Paying for a Return and a Duty Tax at Last Minute

TLDR: HB doesn’t pay for return shipping costs and slapped on a $100 charge at the last minute for delivery.

Just needing to vent. Well that was an unpleasant surprise. I took a chance on buying an HB after confirming with HB that returns are free. Day of delivery I get a message from DHL that $100 duty tax is required before they will deliver. HB confirmed that was accurate. So between delivery and duty tax, my $350 guitar is now $550.

I am declining to receive the guitar and asked HB for a refund. They told me they will refund the cost of the guitar but I’d need to pay for return. I guess my off-the-shelf guitar isn’t a “most case”. Per HB’s website, “If an item doesn't fully satisfy you, just send it back to us under our Money Back Guarantee. In most cases, even the return postage is free.”