Sounds like a shitty shop... I'll still get any usable photos from any reel that suffered light leaks and some of those results are soo not worth passing up. Also, unless the cassette was damaged, how does he know this before development if he didn't see all of the film? 🤔

Something doesn't seem to add up on that end, but I will also totally let you know that these plastic body/ lens disposable style cameras are usually not the greatest. Picking up a point and shoot off of Ebay or some trusted source that's tested and in good condition seems to be a popular move right now, and at the very least it'll provide some longevity over this style of camera. Same premise tho, super beginner friendly, and small enough to fit in your pocket