So what's their actual problem that's preventing the return of the angel you didn't order? They just don't want to reimburse you for the return shipping? Or they're waiting for you to send it back before reimbursing you?
Without going too deep into it all over again, basically the sticking point, as I see it, and which has apparently painted me as the villain of the piece in their eyes, is that I refused to go out of pocket and front the expense myself of the international return, for a mistake that was, in no part, my own doing, and they then spent weeks going back and forth trying to get me to agree to some range of solutions that were all exclusively in their own best interests, with scant regards to my own, and that particular sticking point, or indeed, often to just basic common sense.
At one point, and I kid you not, they even wanted me to hold the item for them until they found another local customer to sell it to, so they could save money on the return, and instead just have me forward the item on. Probably still at my expense, they didn't say, I didn't ask. Instead I remember thinking to myself that I'm not a warehouse here to store and send things out at Big Chief's convenience, but honestly, I'd just have been glad to send this thing off anywhere and be done with it by that point, so all I actually did say on the matter is that they should make sure any potential customer is made aware that the package has been opened (which I had already informed them of, previously, in order to check for damage and originally to see if there was any indication inside as to why it had been sent in the first place). I never heard anything back on that particular idea after that.
From day one, when I contacted them and first informed them about their error (or which they were apparently oblivious), I was more than willing to assist them in the return of this piece, that has never even been a debate. And at no point have I ever reneged on that offer. In fact I have continuously pointed out, over and over, despite everything, that I am still, and always have been, perfectly willing to do so, and see their item safely returned to them. However my single and only caveat being that I wasn't comfortable with going out of pocket to do so, beyond the free giving of some of my time, petrol, and leg work, as might be needed to get it all done. To me that doesn't seem in any way unreasonable, as I endeavour to assist them with rectifying a mistake of their own creation, to their own ultimate benefit. But basically, in a nutshell, that instead, illogically, and frustratingly, led to five weeks or so of back and forth email Hell, to no advancement or result whatsoever.
The honest truth is, which I did not ever say, so as not to insult them, or risk making the situation harder than it had already needlessly become, but I didn't fully trust them enough to reimburse me, or even if they did, that they would do so in anything approaching a timely manner, and without additional headache. Which is why I was unwilling to pay out of my own pocket and cover shipping rates on a heavy statue from Australia all the way back to the UK.
Especially as, throughout all this they only ever seemed concerned with getting what they want, in a way that is to their own best benefit. And additionally, because I also recalled that someone else had complained in the past that Big Chief had never made good on a promised shipping reimbursement to them (something which I have again seen repeated, upthread). And also given that, in the past, any time I have needed to contact them on an issue I have either received no response at all, or else when I finally did get a response, nothing was actually resolved, and I eventually just gave up on the matter, and let it slide. Hell, I couldn't even get them to update and fix the email address attached to my account! And it took a couple of months just to get them to unlock said account, after I tried to update it manually, and the system responded by locking me out of it, and nullifying my login details. And so the simple fact of the matter that always stuck in my head was, if, for whatever reason, I wasn't reimbursed, there is absolutely nothing I could ever do about it. What recourse would I have? Send them more easily ignored emails? I'd be out a good chunk of money, and there would be nothing I could do about it, other than just suck it up and eventually accept any such loss. So no, they had done nothing to earn the level of trust it takes to put a significant slice my own money on the line to fix their problem for them. I was willing to do pretty much anything else to help them resolve this matter, assist in any reasonable way, but risking a big chunk of my own money wasn't going to be part of the deal.
However, logically, that shouldn't have even been a problem. Or an issue. Much less an expectation at any point. They could have quite easily organised a courier pick-up, at their own expense, or they could have sent me a pre-paid return label, or they could have forwarded me the money and had me post it back to them, any of which would have been entirely acceptable, and sorted this entire thing out quickly and easily, with a minimum of fuss. Instead they seemed to think of this as a hostile negotiation, with the ultimate aim being for them to get the best possible deal that is most advantageous to them. At times I seriously felt like I was clearly being seen, somehow, as 'the enemy'. I still don't understand why.
And so around it goes, until I finally had had enough of going in circles and getting nowhere, all for an issue that wasn't even mine to begin with, and, politely, though pointedly, requested that they next contact me after they have arranged a courier pick-up, or similar, in order to supply me with the relevant details. But as far as the constant merry-go-round, I had, by that point, had enough. Again, still willing to help return their item to them, I'm just sick of banging my head against a wall after weeks on end while trying to do so, and so I left them with the responsibility to arrange matters at that point, and to let me know when they did. A responsibility which, let's face it, was really always theirs to begin with. I didn't hear anything back.
Fast forward a few more weeks, my 11th Doctor hasn't showed up. I email to enquire as to why. I point no fingers, make no assumptions, and raise no accusations. I don't complain about already having waited three weeks for the arrival of the item that I have paid for, instead giving the benefit of the doubt for what must be a simple oversight, and seek additional details. I am polite and respectful, and even make an effort to clear the air, once again in the hopes that everything can be sorted out to mutual satisfaction, with a minimum of fuss. I even compliment them on what I have seen of the upcoming Ninth Doctor sculpt, and praise their choice to craft it with a sculpted neck and chest.
They choose to respond to all that by going directly into a threat, informing me that they have deliberately withheld the item that I have pre-ordered and fully paid for, and telling me that they will only send it to me after I personally arrange and send the Weeping Angel back to them, and provide them with photographic proof of having done so. And so, here we are. I'm done keeping this quiet and private, and I've officially run out of giving them the benefit of any doubts.
I have over 900 pounds worth of paid, and as yet unfulfilled, orders and pre-orders with them. They have no reason not to trust me to aid in the return of this item, as I have always said I would, within fair expectation, and every reason not to alienate me as a customer. Much less over a problem that was not originally of my making, and of which my own honesty alerted them to. And yet, they have seemingly gone out of their way to make this entire process as difficult as humanly possible, for no immediately apparent reason whatsoever. And have now escalated matters into the utterly insane level of holding items that I have paid for hostage, all because something that should, and could, have been resolved two months ago, easily and logically, still hasn't been.
