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People Who Angrily Demanded Their Money Back After Not Getting What Was Promised

Trista Smith June 30, 2021

Have you ever opened a package only to be disappointed by the contents inside? Maybe the item was broken, the wrong color, or missing a part. With all the online shopping we do these days, it’s hard not to have a few duds. However, have you ever received an item so different that it was ridiculous? Of course, people who went through this demanded their money back.

No one could blame you, but there are some even worse examples out there. This also applies to food orders. In this list of extreme product fails, you’ll see what it means to receive an order that’s so incorrect that it’s maddening and even hilarious.

30. Sending The Wrong Message

We’ve all seen graphic tees that express beliefs. They have a nice ring to them. But how about a shirt that looks like it just says, “RACISM”? That won’t cut it anywhere, and if that is someone’s innermost belief, that person should definitely re-evaluate their values. Too bad this customer got that very sweatshirt as a result of a bad print job. Anyone who demanded their money back on this would be in the right.

It seems difficult to make such a glaring mistake, but one Redditor describes how this could have happened. The higher-quality print in the “expectation” photo involves screen printing, while the “reality” photo showcases digitally-printed text, which is cheaper. So one seller’s decision to cheap out on their production led to a terribly misconstrued message. The lesson: be careful when ordering from custom printers and always make sure you know what methods they use.

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29. X-Rated Jammies

Check out that pajama set on the left. A tasteful floral pattern, but wait; those aren’t flowers. These pajamas display some very colorful images. Sadly for the woman who ordered them, she found this out too late after already receiving and opening the set. Not surprisingly, she probably demanded her money back.

This situation is a classic “buyer beware” moment. On the surface, the pajamas appeared to be a steal of a deal at only 47 euros (about 56 USD). They seemed like an adventurous choice with the name “Voyeur Cami Set,” conjuring images of voyages to foreign lands. The thing is, “voyeur” means something very different from “voyage”. A simple zoom-in on the pattern would have revealed their true nature. Moreover, that’s why it’s always important to know EXACTLY what you’re getting when ordering online – double-check the pattern, materials, dimensions, and other details.

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28. Demanded Refund From Yeezys Gone Wrong

There’s a healthy adoration of Yeezys lately, the shoes born from Kanye West’s collaboration with Adidas. They’re sold in minimal quantities for hundreds of dollars and are resold for even more online. Imagine this guy’s joy, then, when he saw a pair on eBay for a reasonable price. He couldn’t pass up the offer. Little did he know he’d be getting a Yeezys COSTUME, not the actual shoes. We can imagine the eBay listing had all the signs of a scam: photos of authentic gray Yeezy shoes, but perhaps no sizing dimensions or other specs.

There’s a reason shoes like Yeezys or Air Jordans are expensive and hard to find. It’s a simple question of supply and demand asthe shoes’ skyrocketing popularity prevents all the people who want to buy them from doing so. All that to say, double and triple-check reseller feedback. Something that seems too good to be true probably is.

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27. Garbage Bag Socks

One woman ordered a pair of socks from China and received an item that was one level worse: actual trash bags. These socks meant to be slick, black, and tight in all the right places were not even disguised as anything else. The buyer’s photo revealed plastic that mirrors the black trash bags that lines your garbage bin. The only silver lining (no pun intended) is that these garbage bags look a lot easier to take off than the original airtight leggings.

It’s not always possible to tell if a product will be a dud, but there seems to be a common thread in the mishaps: many of the products are purchased from China. These socks undoubtedly resulted in customers who demanded a refund. This isn’t to say other geographies are scam-free, but it may be wise to be extra wary of items that are made or sold from outside of your country.

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26. Demanded Money Back For This Pizza

Looking at the pizza above. How do you think the person ordered it? Half cheese and then half pepperoni and mushrooms? No, he asked for a half mushroom, half pepperoni pizza. Clear communication is never as important as in these moments. Customers don’t want to end up with a half cheese pizza, and half pepperoni and mushroom pie if that’s not what they ordered.

