Evil Spirits

Every time I Google something like a box wrench. For the next two months I get ads for box wrenches popping up on every page I look at on my computer. Even if all I wanted to know from my search on Google was the difference between a box wrench and an open ended wrench or if I could possible kill someone when or if I hit them in the head with it. My computer isn’t judgemental and doesn’t care about the moral or legal aspects of my killing someone, the computer just wants me to know that I could get a nice hefty wrench on Amazon for $15.78 plus shipping. What kind of fucked up algorithm is that?

 

The thing that gets me is that I have already Googled my potential purchase and in theory I have already made my decision and all of those ads just turn me off whatever company is paying to get my attention. The algorithm should target people that aren’t looking to buy something online and maybe they will forsake the brick and mortar store for an online retailer.

 

A buddy of mine saw an ad on Facebook for a record player that had the look and he wanted, the specs he was looking for, was made of good materials and had the ability to play 78RPM as well as 45RPM and 33⅓RPM. He had been looking for a good record player for a while now, as he had all of those albums and singles he bought in the 60’s and 70’s and he had inherited his dads 78”s. It was time to hear the music in the original scratchy, poppy version so he ordered the record player.

 

Two months pass and my buddy got his turntable which was nothing like the ad he ordered from. Quite frankly, it was crap and from China which wasn’t mentioned in the ad. I have bought things from China and been very happy with what I received, but I knew what I was ordering and where it was coming from. When my friend contacted the seller he was told that it would cost too much to send it back and perhaps he should gift it to a friend or relative. He has tried to contact Facebook to no avail and it looks like he received a $200 lesson in international trade.

 

Recently I saw an ad for Merrell Moab hiking boots on Facebook for $49USD from a company called Adoreby. Those hiking shoes are usually double the price and I actually own a pair which have served me faithfully for years. The ad said that I would have the shoes in 7 - 15 business days. Now, I am a firm believer in the maxim “If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.” Somehow and for some inexplicable reason I bought the shoes using my Paypal account. Let’s fast forward a month to when I contacted the seller and they told me there was a problem with the Post Office and would resend the shoes. Fast forward another month and there was a package in my mailbox. I was pretty excited to finally get my Merrell Moab hiking shoes, well, I was until I opened the package and saw that the shoes in the package were really crap, inferior shoes with a plastic sole and they came with a broken heart. I should have known better…I do know better!

I contacted the company and they insisted that the shoes were as ordered. I told them they weren’t and sent a photo to prove it. They offered me a $1 refund and I could keep the shoes. I said I want the shoes I ordered or a full refund! Two dollars and keep the shoes…three dollars and keep the shoes…four dollars and that is our final offer. Fuck them! I contacted Paypal and eventually was offered a partial refund of $38USD and keep the shoes. I told Paypal that I deserved a full refund due to how long I have waited and the inferior shoes I was sent. Paypal got me the full refund! I just had to return the shoes and once I sent Paypal a tracking number all would eventually be well. I wrapped up the shitty shoes and took them to the Post Office only to find that it would cost me $42 Canadian to sent the shoes to China. FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  MARLINA BINTI ISMAIL

8th Floor, Warehouse Building 2, Qian Long Logistics Park,

Ping An Street No.1, Pinghu Town, LongGang

District Shenzhen Guang Dong, Pahang 51811 MY

I contacted Paypal and asked if the partial refund was still on the table and they told me that it was and we closed the case. So now I have a shitty pair of shoes that I may wear as garden shes or I just might set fire to them in order to rid myself of the evil spirits that live on the internet.