I have written two posts about products I happily found on Instagram that are ideal for women of a certain age, and well worth the price (see them here and here). Unfortunately, today I am highlighting 3 brands I bought through Instagram that I regret. Some of the brands had fine print I didn’t catch when making a purchase and either they have no return policies or ended up costing me more than I thought.
3 Brands I Bought on Instagram That I Regret:
I decided to try an all-natural sleep aid that popped up in my Instagram feed and I had also seen on Goop called Remrise. Having trouble falling asleep is my issue and this seemed like a great alternative to habit-forming sleep medications.
I did not see it was $90 per month and by making the purchase I was signing up for a monthly subscription. What a load of crap. Who would buy a new product and sign up to receive it monthly before ever trying it? Especially when it comes to something as personal as a sleep aid? It took multiple emails and calls to get the subscription turned off. Not cool at all. Thumbs down to Remrise.
Another purchase I regret are pajamas from a site that’s company’s tag line is “Comfort With A Purpose.” The site is titled Ettitude. I liked the fact that the items are made from sustainable Clean Bamboo and the fact they plant a tree for each purchase made. The designs are great and the company’s business philosophy aligns with mine.
Sounds perfect – right? When the pajamas arrived I soon learned that I needed a size up. I went online to make an exchange but wasn’t able to. After much back and forth with their customer service department, I was told you can’t return or exchange your purchases. I scoured the site and I still don’t see anything about that, nor did I get a warning when the item was in my cart.
After using my most charming voice and further pleading, they said they would make a one-time exception. How can an online shopping site not take returns? If a company sells in the online space they must accept returns or who would chance buying anything they offer?
So call me crazy, but I bought 2 sets of pajamas from another site I discovered on Instagram (I need pajamas for an upcoming vacation). These came from a site titled Bonsoir of London. I loved their patterns and fabrics so I indulged.
I didn’t see anywhere on their site about the fact that items shipped outside of the UK are subject to a VAT tax. VAT stands for Value Added Tax which is in addition to the cost of shipping, thereby driving up the price of the order. A VAT tax is put on luxury goods to reduce the personal income tax of high-wage earners. Who knew that pajamas were considered a luxury good? The tax and the shipping came out to a total of $34.00 – and the pajamas were priced at $89.00. That’s 38% of the price of the item – which is completely ridiculous. So much for transparency.
Note to self and those who read this blog – make sure to read the fine print before ordering anything online. It is well worth the extra time because it can save you money and loads of aggravation.
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