#3
Storytime: How I got Scammed on a Jade Necklace
It can be a little hard to know if the business you want to shop from is real or not. Especially if they have a high follower count on their social media because it seems that i
I got very interested in one specific necklace. It was so ethereal and simple and would elevate any outfit I wear. It was a butterfly jade necklace. Maybe because it was Christmas time so I felt extra gracious and kind to myself that I decided to buy it for $50 USD anyway. I didn’t care I wanted it. I placed the order on my phone during my work break. The first red flag I missed is that I found this via an Instagram sponsorship.
Why is that a red flag? Most businesses that choose to sponsor on Instagram are not successful. If they were successful they would have fans of the brand actually post the content on their stories or reshare their product on their personal pages by themselves.
I expected it by mid-late January because it’s coming from Florida. Fair. 2 months go by, I completely forget I ordered this item. Then I suddenly remember it as an epiphany has come upon me!
I immediately go to the Instagram page of the business and notice that she hasn't posted any content to that page since I ordered - around a week after my ordering date - which is thought is very suspicious. And her last Instagram post is that she will be sending out all the shipments soon and to be patient as the holiday season is very busy.
That makes sense and it’s true, the holiday season delays a lot of things. But I was worried because I didn’t get any order updates whatsoever. I sent her a DM and requested an update on my order or to give me a refund. She answered once and stopped. I started getting angry now. I don’t care about the necklace anymore, I’m just mad and felt stupid that I fell for this. I decided to comment under her older Instagram posts that I haven't received my order and that she isn’t cooperating with me.
Then, I received a couple of direct messages from other people saying they went through the same thing and are getting ignored. I decided to retire this case but because I’m so annoyed every now and then I send the business a direct message in hopes of getting a response.
