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‘I bought 16kg of flour by mistake’: online shopping mishaps in lockdown

‘I spent £193 on 40 pairs of briefs’

I thought I had ordered one pack of eight briefs from Next for £38. I failed to notice that I had inadvertently added four additional packs to my order. So I ended up ordering 40 pairs of briefs at a cost of £193.

I tried to cancel the order immediately, but was told to send it away at the door. Unfortunately, I’d broken my ankle so couldn’t get to the door quickly enough. I made an abortive attempt to return the 40 pairs in their entirety, but misunderstood the returns procedure, so the briefs boomeranged back. I’m hoping to return the excess packs when Next reopens but I might just wrap up a pair as a tree present to myself every Xmas for next four years. Tim Clark

‘ My wife thought it was some form of S&M equipment’

My wife ordered an ice cube tray from eBay. What turned up was a neoprene face mask [pictured above], which she initially thought was some form of S&M equipment. Holding it at arms length, she got back in touch with the seller to let them know not only what had happened but to ask what on earth it was for.

They apologised for the mix-up. Apparently it is a cycling mask for cold weather. We got a refund but she ended up keeping it. Nicholas Oettle

‘They were at least twice as big as I had imagined’

I love fashion and absolutely hate shopping online. I’ve been buying more fashion magazines than usual to replace browsing in shops, but I cannot bring myself to buy clothes without seeing them and trying them on in real life. But I thought I couldn’t go wrong with some lovely earrings I saw in Grazia – very cool looking amber resin hoops – so I put aside my online shopping fears and ordered them.

When they arrived they were at least twice as big as I had imagined. They knock against my jumper if I wear a polo neck, they weigh a ton and hurt when I put my headphones on over them. Both my daughters think they look great so I kept them. Everyone says you can just send it back, but that feels like a personal failure of judgement and taste. Katy Limmer

‘It did not clean surfaces at all’

I bought some kitchen cloths from Amazon for £6.99. When the parcel arrived, it was a small box and I thought “that’s a bit big for cloths”. I opened it up to find a kids toy – a talking dinosaur called Torr. It did not clean surfaces at all. I found a gift message in the box too. I think it was meant to go to a little boy for his birthday. Vanessa Hosker, Berkshire

‘I bought a 16kg bag of flour by mistake’

I was desperate for flour as my husband is shielding, so I waited to make my order from the Cotswold Flour Mill one morning as they restricted orders to what they could manage each day. Unfortunately for me “should have gone to Specsavers” applied; I meant to order a number of individual bags, but bought a 16kg bag by mistake.

At first I offered it for free to people on the local Facebook group formed to help during the crisis, but got no takers. In the end I set up a table in the front garden, bagged it up and made a sign asking people to help themselves on their daily walk. The women were very interested, but the men couldn’t get away quickly enough. My last bag went to two teenage boys; I hope their mum was pleased. Sue Frezza, Burton on Trent

‘It’s funny and different and makes people giggle’

I bought a Fisher Price three-in-one play kitchen [pictured above] from eBay. I ordered it quickly then noticed after that it was a Chinese version. I quickly emailed the seller and asked to cancel, which they agreed to, but it ended up getting sent out anyway.

When it arrived I was too nosy and decided to open it. We found it charming … It says all the phrases in Mandarin first, then English, so my child can still understand it. We decided to keep it. It’s funny and different and makes people giggle. Sophie Lawler, Southport

‘A Donald Trump orange cowpat wig arrived’

I bought a new wig for my 90-year-old mother. The delivery was very slow and the wig was the wrong colour and the wrong style. I ordered a stylish ash-blonde wig; a Donald Trump orange cowpat wig arrived.

I tried to return it, but the company suggested I sell it to someone else as returning it would not be cost effective. I am still not sure whether it is a bogus company or maybe even a scam. Their website now pops up all the time on my laptop just to add insult to injury. It was a dreadful experience. Caroline Swan, Edinburgh

‘It was such a palaver!’

The water where I live is extremely hard, making my skin and hair feel horrible. Water softeners are quite pricey, so I thought this hard water shower kit could be the answer. When I opened it I realised it was cheap, very plasticky. The hard water filter was heavy and the shower head dropped off the cradle because it couldn’t take the weight. This stretched the hose, which showed the plastic tubing through the centre, which then started to leak. The shower head also had a stream of water drips coming off it.

I contacted the company about a refund, via email and then Facebook. Eventually, after much toing and froing – including sending pictures and videos – the company agreed to give me a 50% refund without me having to return it. Honestly, it was such a palaver. Jane

‘I had not envisaged the reality of 60 loo rolls’

I bought 60 loo rolls on Groupon for £20 including postage. I had not envisaged the reality of 60 loo rolls and was very surprised by the huge bag that arrived on my doorstep. I gave lots of them away and made fun of myself on Facebook. I have previous for this sort of thing, having once ordered a 3kg whole salmon thinking it was three pounds. I had to cook it in the dishwasher. Sue Nicholson

‘I neglected to check the dimensions’

I bought a “camping table” from Blacks to prepare and cook meals on, but I neglected to check the dimensions. It doesn’t even reach my knees. The price – just £8 – should have been a clue. I ended up keeping it. My kids will get some use out of it. Tom Slater, London