew he did not have and lost little or nothing, being partially paid by DHGate.
DHGate broke promise after promise, wouldn't even honour on their own dispute decision and have ignored my last four emails.
If DHGate thinks this is guaranteeing customer satisfaction they don't deserve to be in business and will never be Ebay.

DON'T RISK IT - BUY ELSEWHERE!