Right Proper Restoration & Repair
New Hampshire
Deborah Castaldo runs a one-person stuffed animal restoration and repair service in New Hampshire. The pages crawled are mostly about how she works: the job is agreed in a written document first, photos are sent midway through, and there are no refunds once the work is done.
Getting hold of them
Email is the way in. They do not take cold calls.
If it gets lost
Not stated
This is a blank on their page, not an answer from them. We have never asked anybody in this trade the question. Of the 185 businesses we have read, 4 have written anything down about losing an item: 2 say it is insured, 2 say the risk is yours. The other 181 are silent, and silence is not a policy either way.
If you would rather not have to phrase it
“Before I send it, can I ask what happens if it gets lost or damaged while it’s with you? I’m not trying to catch you out, it just can’t be replaced. Whatever the answer is, could you put it in an email so I’ve got it in writing?”
“No, we don’t cover it” is a fine answer to get. It tells you to insure the mail yourself for the full amount, both ways.
If it is lost or damaged
Their website does not say what happens if your item is lost or damaged while they have it.
Ask before you post anything you could not replace. Only four of the businesses we hold publish an answer to this.
What they take on
- Full restoration and rebuilds
- Mending and seams
- Restuffing
- Cleaning on its own
- Fur restoration, de-matting and pile lifting
- Eyes and noses
- Memory bears from clothing
What they won’t do
The part every other directory leaves out. None of this is a criticism. It is how you avoid three wasted weeks.
- Doesn't say anywhere whether you send it by mail or bring it in. Ask before anything else
Their exact words on what they refuse
Quoted from their own pages, unedited, because a paraphrase of a refusal is the kind of thing you find out was wrong three weeks in.
- “There are no refunds.”
- “The exact look of the finished animal cannot be predetermined and is based entirely on the construction of the animal and what can be saved/recreated.”
Getting it there
- Doesn't say whether they take work by mail
- Doesn’t say whether you can bring it in
Money
- Fixed menu of prices, so you know before you send it
Anything else they say
- We establish shared expectations and goals before the work even begins.
- We review the work details in a written document before the work begins.
- We send photos midway in the project to ensure we are aligned in the work.
- While we send photos midway in the journey, please understand that some features may be slightly altered in the repair process.
- The extent to which any stuffed animal can be restored or repaired depends entirely upon several limiting factors: 1: The extent of wear/tear and damage to the animal 2: The availability of materials and supplies that match the original materials of the animal