Cordless Rechargeable Ceramic Flat Iron

I purchased a flat iron that turned out to be defective. Would not heat up whatsoever. Unfortunately, I missed the return window, so I contacted customer service to see if they could make an exception given that the product was defective. I was told that they could not accept the return because the return period had passed. I understand that companies have return policies, but it's disappointing that there wasn't any flexibility for a product that was defective and never worked properly. I expected better customer service and would have appreciated a reasonable solution.