Scammed...?

I saw an ad on Instagram for a plush dog toy that is supposed to be indestructible.  The seller claims that they have never had anyone report the toy getting ripped apart.  There is supposed to be a replacement guarantee if your dog destroys it, so that you never have to buy another dog toy.  I suspect I've been scammed.  

I decided to invest the 25 bucks and buy one of these for Hank.  He has destroyed every dog toy that we have ever given him, though some have lasted longer than others.  Although the manufacturer claims this toy is for aggressive chewers, they have apparently not met Hank.

I checked the mail at lunch time on September 8th and the toy was there.  I gave it to Hank at almost exactly 12:00 noon.  Within a couple of hours he had the head pulled off.  In the middle of the night, at about 3:00AM, he was disturbing us on our bed.  We awoke to find that he was chewing the rope neck into a pile of yarn, had pulled most of the stuffing out of the body, and was starting to gnaw on the squeaker.  I sent an e-mail to the retailer later that morning to see if they are going to replace the toy.  I'm not sure that its really worth it because if Hank can destroy these in less than 24 hours, there is not a lot of point in continuing.  Unless the manufacturer wants to arrange to just automatically ship us a new one every other day....?  Somehow I doubt they will be willing....!

That crazy little mutt is sure destructive for a little terrier cross that only weighs about 20 Lbs....!

The supplier responded to my e-mail.  I was told that the product will be replaced for free under warranty, but that I have to pay the shipping.  I'm not sure if it's worth paying the shipping to give Hank a couple of hours of playtime....?  I advised the supplier that since the product lasted less than 24 hours, maybe they could send me the next six toys in one shipment, and I could pay just one shipping fee.  I'm waiting for a response.....

Their response was that they would be willing to send me two of the toys, but I would have to pay double the shipping fee.  The shipping fee $6.99 USD.  I can't see that this is really worth it, as Hank will just tear them apart again in a few hours.  The money is probably better spent on some beef bones or rawhide chews or something.....

The website is antarcking.com, and they claim that no one has ever reported one of their toys being ripped apart by a dog.  If that was true, and I'm skeptical of that, it no longer is.  They do honor their pledge to replace the toy, but the poor quality and the high shipping cost make this option a non starter.  I recommend against buying anything from these guys.

So, here we are, less than a week later, and Hank now has the toy totally destroyed.  I bought him a new toy three days ago, and he has already move on to that one, largely abandoning this donkey.  The new one seems to be made of some sort of tougher material and was only 17 bucks at Princess Auto.  He already has the tip chewed off that one too, and some of the stuffing pulled out.

In the meantime the seller of the original toy responded to me and is prepared to offer 10% refund on the original purchase price.  I suppose I will reluctantly take that, as anything at this point is better than nothing.  This is what is left of the toy now...

In the latest and final twist in this saga, the seller has now offered me a 15% refund, which I will accept.  They told me that I should pass the toy along to someone else so that their dog can enjoy it too...!  So if anyone would like a dog toy with just a few minor imperfections, please let me know...