Hi all, this is my first post to FFF and I hope this is an appropriate topic. But I thought my experience with this was worth sharing.
If you’re like me, you’ve probably been inundated by sponsored Instagram story ads this holiday season about free fashion accessories like watches (“free” meaning you pay shipping and handling) or a swimsuit/bikini or something else along those lines.
I swiped up on a sponsored ad I saw for a free watch from a company called Ivy and Envy. I’d never heard of them before but their website seemed legit (and alluring), and thought maybe they were a new company just trying to get their product name out there by offering such an amazing deal. Plus the reviews seemed promising. So I ordered a watch, paid the shipping and handling, and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Until finally I received an email confirmation that my order had been shipped from China. But when I clicked on the tracking number I was taken to a near-empty page with no additional information about who the mail courier was, or where my package was located at the time. So I became a little curious about what other people’s experience had been like ordering from this company.
While I couldn’t find any BBB reports or specific information about why their shipping process is so slow, what I did find on their Instagram profile were complaints from customers about not receiving any of the free items they ordered, even after receiving an email that their item had arrived. And even when they didn’t receive the items, their cards were later charged with the full price. I immediately called my bank and asked to reverse the charge and cancel my card, which they did.
Apparently there are dozens of companies that operate exactly this way. Here’s a link to an article detailing more if you’re interested: The Weird World of Viral ‘Free Watch’ Scams on Instagram
And, sure enough, a few days later I got an email confirmation letting me know my watch had arrived. I checked my mail, no watch to be found.
So I’m curious — has anyone ever had an experience like this? Did you actually receive what you ordered? Hoping to shed some light on this so others can keep an eye out and learn from my mistake.
TL;DR: Ordered a “free” watch (pay S&H only) after seeing a sponsored Instagram story ad, didn’t get watch.
Submitted December 25, 2017 at 08:08AM by pitapanda http://ift.tt/2l8trAt
