Complaint after 1.5 years

Questioner

I (seamstress) have a customer for whom I put a lining in her coat in August 2020 and now today, more than 1.5 years later, she complains (mainly online) that the lining was not inserted properly and she wants her money back. I made it clear to her that she should have come back for this earlier as stated in my general terms and conditions. She has not reported anything during all this time and also says that she is only reporting it now because her coat was unwearable, so this has never been reported before. Now she says that if I don't pay her back she will take action. Is that possible after such a long time?

Lawyer

What is her specific complaint. Does the lining come loose too quickly for her liking? In that case, you could still do something here. The contractor has the right to carry out repairs first. If there is no real defect in the coat or the defect came to light much earlier, then I would state that she approved the execution of the work and the complaint period has expired.

Questioner

I used the existing lining from her coat/jacket as a pattern and according to the lady the pattern is incorrect and the lining is cut too short. I also sewed the hem of the lining closed by hand, while she said that this coat should be done by machine. After several messages from her, I sent her the message below. If you had contacted me personally I would have been so accommodating as to fix this, even after a few weeks. If you had complained in time you could have given me time to fix this and/or cancel the agreement and (partially) refund your money, but not after 17 months. The only solution I can offer now is to repair the jacket at a reduced rate.' The lady is now demanding the total amount of €80.00 in production costs, otherwise she will take action.

Lawyer

Madam should have indicated this immediately upon completion of the work. Now it is too late. The work has been accepted. Your proposal is neat and starting a procedure for 80 euros is unbelievable. (costs too high in relation to the claim)