Voices in My Head
Toilet Paper and COVID-19: How I Got Scammed and You Can Too
Toilet paper.
You never know how much you miss it until it’s gone. In our household, our greatest challenge has been to keep ourselves stocked with food and household essentials.
From Target to Vons, Smart and Final, Trader Joe’s, Lazy Acres and CVS, I’ve stood on many an early and, I mean early, mid-day and evening line where I was met by shelves that were empty or nearly empty in some of the biggest brand name stores. I have to say it’s relatively gotten better, sort of, over the past week. All that time was in search of fruit, produce, fish, fowl, and yes, toilet paper. You never know how much you miss it until it’s gone.
When all this started at the beginning of March, we had plenty of toilet paper, at least enough to last a few weeks. If we were frugal, more than enough. Then, I began to see the mad rush for toilet paper and empty shelves and I admit it, I panicked. I’m not proud of that. So, I did what any red-blooded American with any sense of technology in the brain would do, I went hunting on the internet.
Google toilet paper and you’ll find it there on the front page. You’ll also find it on Facebook and Amazon. Of course, it might take a few weeks or even months for delivery but that’s okay, you can have toilet paper for life.
I found my deliverance at shoespink.com. Yes, the site domain is now for sale but back in early March, it was selling ultra-strong toilet paper- 24 mega rolls. Or so I thought. I hit the purchase button and paid 46 dollars and 46 cents using my PayPal account. I immediately regretted it but it was too late. I tried to cancel, I emailed the vendor, and I contacted PayPal.
The next day, the website disappeared. Yeah, a sucker is born every day.
But, weeks later, I was shocked to receive a package from China (above). Yes, but that does not look like this.
I did get my bank to temporarily refund me and I still have to sort this out with PayPal and the bank. But what was the lesson learned? Don’t allow yourself to be scammed.
My advice: research, research, research. The Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Justice Department, Better Business Bureau, your state and local consumer protection bureaus are all on the case. If you have pushed that purchase button and have regrets, first reach out to the company immediately (Don’t be surprised if you don’t hear from them if you’ve been scammed). If no response, contact PayPal, your credit card company or your bank. Most times, you can get these issues resolved.
And trust me, I’m not the only one. Apparently, one of the worst global pandemics in the last century has brought the worst in humanity. And if you still believe that you made the right decision and want to wait for that delivery, don’t be surprised if this is what you get.
