An Amazon customer recently went viral when she shared her “horror story” about ordering a mirror and receiving two vastly different items.
Shelby, who goes by Western Sun Boutique (@shelby_ebert) on TikTok, took to the internet to vent after she spent weeks attempting to receive a mirror she’d ordered for $95. Though she meant the post to be a complaint, viewers overwhelmingly disagreed and let her know that, if anything, she’d lucked out. The video has gained over 61,000 views as of publication.
The story began when Shelby tried to order a wall-mounted mirror and jewelry cabinet. She settled on a SONGMICS jewelry cabinet from Amazon for $95. When the order didn’t arrive on the expected day, she said she reached out to Amazon. After dealing with multiple customer service reps, Shelby said she was informed that they’d refund her and send the mirror for free to make up for the inconvenience.
Relieved that customer service was so apologetic, Shelby waited patiently for her new mirror. However, she said that instead of sending her the mirror she ordered, Amazon sent her a 12-cubby shoe rack.
“Not even close to the same thing. How is a shoe rack the same as a jewelry organizer?” Shelby asked.
Confused and a bit irritated, Shelby said she contacted customer service again. They reportedly had her reorder the item and credited her account, allowing her to keep the cubby and sending her the mirror for free. Shelby said she rushed to grab the second package when it finally arrived, but they’d sent her the wrong item again.
“So excited, I go out and I get it, and I’m like that box is huge,” Shelby continued, “Freaking huge. That is not a mirror in there. That is not a freaking mirror in there.”
This time, she received a recliner.
“A $400 recliner,” she said, turning her camera towards the Amazon page. “So I got a recliner instead of my mirror—a $400 recliner, mind you.”
Shelby said she called Amazon customer service and explained what happened. Again, they reportedly told her to order the mirror, and they’d credit her account when the item was delivered. This time, she said she tried her luck with a different mirror.
“I want to get a different mirror because clearly, something’s wrong with it. I don’t know what it is, but I’m not getting the mirror,” Shelby concluded. “It’s supposed to be delivered on Sunday, and I’ll let you know what the heck is going on with this mirror, but I have a recliner and shoe rack now.”
@shelby_ebert Amazon Horror Story #wrongorder #fyp #foryoupage #goviral ♬ original sound – Western Sun Boutique
In a follow-up video, Shelby let viewers know that her mirror had finally arrived.
Though she’d meant her video to be about how frustrating her experience was, most viewers argued that she won the lottery.
“Nothing is wrong with the mirror… it’s a magic mirror,” one joked.
“I mean I wouldn’t say horror story lol thats a win honestly,” a second agreed.
“Should have kept on to see what else they send u. Might have a new house,” another added.
“I’d be pretty satisfied with 2 free extra items lol,” a further remarked.
According to survey data reported by The Wall Street Journal, satisfaction with Amazon’s customer experience fell from 88% to 79% in 2022. An article from Insider Intelligence elaborated on this issue, explaining that nearly one-third of U.S. customers claimed their packages were late or that the product was of poor quality. Some of these issues may be due to a large automation of customer service functions. Even though complaints have risen, 98% of Amazon Prime users who subscribed for at least two years remain subscribed.
Amazon horror stories usually don’t work out as well as Shelby’s. One customer recounted on TikTok how she’d ordered 12 chairs for an event. When only eight arrived, Amazon told her to file a police report instead of replacing the missing chairs.
The Daily Dot reached out to Shelby via TikTok comments and Amazon via email for further information.
