The Magic Wardrobe

I found this company through Etsy (beware the fact that they have purchases listed, but NO reviews — this is a red flag!). The Magic Wardrobe (female co-​owner) agreed and assured me that they could make a customized Halloween costume for an important one-​time event by due date needed, October 24^th. This did not occur.
When I first inquired in summer of 2015 regarding the customized costume, the female co-​owner/​seamstress quoted me a price, and I thanked her for her time and told her it was out of my budget. She responded with a plan for a scaled-​down costume and a cost of $ 1300 and said it could be done in time by her «team». I agreed, understanding this to be inclusive of any and all charges. I paid the 50% deposit right away through her Paypal invoice as requested, with the understanding that the balance would be due upon completion.
On October 16^th I received the final balance invoice via PayPal, which I paid immediately.
I was not contacted by the Magic Wardrobe at any time. Deadline for delivery came and went; at this point, I contacted the seamstress via Etsy. I was very worried and stressed about this expensive purchase not getting to me in enough time: it’s a Halloween costume, and of course needed by Halloween at the absolute latest. In her response, she kept it very brief and only said that she «would have to ship it to the destination I was traveling to» (Salem, MA) and that she «thought she had more time». I contacted her through Etsy twice more trying to assuage my fears that not only would it be late but that I would even have the costume by Halloween, with no response. A few days passed, and on October 27^th was I contacted by the male co-​owner (both are listed on their website).
He tried to shift the responsibility to me by blaming PayPal for never sending them a notification that the final invoice was paid. Not only is this not my fault, it is their responsibility to keep track of their accounts. He also said that the «seamstress was working 18 hour days to now finish the costume in time for Halloween» because it «had no longer been a priority». When I explained to him that this wasn’t my issue, he then told me I owed them for «CA sales tax». It was my understanding that the quoted total was inclusive. It isn’t a buyer’s responsibility to remind a merchant they have to pay sales tax. Why would they stop working on a project they had been half paid for, without checking for the final payment or contacting me before ceasing to work on it?
In her first response after the due date had lapsed, the seamstress said it would «have to be shipped to my destination in Salem because she wasn’t finished and thought she had more time». If she was behind schedule due to her own lackadaisical business practices, it is the seller’s responsibility to pay overnight shipping to fill her part of the contract. She herself admitted she thought she had more time (when she did not). Piling on additional «taxes» and shipping charges before sending me my paid-​for-​in-​full costume when it’s already late is extortion and deplorable business.
I provided my destination address and kept trying to email in hopes that I would still receive it. I never heard back from the company following my last email to the male co-​owner on October 27^th. When I knew I would not receive it, I immediately filed a Paypal claim noting that my item was not received. Suddenly — ON Halloween day, the seamstress shipped it priority mail, knowing full well that I was out of town and of course wouldn’t receive it in time for Halloween and trying to negate my claim. The item is of course useless to me now. I have changed the claim to «item not sent by due date» and am awaiting a claims review. I have also posted details on BBB.
Simply put: They agreed it would be received by an agreed upon date. I paid in full immediately when invoiced. Item was not shipped or received by agreed upon date. I held up my end of the agreement, they did not. Their lies and maneuverings around the Paypal claim are despicable and I don’t want to see anyone else fall victim to their business dealings. I expect a full refund of my order as well.
P. S. I have everything in writing and am happy to provide to any inquiries upon request.
If you have also had a negative experience with this company, please contact me directly as I am gathering info for my case.