Legal Question in Business Law in California

Re: Fraud

Once you realize you're dealing with a corrupt vendor, you can bring a lawsuit in Small Claims Court for your purchase price. Show the judge your written evidence of discussions and requests for return/refund.

Re: Fraud

I agree that the vendor here is corrupt. Maybe the shenanigans here rise to the level of fraud, but that is more difficult to prove. If you sue in Small Claims Court, be sure to include at least one claim for plain old breach of contract. Point out to the judge that the Uniform Commercial Code, which governs sales of goods, has a so-called "perfect tender rule" which means that the seller must deliver exactly what was ordered; the goods shipped must conform in every respect to the catalog, specification or sample, or they may be refused by the buyer, who is then entitled to a full refund (or to not pay in the first place) and may also be entitled to damages caused to the buyer in his business by being unable to use the non-conforming goods if the vendor can't replace them with the correct goods before the promised delivery date.

There are corollaries to the perfect tender rule requiring rejection of non-conforming goods upon delivery or at least promptly after the first reasonable opportunity to unpack and examine the shipment, but I assume you did that here.