Thanks for your thoughts, especially to those who are supportive. To those who aren't, I know I asked for it.
To those who think I should have taken the refund offer, I beg to differ because they had sold me a raw deal, and not so much of a discount as I had estimated based on looks and workmanship (maybe so because it's heavier than more expensive briars). I won't argue that those who can take the refund and walk away with nothing other than a lot of wasted time and unresolved resentment are bigger men than myself, and probably better-liked, and if you can do this and not be angry then you are probably more healthy than I. But I was sure that they had played foul by selling damaged merchandise, and the degree of incompetence which the sales staff displayed was inexusable. For example, the most senior boy out of the 4 or 5 on the floor (may have been around the age of 25) knew nothing about polishing compounds such as Obsidian. It hasn't failed to cross my mind that some of the respondents may be those boys, and if so I think it takes a lot of gall to say I should go polish it myself when the so-called professionals know nothing about doing that.
One more thing, SeaCaptain - I never buy anything on Ebay, got robbed too many times. Actually bought a phone there which turned out to be stolen! Actually did browse it recently just for laughs to see what kind of shit people had up there, notably there's a boatload of stems which somebody's trying to unload, as if they would fit anybody's pipe should they break it, or think they could get a better one to fit. Therefore I haven't much sympathy for you ebay merchants either, but I have never played the jerk which you describe with any merchant when they sold me exactly what they said it was, and was completely forthcoming about any defects. Fuck you for trying to paint me up as that!
As it happened, one of the reasons that I could only deduce that the pipe stem was purposefully finished with an alternate color, as in doesn't-look-plasticky (even though I know it's rubber) is that there were several other Chopins surrounding it, all had that color effect. It wasn't the only bad pipe that they were selling there, and I wanted to do something to discourage that practice - not only would just taking the refund be letting them off way too easy, but they would also continue that practice with other unsuspecting buyers! So I kept leaning on them until they understood that I would not make it so easy for them, and when I walked away with them still having my money and me still having a pipe with a crappy stem, at least I felt like I still had something instead of nothing for my time which they had wasted, still a fine smoker, and I had learned quite a bit in the process. I had decided not to buy pipes at brick and mortar stores anymore unless it was boxed, and was considering finding someone to make a custom stem - it would cost a bit, but it would be fun to do, and really cool if I could get it made out of Lucite. So when Mikey Boy decided to phone me just to fuck with me further, I stand by actions from that point on!