When it comes to food orders, whether online, in person, or over the phone, it’s easy to end up not speaking the same language as the other person. One person’s half and half might be another’s half, half, and half. While there’s no foolproof method to preventing these unwanted scenarios, it might help to confirm your order in different words. Admittedly, though, the pizza that this guy ended up with doesn’t look too bad. Still, it’s always good to double-check.

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25. (Un)surprise From This Ignorant Worker

Planning a surprise gift or party is always hard, especially when family is involved. There are lots of moving pieces, from making sure all the guests arrive on time to secretly getting the decorations together. Most importantly, you have to prevent anyone from spilling the beans to the person of honor. However, who would have thought that the decorations box would give away the secret? Definitely not this girl, who had planned a surprise party for her mother only to find that the shipping box containing party supplies revealed all the details. We can only hope that she found the package before her mom did.

If not, it wouldn’t be a surprise if she demanded her money back. Let this be a lesson for any future surprise party planners to stay ahead of those package deliveries. You never know when the secret-ruining culprit can lie in your order’s particular requirements. While this situation is rare, it’s not impossible.

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24. Demanded A Refund For Shrivelly Bear

The classic Teddy bear did not arrive. In its place is… Shrivelly bear. He’s deflated, wrinkly, and has no eyes — the thing of children’s nightmares. No one’s sure what happened to the original adorable, squeezable bear, but the creature that came in its place contains nothing to squeeze. On the bright side, Shrivelly bear still has his bow tie, albeit in a darker, more ragged color.

Maybe the person who sold this “stuffed” animal went to a Build-A-Bear Workshop and forgot to add the stuffing. Whatever the reason, the customer didn’t deserve this grotesque substitute. Let’s assume for peace of mind that they demanded to return the item and get a refund.

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23. Security Shorts Are Not Trending

Unlike a security blanket, these Old Navy shorts don’t provide a layer of comfort for the wearer. They still have the security tags attached. The pants look totally shoplifted. That’s right, the customer ordered these shorts online and paid the price for them, only to find them delivered with security tags still on. It appears the person who boxed the product forgot to cut off the tags. Good luck to this customer – these tags are hard to remove.

According to Redditors who have worked at Old Navy, this security tag mistake is more common than you might think. It’s easy for associates to accidentally leave the tags on when shipping products. Too bad this causes inconvenience for customers and probably leads to people vowing never to order online from Old Navy again. When it comes to this brand, your safest bet is purchasing from the traditional brick-and-mortar store.

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22. Soled Out

Here’s someone who at least got shoes and not a costume, like the Yeezy customer, though calling these real shoes is still a stretch. The soles look like they came from a completely different pair and size of shoe and were then just glued onto the bottom of the main component. If you look closely, the colors of the soles’ bottoms don’t even match the rest of the shoe. On the plus side, at least these soles still provide the lift that’s advertised in the original. Does that make up for the ridiculousness of everything else?

Shoes are a challenging product to shop for online. Many components about purchasing the right shoe aren’t possible to measure virtually. And sometimes, you get a pair like this one that looks like it was hastily glued together from materials lying around. If you want the shoe you expect, make sure to look at all the product reviews online and see if any other customers have received flukes.

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21. Demanded Money Back A Decade Later

Remember that product you bought 10 years ago? It’s hard enough to remember orders from last month. Well, this woman received this cookbook 10 YEARS late. It’s hard to imagine the return label would still work at this point. Hopefully, some of the recipes were meant to withstand the test of time and are still relevant.

Shipments can be delivered years late because large USPS sorting facilities, especially those being remodeled, are often disorganized. Packages can get stuck in the nooks and crannies of the conveyor belt system and not be found for years, if at all. The woman who received this cookbook 10 years late is one of the lucky ones for getting their book at all. But at this point, she probably doesn’t need or want it.

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20. Their “Deconstructed” Caesar Salad

A nice Caesar salad is simple. However, in this scenario, “simple” went a little too far. A customer shared a photo of their Caesar salad that had three lettuce leaves and a small handful of croutons, completely un-assembled, all for a whopping $15 from a local restaurant. Maybe the restaurant was going for a novel new “deconstructed” Caesar salad, but unless they include some more substance and a disclaimer, they likely won’t be able to sell many of their “novel” idea.

