Cat litter

Problem

I wanted to import cat litter into Korea and sell it as a premium line. Making it in China is cheaper than making it in Korea, so I picked a Chinese factory.

Cat litter made from bentonite (a kind of clay) is produced in many countries. The well-known ones are the US, China and Turkey. The US one is the best. Turkey and China come after that, in the middle and lower price range.

Since I was going for a premium line and a high price, I chose bentonite from Wyoming in the US, no question. Its color is a light beige, different from the other brands, so it looked easy to stand out in marketing. So we started production.

Everything was going well. Samples went back and forth many times. Bentonite is heavy, and the less people touch it, the less dust it makes when customers use it.

How I found out

After everything was made, I visited the factory for the final product inspection.

During the inspection, I found lots of crushed wood. It had never shown up in any of the many samples we received. This was not a cheap product. It was sold as premium. This could not be allowed.

I personally think Korean customers are the pickiest in the world. If I sold this, it would fail for sure.

What we did

First, I asked the factory to remake everything so no wood waste could be seen. Three days later they called back. The wood was already mixed into their raw materials, so they said they could not take it out.

That broke the contract. This part was the easy one, because we had samples many times and lots of photos and video as proof. So I asked for a refund. I was even ready to cover the cost of the boxes and the packaging paper myself.

But the moment they refused the refund, it turned into an emotional fight. Now I needed every bit of the money back.

So I used several ways. I went there in person to put on pressure. I also got help from people in the local government.

Result

Once we started the refund action, every cost was refunded.

So now

I keep samples, photos and videos on record from the start. And I inspect at the factory before anything ships. Proof is what turns a fight into an easy one.