Caveat Emptor
You all know better than to buy items advertised on Facebook, right? I mean, unless they are advertised by a reputable, known company. Apparently, I have not yet learned that lesson. Or perhaps, I have finally learned that lesson. You can see how I was tempted though, right? Look at that cute holiday card. Seeing as how I went to France this year, I couldn’t resist. So I ordered a set. Scratch that, I ordered 4 sets, so I would have enough to send to everyone on my Christmas list. As soon as I completed my order, I started to regret it. I should have done a bit of research prior to making the purchase, but I stupidly did not. I started to worry about whether I was even going to receive my cards, and whether I had perhaps set myself up for identity theft. I wasn’t terribly worried about the latter issue, as I paid through PayPal, so I had a buffer there. I considered cancelling my order, but worried that I would then have to give them my credit card information, which WOULD be setting myself up. The cards advertised are clearly adorable, and made by a reputable company. The cards that I ordered are also adorable, but are a knock off. They did arrive, at least. But there were definitely issues.
- The charge that came through via PayPal was different than the amount on my email receipt. They charged me something like 15% tax. Perhaps a VAT, as they were sent from Portugal?
- The cards that are pictured are clearly on decent quality card stock. The cards that arrived are on a shiny plastic, and the color is off.
- Last but not least, the envelopes that were given are clearly the WRONG SIZE for the cards. Hilarious.
So, what to do now? I am not going to try to get any of my money back, I think that could make things worse. Do I throw them away and consider it a lesson learned? Do I send them anyway, and put a note in them with my cautionary story? Do I enclose them with gifts, sans envelope? (I kind of like that idea…) If I decide to NOT send them out, that means I am going to have to buy new Christmas Cards. Sigh. If nothing else, I have gotten some blog fodder out of this stupid experience, and that has to be worth SOMETHING, right?
P.S. – The envelopes do not have any glue on them, so I am going to have to tape them. Perfect.
23 Comments
San
Oh, these stupid Facebook ads.. I’ve definitely been tempted once or twice to buy something, but ended up not to… which was probably a good thing. I hate when they advertise something and then what they deliver is obviously sub-par. There is nothing worse than expecting nice card stock and receiving a cheap, shiny plastic version.
But, at least you did receive something – haha. I think I once ordered something (luckily relatively inexpensive) and never received it (which was a sure sign that it was probably a fraudulent account).
Anyway, I like the idea of sending the cards and including your funny story… or, just using the cards without the envelopes! 🙂
J
I just hope I have learned my lesson this time. I once bought some really cute shirts from a FB ad, and they were the cheapest, crappiest quality. I don’t know whether they were knock offs of something better (like my cards), or if they were just crummy quality to begin with.
Jenny
I think the cards you got are still cute. I wouldn’t even send an explanation- if you didn’t see the originals, you wouldn’t think these were inferior quality. Of course it is a little odd that the envelopes are the wrong size- but if I got the cards with those envelopes I might think (correctly) that they were from a foreign country.
I haven’t bought anything from facebook ads, but I’m going to keep your cautionary tale in mind!
J
Jenny, I am leaning this way…just send them, and if anyone asks, I will tell them my story and we can laugh. And yes, please learn from me!
Melissa
Thanks for the warning! I haven’t bought anything off facebook and given your experience I don’t think I will be.
J
Nope, do your research! Different from seeing an ad from a company that you already know and trust, of course.
Meike
At least you got them? Maybe people would think you got them in France? I think whatever you decide is fine. I for one never keep the envelope so who care if it is a little big. Could have been to small, too 😉 I would just fold it under ‘lesson learned’.
J
I am thrilled that the envelopes are not too small, that would have truly sucked! And yes, lesson learned!
Margaret
It’s a disappointment but the cards (as another commenter said) are still cute. Not as nice as the originals though. I would still send them out.
J
Thanks Margaret, I’m leaning that way!
Rachel
I feel you! This is why I mostly try not to order off Amazon anymore – everything that arrived was just… weird! Those cards are still cute, even with the wrong size envelopes. I would personally probably ask for my money back, hopefully as a disincentive for dodgy companies to sell on Facebook. But also… it might be more effort than it’s worth.
I bought a fox headband from etsy once and when it arrived it was clearly mass produced in China. I asked the seller if when he said “made by hand” he meant “made by hand in china” and he said yes… he did mean it was made by hand in china. The internet marketplace is weird.
J
Definitely weird shopping online, especially on Facebook.
Nicole MacPherson
My holiday cards came from Vistaprint, which I always use and I was always happy with. Well, I started writing them and realized something…they didn’t send me envelopes. This has never happened before! Cards and no envelopes. So I panic-bought some envelopes on amazon, they arrived, and they are HUGE. Like, at least an inch bigger than my cards. So I’m sending my cards in my outsized envelopes. At least they weren’t too small, I guess.
J
It would have been much worse if they had been too small!
Elisabeth
I think they’re still cute!! And Gretchen Rubin says that the things that go wrong often make the best memories. I think you have an interesting story which also serves as a cautionary tale for others (DON’T buy things from Facebook ads), and I would 100% send the cards (if you wanted to tell the story for the fun of it, I’d type up a stock explanation and duplicate that instead of handwriting it each time; something like: So, funny story about these cards…)
Your last line, about getting something to write about for the blog reminds me of the Nora Ephron quote that ‘Everything in copy.’ As in, every experience gives a writer something to discuss.
J
Elisabeth, yes, I considered having a little ‘funny story about these cards’ insert. Perhaps I’ll do that, or perhaps I’ll just send them as they are.
NGS
I would 100% just send them in mismatched envelopes with absolutely no explanation. It’s not THAT weird. I frequently mess up envelopes by writing the wrong address or upside down or whatever and I just sub in whatever I have handy. It’s an absolute bummer that the cards aren’t exactly what you wanted, but I think they’re lovely and no one will notice!
J
Thanks NGS! They are funny and cute, so I likely will send them out. Glad to get the feedback on this post telling me no need to throw them away!
nance
I’d just send them. I think the charm of them is that they’re unique. Most people won’t give the size of the envelope a second thought. Those that do will likely think that you found the cards in France or somewhere and had to get envelopes separately. Big deal.
I think they’re hilarious. That’s the kind of card I’d send if I still sent cards.
J
Thanks Nance, that is the direction I am going as well!
Ally Bean
Well, they don’t look awful, just not what you expected, eh? No disrespect intended but I am a person who encourages everyone to “Delete Facebook” and now you’ve shown me another reason why I’m glad I did. ?
J
Ally, no disrespect taken! There is a lovely side to Facebook that I enjoy. That is pictures of family and friends that are posted there. Sharing my Wordle scores with people 6,000 miles away. There is a horrible side to Facebook, misinformation and lies and abuse (I don’t see this side personally, but I know it is there.) And there is a stupid side to Facebook, which is ads like this, that get you to buy a cheap knock off of a good product, because you are tricked into thinking you will get A and instead you get B. I may have ordered them anyway if I had known they were going to be B, they are cute. But I would have liked to know what I was getting.
I think there are many good reasons to stay off of Facebook, if it’s not your thing. Feel free to add the stupid, misleading ads to your list. 🙂
Pingback: