Wrong item, poor customer service – PayPal had to step in
Unfortunately, my experience with Hipanema was very disappointing.
My order contained only two items, yet one of them was the wrong product. I contacted customer service immediately after receiving the order on July 14. The item I had actually ordered was already out of stock.
What followed was unnecessarily complicated: although I contacted them in English, I initially received a reply in French, and they sent me a prepaid Colissimo return label that was only valid within France — despite shipping internationally to Germany. After I pointed this out, communication was slow and the issue remained unresolved.
I eventually had to escalate the matter through PayPal Buyer Protection. PayPal ultimately closed the case in my favour and refunded the full amount.
Mistakes can happen, but if a company sells internationally and sends the wrong item, I expect competent customer service and a workable return solution. Instead, resolving their mistake took weeks and required PayPal intervention.