It’s a classic food delivery fail, where the expectation of the meal is what’s pictured on the restaurant’s website, and the reality is their real food doesn’t live up. It’s the classic expectation vs. reality of the juicy fast-food burger shown in commercials, and the thin, wilted burger served in the actual restaurants. Moreover, it’s easier to get away with giving a subpar meal when ordered via delivery. Sometimes, we’re stuck with the un-assembled three lettuce leaves.

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19. Ordering A Dress-Turned-Shirt

There it is, the piece of clothing you’ve been waiting for: the elusive plaid dress. Not one of those with a pattern made for the feminine dress; no, this pattern looks like the classic plaid button-up that directly inspired it. Unfortunately, it was so elusive for the customer who ordered this dress that it simply didn’t exist. It was, in fact, a button-up. Let’s hope the person returned it in a hurry and got their money back. If they tried to wear this shirt as a dress, they may get a different kind of attention than intended.

Sometimes, you can make do with an online clothing order if it’s somewhat close to what you thought you were getting. You can get creative. Nevertheless, when the item is not even in the same category, no level of creativity can compensate for what this is: a scam. Best to always read the seller reviews of their previous sales!

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18. Non-Genuine Crystals

Rock and gem collectors, watch out. Sometimes, the crystals you see sold online aren’t legit. This customer found this crystal seller online and was told their crystals were “genuine.” While the initial photo may already look dubious to some, it can be easy to fall for scams that catch your attention. It turns out these were just everyday rocks spray painted to look colorful and shimmering. The kicker? They were only painted on one side.

Let this item be a lesson to be extra careful of online products that claim to be luxury items sold at an unbelievable price. Whether crystals, brand-name handbags, or electronic devices, more often than not, their prices are incredible for a reason. When it comes to these products, it might make more sense to go the old-fashioned way and buy them in person or from the company directly from their website. Unfortunately, certain people have to learn the hard way.

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17. Their New Definition Of “Anti-Hero”

“Deadpool” has always had a strong cult following, and he gained mainstream popularity after the release of the first movie. It undoubtedly led to plenty of unassuming citizens going online, searching for the perfect Deadpool Halloween costume. Who wouldn’t want to look like the hilarious, blabbering, and powerful antihero for a night? It turns out that the Deadpool costume you ordered might not leave you looking all shiny and gadget-filled like the costume in the left-hand photo above. In this case, the ensemble that showed up looks more like a red cow. And is the black band toward the face an oddly-shaped smile, or just the collar?

Costume fails are not uncommon, as the man who purchased this Deadpool costume can attest. It looks like this customer at least dared to try on the suit (the results were just as you would expect). We get it. Many are in a rush to order a last-minute Halloween costume, and ordering online seems like the perfect solution. Just beware, these costumes are rarely cheap, and you might not get what you hoped for…

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16. This Angry Customer Wants Their Money Back

Who said onions aren’t a type of flower? Everyone, that’s who, including this U.K. customer who put in a flower delivery order from Sainsbury’s and received a bunch of spring onions instead. The person who picked out this substitute may have been out of their mind. Vegetables as the fresh flowers, anyone? They thought that using similar product keywords would make for a valid substitution (in this case, the keyword was “Spring”).

This sad Twitter customer experience shows that even online orders from trusted stores and brands can go awry. It will make any company’s customers think twice about the next time I check the “Substitute with similar item” box when ordering an online grocery delivery. There’s an element of human judgment in those substitutes, and their decision-making isn’t always appropriate.

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15. Duck Pants On Back Order

Move over, Donald Duck. There’s a new sheriff in town. Unfortunately, this customer, George, wasn’t trying to look like a duck. Either 32 inches means something else nowadays, or the customer was subject to a major manufacturing or shipping malfunction. Take a look at the difference between the jeans on the left and those on the right: there’s an entire extra foot of fabric. That shows that even when ordering from a well-known fashion retailer, the order won’t always go as planned.

