Woman buys inflatable pool from Five Below, gets bamboozled

@beingcrystal_/TikTok William A. Morgan/Adobe Stock (Licensed)

‘I guess I should have paid more attention’: Woman buys inflatable pool from Five Below, gets bamboozled

‘First time I got catfished by a product.’

 

Tiffanie Drayton

Trending

A Five Below customer believes she was catfished by a product she bought at the store and took to TikTok to air out her concerns.

In a viral video that has racked up over 5 million views as of Monday morning, user Crystal Rivera (@beingcrystal_) explained how she thinks she got duped by the retailer.

“So I thought I was getting this for my kids to sit out in the patio and have some fun,” the woman explained in the clip.

As she spoke to her viewers, she showed off the box of the item she purchased. It had a photo of an inflatable item and a description that read “inflatable pool cooler.”

Still, Rivera believed the item should have been big enough for her two children to use as a swimming pool.

“I thought it was going to be bigger, you know,” she continued. “Like those plastic pools you see outside of the Walmart.”

Ultimately, the woman concluded the inflatable item she purchased was more like a pedicure spa than a blow-up pool for kids. She showed it off in the clip, the small pool inflated while sitting on the floor.

@beingcrystal_ First time I got catfished by a product… I guess it had to happen eventually. #5below #5belowfinds #pooltok #summerfun #catfished ♬ original sound – Crystal🍒

Viewers aren’t sympathetic

Her viewers thought it should’ve been obvious to her that the product was not meant to be used by children.

After all, it was described on the box as an “inflatable pool cooler.”

“It looks like a perfectly advertise pool cooler,” user Stephen Speers wrote.

“It says pool cooler,” user Lisa agreed. “Lol it’s for drinks.”

Others argued that the size of the box should have been a good indicator that the product was not appropriate for two kids to use as a pool.

“It literally says pool cooler I’m crying,” another echoed, to which Rivera replied, “Me too I thought my babies was finna have a good day.. I guess I should have paid more attention.”

“Your hints: 1: it’s says cooler 2:size of package 3: the dimensions are on the box,” user Starr commented.

“Besides the fact it says ‘POOL COOLER,’ it never crossed your mind that it might be impossible to pack a FULL BLOWN POOL ina small box like that????” user JR commented.

This is not the first time a TikToker has gone viral with claims of being catfished by a retailer. One woman went viral after complaining about a couch she purchased on Wayfair that did not measure up to her expectations. Another woman reportedly felt duped by a boutique after she received a coat that looked nothing like the one she purchased.

The Daily Dot reached out to Crystal Rivera via Instagram direct message and Five Below via email for comment.

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