Casebus review: Item not as described, refused proper refund, contradicts own return policy

I purchased a wallet phone case for an iPhone 16 Pro Max from Casebus (casebus.com) for $49.99. The item I received did not match the product page — it was missing 3 of the advertised card slots and 2 of the advertised stash pockets. I ordered the correct phone model, so that wasn't the issue.

When I contacted Casebus, they first offered a $6 partial refund just to keep the mismatched item — a fraction of the purchase price. When I declined, they offered two options: (1) a free exchange for a different phone model, which is useless since I only own one phone, or (2) a refund only if I paid for return shipping myself. Their own written return policy states that customers are NOT responsible for return shipping when the issue is an "incorrect item" caused by the seller — so this directly contradicts their own terms. In their email, they explicitly labeled the refund option "Not recommended" and told me return shipping "is expensive and not cost-effective," clearly trying to steer me away from a refund I was entitled to.

Casebus also claimed that card slot count "varies depending on the specific phone model" — this disclaimer was never on the product page, and doesn't even apply since I ordered the correct model.

Based on other reviews I've found online, this isn't an isolated issue — other customers report similar experiences: items not matching descriptions, wrong items shipped, and returns that are impractical (some report having to ship items back to China at their own expense). This looks like a deliberate pattern designed to discourage refunds rather than an honest mistake.

I'm filing this complaint to warn other consumers and document the pattern. I have documentation available including the product page as advertised, photos of the item received, my full email correspondence with Casebus, and their written return policy.