Sometimes, retailers make honest mistakes. Other times, the seller is genuinely trying to scam the buyer. In the case of these “32-inch” jeans, it’s not entirely clear. A handful of other bitter customers responded to George’s Twitter post with their own similar stories of ridiculously long jeans showing up from ASOS. It sounds like there’s an entire flock of ducks out there. Let’s hope that the company has reconciled its mistakes and redeemed itself by refunding their customers and sending them pants that fit.

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14. Extra-Long Teddy Bear Wasn’t Worth Their Money

This Teddy bear had a lot of potential. At almost $110, you would expect the six-foot-tall bear to be the ultimate cuddle buddy. Well, sorry to break it to you… this customer instead got the Teddy bear of their worst nightmares. Just imagine this guy bounding toward you with his long legs, with a frighteningly innocent smile and short arms outstretched for a hug. The one thing that was accurate about this product is that it appears to be about six feet. Too bad all the length is in the legs.

This kind of fail makes you wonder: how can an innocent customer keep from buying a horrifying product anytime they want to buy a stuffed animal online? Maybe Valentine’s Day is approaching, and they want to give their boyfriend or girlfriend a sweet gift, not one that will give them nightmares. Sometimes, looking at the overall product ratings isn’t enough. In this example, the Teddy bear had 4.5 stars on Amazon! It takes a little more work. Try looking at the detailed ratings, especially those that are only 1 or 2 stars, and check out their customers’ photos.

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13. Tiny Ones Aren’t Enough

On the opposite end of the size spectrum is products that are too small. And not just slightly ill-fitting, but doll-sized. Maybe this customer could play “house” with her dolls, using these extra-tiny wet wipes to clean the counters in their dollhouse. Alternatively, perhaps, as one commenter suggested, this customer is a giant holding a normal-sized pack of wet wipes. Somehow, their explanation seems unlikely. Whatever the case, there’s no doubt that this product wasn’t what the customer was looking for. Making the situation even more ironic, she ordered it in April 2020.

If you were to receive something extra tiny like these wet wipes, what would you do? Would you embrace their charming nature, or would you contact the seller and angrily demand a refund? It might depend on the product and its price. We have a feeling these Wet Ones weren’t too pricey, and maybe it’s enough that they give a funny story to tell, so to each their own.

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12. No Product, Just Tags

Forty pounds of security tags plus $60 in Super Cash! Exactly what I wanted, said no one ever. This shipment from Old Navy arrived instead of an order for two shirts. Someone must have turned their shirts into tags. At least the customer was compensated with money to put in another order with Old Navy. Let’s hope the second time around, their order was fulfilled.

You might be wondering how these sorts of mix-ups can happen. According to one comment on this Old Navy customer’s Reddit post, the wrong UPC barcode can be put on the box. That leads to the wrong item being placed in those boxes. Maybe that’s what happened here, and their customer received a shipment for what should have been sent to another Old Navy store location. At least this made for a funny discussion among Redditors.

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11. Trash in Unexpected Places

Who would have thought that a punching bag could pose as a contemporary art piece? That’s what this trash-filled Unfortunately, this Reddit photo is not a commentary on modern society’s environmental woes but rather a product purchase gone wrong. When this customer bought this “punching bag” for just $20 from China, he got what he paid for. It was a three-in-one trash bag, punching bag, and piñata — that is until the bag burst open. At least there’s some exercise in bending up and down to pick up all that trash. But it wasn’t the kind their unwitting customer needed or deserved.

Of the many product fails you see, many of them come from China. Or, perhaps this manufacturer just had nowhere else to throw away their trash. Take this customer’s purchase-gone-wrong as a word of warning and always be careful to check details when ordering something online. Never throw caution to the wind, or that breeze could carry a foul smell.

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10. Latex Stuffed-Crust Pizza?

Most pizza companies agree that latex provides no nutritional value to their pizzas. The person who received this pizza and other Reddiors scratched their heads about how an entire black latex glove could find its way inside pizza dough. Was this the work of their nonexistent quality control procedures? Their disgruntled employees? Whatever the case, the customer certainly wasn’t happy. Let’s hope there were a few glove-less slices in there if this person was even hungry enough to keep eating.

