I, too, am sceptical. 😄 Unless you know your seller to be thoroughly good and decent, it is never a wise idea to accept a replacement. Too often, replacements never come and are only promised to prevent you from filing a claim within the 45 day limit.
When you get an item that is damaged when it arrives, contact the seller, but if it has not been resolved to your satisfaction, open your claim by no later than day 43 just to be 'safe'. You seem to know all about claims and whatnot, so I suppose it is just bad luck that the flood distracted you.
The replacement was never going to come, - it never did, did it. First he says he'll send it and you keep the damaged one. Now he says send back the damaged one and he'll send the replacement.
The only way you will ever get anything is if you used a credit card and can call the 1-800 number for the card company to request a chargeback. Since you have not sent back the item, and to do so would be beastly expensive with delivery confirmation, it is not likely the chargeback would succeed. But you'll never know if you don't ask.
My suggestion at this point is to see if a local jewelry repair place can fix the pin for you. You can send that one back to the seller, who might replace it. But unless you use delivery confirmation he can just as easily say 'Pin? What pin?' He's already lied to you, - why would you trust him now?
So how 'bout day 60? Has he managed to delay you past the feedback deadline? 🙂
