Update On The Silk Snafu: Victory!

In a previous post, I had mentioned some strife regarding a certain purveyor of silk taffetas. They seem to be somewhat popular with part of the costuming crowd. Yet there are still a few people out there that have either given them a full thumbs down, or just been annoyed at their lack of customer service and consistency.
Example; what arrived on their doorstep was not the fabric they ordered, and a long drawn out battle ensues.

Well I'm happy to say my issue was resolved. Unfortunately I did not get any of the silk I wanted out of it, but I did finally get a refund thanks to Paypal's customer protection team.
Prepare to be gobsmacked by the following exchange between myself and the seller, when they finally did communicate with me about the issue. And this was only after Paypal jabbed them in the ribs:

- From the seller (after I had repeatedly asked for a refund they are still trying to sell me stuff):
"hi,
we have a fantastic satin weave dupion in same color sending you an image would you be intrested
let me know you received image
thx
*******

 - My reply (I was at my wits end):

"No. That will not work. I don't want your fabric, I want my money back. You do not have what I purchased in stock, but took my money anyway.
I have sent you multiple emails and even a Paypal dispute to get a refund of my money.
I am now escalating this to a full claim via Paypal."

~Nicole *****

- From the seller (who lied and actually did accept my money via a Paypal withdrawal):
"but dear nicole
i do not have your money
paypal took it from you immediately
so how can i refund what i do not have
  thx"

- My reply (I was thinking to myself; call me 'dear' again, and I will fly to India to personally rip your head off):

"You accepted the Payapal payment, and you can reverse it. It's not hard to do.
It's all there on Paypal showing that you or someone in your company completed the sale. The money is not in my bank, nor is it in my Paypal account. YOU have it and Paypal has the proof. I have now filed a claim.
~Nicole"

After that, total radio silence for another 3 days. Paypal started bugging them and they were caught in their lie.
I imagine their paypal account had to be frozen for a few days because of it. Good.
Anyways, I received my refund finally.
If I ever do buy from them again, I'll do it via their Ebay page. That is the route I took for previous purchases, and all went smoothly because Ebay will tear you a new one if you screw over a buyer.

A Bit Of Light In The Darkness

After digging through my stash of silks, I ran across a lovely ivory/lavender/rose stripe silk taffeta I've had or years. The ivory stripe has a satin finish and a light ribbed texture. I also had to bite the bullet and buy some Ivory silk taffeta from Renaissance Fabrics, so I can make a complimenting bodice. I only have 5 yards of the stripe for the skirt.
I hope to finish both that and my Sisi velvet ensemble before the end of Dickens fair.

 I might use a cotton broadcloth for the skirt base, and do the silk in 2 tiers with the stripes going horizontal.

Also, I love my new 1850s hoop crinoline from Kay! It's the perfect bell shape and doesn't have that annoying "lampshade" look that so many modern (bridal) hoop petticoats do.

***WARNING***
For those seeking a good deal on silk taffeta fabrics, you may want to be wary when dealing with B.R. Exports. Better known as puresilks.us. The hilarious thing, is the stripe silk shown above is actually from this same seller, but from their Ebay store ages ago. They still carry this weave (supposedly), and while I would love more, after my recent experience with them, I don't want to roll those dice.
While I am always careful about where I order online goods, I had done some research on these folks and heard current reviews that varied from fantastic, to slightly annoying. Well, I decided to place an order last week for 10 yards of that light royal blue silk taffeta from their website.
They were super quick (less than 24 hours) to contact me and said they no longer had the fabric I ordered in stock, and offered other similar options (other colors/dupion textures, etc). Right away I replied that the other options were not going to work for my project, and could I please have a refund of my money.
Keep in mind I used Paypal for this transaction, thank gods.

Even though they didn't have the fabric in stock, they accepted my payment right away.
They have yet to reverse/refund it, and after a week of little to no communication from them, I filed a Paypal claim to get my money back.
Granted they are in India, but if they were so quick to contact me initially about my order, why should it take so many extra business days for them to even discuss a refund of my payment.
I heard from them finally yesterday morning before I finally escalated the dispute to a claim, and they continued their attempt at selling me fabrics I did not want! Then they had the balls to say that they didn't have my money!
Well, Paypal shows the transaction as complete and in their hands under their company name. 
When I pay for something via Paypal, it comes from my bank account and goes into a balance toward the purchase. When the seller accepts payment for a purchase, it takes the funds from my Paypal account into the sellers Paypal balance, where they can then withdraw it to wherever they want. Either way, they have my money. It shows that they took it, and it's not sitting in limbo. 
I will keep you all updated as to how this unfolds. XOXO

Sadness

Well, so much for sewing anything new at all for Dickens this year.
That previously mentioned fabric order snafu has thrown the final wrench in the works not only time-wise, but financially. They still have not refunded my money for the fabric they never had in stock, and because of that, I can't order more from another (more trustworthy) source I know.

Maybe the top half?

I *might* be able to crank out an 1850s caraco/jacket style bodice to wear with a skirt I have and a blouse, but I have a burlesque costume to get finished for an upcoming performance first.
Already, I can see this being yet another frustrating year of feeling like my outfit isn't quite hitting the mark, or just plain uncomfortable. I really needed a new, plain cotton corset to wear under all of it this year too :-(
I have a lovely one from Dark Garden but it's so beautiful, and it can get really warm in the Cow Palace. I'd be afraid of staining the silk, and I don't have time to make a sleeved chemise + cover.

Let's see what happens though. I really need to stay positive right now, since it seems just about everything has been working against me this year. Seriously, 2013 has been one of the most craptastic years in a long time.
If anything, I'll be sewing during the Dickens fair run, and might have something before the last 2 weekends.
I can hope, right?

And The Wallet Whimpers Again

***Update***
NOPE! Out of stock. Ugh, I hate it when this happens.
Hey Seller, here's an idea; maybe you should update your inventory so your customers don't end up ordering something you DON'T HAVE. Just a thought :-|
And the money is still tied up in Paypal until they refund me...I hope they refund me

(I still need) 10 yards of sapphire blue silk taffeta for my Dickens Fair project.
Renaissance Fabrics has something similar, and probably of better color & quality, but it's an extra $50 after tax and shipping. I may need to go that route though:

The true sapphire blue taffeta at Renaissance Fabrics:

and the other guy's 'light royal' blue taffeta, that is no more:

With this blue kick I'm on, I'm thinking of using a contrast trim of delicate burnished gold or metallic something-or-other. Maybe even silver, in a lightweight metallic fringe or soutache, combined with self ruching from the same silk? Now the question is if I will actually be able to get the darn fabric!