Shockingly, finding latex gloves in their food seems to be a more common problem for people than you might first think. A couple of Redditors have discovered them buried in their Shepherd’s pie at the Cheesecake Factory or attached to a piece of lettuce in a sandwich. You never know where you might find them, so our best advice is to keep a close eye on your food and, if this worst-case scenario does happen to you, try to get a refund as soon as possible.

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9. I Do … Not?

Ah, it’s almost here. The day you’ve dreamed of since meeting your fiance – your wedding day. But wait, you open the package containing the wedding bands and find that they would not even fit a child’s pinky. What gives? Unfortunately for customers like this one, scams don’t skip any product categories, not even weddings. When it comes to your special day, it’s imperative to double and triple-check product sizes. Alternatively, buy things in person. No one needs extra pressure on an already stressful day. For these soon-to-be-spouses, they may need to consider putting these miniature bands on a necklace.

Remember, scammers are everywhere on the Internet, especially with their products that demand high margins. These scammers can mark down the prices significantly and try to put up a legitimate front. We all know weddings can get very expensive, so wedding planners can be tempted to cut their costs wherever possible. Nevertheless, remember, you often get what you pay for, and sometimes, the results can be disastrous. Take it from this example.

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8. Cut From The Wrong Cloth

The way a dress is cut makes all the difference. Sometimes, the difference is in the worst possible way. Can you guess which dress above was the expectation versus the reality? The dress on the left looks nothing like what was advertised. The whole thing is off. It almost looks like someone took a pair of scissors to a beige fitted bed sheet and called it a day. The one thing that somewhat matches the original is the color, but that wasn’t nearly enough to redeem its shockingly poor quality.

It’s not exactly clear from what website this poor woman purchased their dress, but the situation was terrible enough to put a permanent bad taste in her mouth regarding online shopping. Do you blame her? The scammers out there looking to make a buck don’t just create a momentary bad experience — they can suck the fun out of browsing products on the Internet forever. However, every shopper has to take their lumps and they all have to live and learn. At least the results can sometimes make for a hilarious dinner-party story.

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7. A Scam Cost $850 Of Their Cash

Now this one’s a doozy and it’s from a brand you’ve almost certainly heard of. It’s hard to guess how three bottles of juice (Walmart Brand at that) could ever come to $850. That is, unless the purchased item was actually a laptop. That’s right, this customer saved for months to buy an expensive laptop and waited almost two weeks to get this juice in the mail. The least that Walmart could do was make sure none of the bottles were damaged, but even that proved to be too difficult. Furthermore, when this person contacted the company, they asked that he return the juice before they sent him the laptop.

Some people speculated that their laptop listing was a scam from a third-party seller on Walmart’s website. It’s hard to think of any other explanation for this wild product mishap, and it can be the reason for unasked-for products from other third-party platforms, too, like Amazon. Shopping from these sites is always a gamble. Let’s hope this customer eventually got the laptop they paid their good money.

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6. Their Bad Print Job

Potentially worse than spending $850 on three bottles of store-brand juice is purchasing an Xbox and only getting a piece of paper. That article has an image of the Xbox printed on it. Does that improve the situation at all? No, we don’t think so. This innocent man spent $750 for what appeared to be an authentic Xbox One on eBay, but the listing had sneakily stated that it was only for a photo of the Xbox. No matter what the small print said, this is still a scam – worse, the seller couldn’t even bother to replace theor ink cartridge before printing the image.

Thankfully, eBay took care of this man’s case and refunded him for the value of their Xbox. The company also removed other similar listings to prevent more customers from being scammed. Although these scams occasionally have a happy ending, there are many other times when online platforms don’t follow through for their customers. It is a cautionary tale always to read the fine print. Also, don’t fall for listings that are too good to be true.

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5. Objects In Photo Are Less Than They Appear

You may have heard about how snacks settle inside their packaging during shipping. It makes the package look like it was never full in the first place even if it was. However, it’s hard to imagine that’s what happened with this box of gourmet mixed nuts, where each compartment is less than half full.

