Problems and disputes
Message the maker first
Not because we make you, but because it's faster. The person who printed your part knows what happened on their machine, and most problems (a wrong colour, a part that needs a support scar sanded, a missing piece) get fixed in the thread in an afternoon.
Give them a day. If they don't answer, or the answer doesn't fix it, open a dispute.
Opening a dispute
Something's wrong on the order page. You have 14 days from delivery.
Say what you expected, what you got, and attach photos. Photos of the actual part settle most disputes, so take them before you modify or throw anything away. A photo of the packaging helps if it arrived broken.
The moment you open it, any money PrintFlows is still holding stays put. If the maker was already paid, we can reverse the transfer.
What we do
- We tell the maker and ask for their side, with a deadline.
- We read both accounts and look at the photos, tracking, quote and messages.
- We may come back to either of you for more. Not replying in the time we give tends to go against whoever didn't reply.
- We decide, in writing, with reasons you can both read.
Most close within a few business days. One that sits with no reply from the person who opened it for 7 days closes as no action.
The four outcomes
Full refund. Everything back, shipping and taxes included.
Partial refund. Part of the order was fine, part wasn't. Refunded proportionally.
Reprint. The maker prints it again at their cost, as a new linked order. Only when the maker agrees and you're happy to wait.
No action. We didn't find grounds. You get the reasoning, not just the verdict, and if we missed something, reply and say so.
What usually decides it
A defect the maker caused (wrong material, bad adhesion, warped, missing pieces, packed badly) goes the customer's way.
A defect the file caused (a hole in the mesh, a wall too thin to print, a dimension that was wrong in CAD) goes the maker's way. They printed what you sent.
"It doesn't fit" is a design question, not a print defect, unless the part measures differently from the file.
Visible layer lines on a Draft-quality print aren't a defect. That's what draft quality is.
Lost in transit with proper tracking is usually split, and the maker claims from the carrier.
For makers
Photograph every part before you pack it. Keep the tracking. Makers who do that win disputes; makers who don't usually lose them, because the only evidence in the file is the customer's photo of a broken part.
Reply within the deadline even if you disagree. Silence is read as no defence.
A reversal isn't a penalty. It's money going back where it should have gone. If you think we got it wrong, reply to the email: a person reads it and we do change decisions.
Chargebacks
Going to your bank instead of opening a dispute takes 30 to 90 days, costs PrintFlows a fee we can't recover, and usually gets you a slower answer than we'd have given. If you do it, we'll respond to your bank with the evidence and the card network decides.
If your card was used without your knowledge, that's fraud, not a dispute. Tell your bank, and tell us at [email protected].
Your legal rights
If you're a consumer in Québec, the Consumer Protection Act gives you a legal warranty that runs longer than our 14-day window and that nothing here limits. Our process is a fast way to sort money out. It doesn't replace your rights or stop you going to court.