There’s a more probable reason for this unsatisfactory product: it’s a scam. Just take a look at the clues on the website image. First of all, the delivered product looks nothing like the original photo. Second, the ratings are fishy at less than 2.5 stars. Finally, even Amazon suggested their buyer go with an an alternative with better reviews. The silver lining to this customer’s misfortune is that many red flags could have prevented the scam from happening in the first place. It just takes a savvy customer and knowledge of past scams.

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4. Unhappy Holidays

The holiday season calls for cheerful generosity, with gift-giving and receiving. Mugs are always a solid go-to, especially when they’re the kind that blossoms into a colorful image when their temperature gets hot. So who can blame Matt, who picked out a thoughtful, seasonally appropriate gift for his wife, thinking that this mug would turn from a starry, nighttime shade to a bright, nostalgic Christmas scene? The Grinch must have stolen Matt’s Christmas this year because he was subject to yet another scam. Maybe Matt was a little naughty and Santa was sending a message.

When it comes to holiday shopping, it’s easy to bulk-shop on websites like Amazon and go on autopilot, forgetting to check reviews and the sellers’ ratings. Nevertheless, no matter how much of a hurry you’re in, never skip these steps. One tip is to read the 1- and 2-star ratings specifically to get an idea of what’s the worst that can go wrong. These steps will save you valuable time and money and more importantly, your family’s day together.

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3. Fake Teeth Not Worth The Money

We get it. Dental care can be expensive, especially in the United States, and getting it done in person can be downright scary. There’s a reason a trip to the dentist carries the stigma of a dreaded task. When it comes to cosmetic procedures, the price is even more staggering. For example, veneers can cost anywhere between $800-$2,000 per tooth. So when your natural teeth are your enemies and a set of veneers is being sold online for just under $20 (yes, for an entire set of fake teeth), you might say, “Hey, why not?” The right-hand photo above is exactly why not.

This customer isn’t entirely to blame, in any case. Such serious dental care should not be sold online or marketed as a success story in the first place. There’s no way veneers can be “one size fits all,” and it’s cruel to trick customers into thinking they can be. Follow-up care is also impossible with these “veneers.” The online scam market is all about getting someone’s hopes up, and people are especially vulnerable in cosmetic categories that target their insecurities.

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2. Mint is the New White

There it is, the perfect wedding dress. How much money would you spend on it? Even better, it’s sold online – how convenient! What could go wrong? A lot. This woman must have been sorely disappointed to receive a dress that was as mint green and shapeless as a tube of toothpaste. The quality of the dress is subpar to what was advertised, to say the least. Look at those wrinkles throughout the skirt and uneven lace trim in the bodice. The shades of green don’t even match.

If this example can prove anything, you don’t want to sacrifice your big day for convenience. Of course, weddings involve a seemingly endless list of things to think about, but your dress not matching your color scheme or feeling itchy in the poor-quality fabric will not make your list any easier to handle. Make sure you’re sure of the product you’re getting before clicking that “Checkout” button. Your wallet and sanity will thank you.

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1. This Product Is A Little Too Abstract

These charcuterie board photos look like a real-life game of “spot the difference,” but not in a fun way. A customer ordered this charcuterie board from West Elm and waited for six months for it to arrive – that’s right – six months. Long shipping times have been familiar to many of us over the past year-and-a-half with the pandemic causing major delays, but this Reddit post was from over two years ago. Moreover, when the board did finally arrive, it was nothing like she’d hoped. The “reality” version looks unsanded and unvarnished in places and as if it was made out of entirely different materials than were originally pictured.

This customer wasn’t the only one who’s had aggravating experiences with West Elm. Other Redditors sympathized, sharing how products from this brand might look great on the outside, but they don’t hold up over time. One user suggested that the company has significant quality control issues, ordering a couch that arrived already looking used and reordering that couch only to have the same problem. This all goes to show that scams aren’t confined to websites with third-party sellers, like Amazon and eBay. We need to be careful ordering online, even with brand-named companies.

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