the times I've been dumb and was scammed - Just Un-Fabulous
Welcome back to the “the times I've been dumb and was scammed” series, which details the moments I've been dumb and was scammed, which unfortunately has been many. I am perhaps opening myself up to even more scams by exposing my gullibility, but only time will tell.
This story involves a pair of high heels and a class action lawsuit. I should also include the disclaimer that this story occurred before I learned the value of a dollar.
If you enjoy the following story, I hope you’ll read another recent piece of mine on people whose careers have benefitted from scamming.
During my junior year of college, I was in search of the ideal pair of chunky heels to go perfectly with my new bondage skirt (it was 2013). After a brief search through the usual suspects (Nasty Gal, Tobi, etc.), I settled upon a pair of mint green velvet heels from JustFab. Commercials starring Kimora Lee Simmons promoting the shoe-wear company had been running rampant, and if Kimora was in, so was I.
On the way to check out my hot new purchase, while using my mother's card with her approval (an important detail), I had the option to also become a VIP Member.
"Want exclusive deals? First access to new designs? Become a VIP Member!"
Yes and yes! I signed up, hit I ACCEPT on the terms of agreement while skimming over the tiny fine print. Now all I had to do was wait for my fierce new pumps.
The only photographic evidence of the shoes I could find
Flashforward to senior year, now over a year later, and I've now grown tired of the JustFab emails clogging up my inbox. I had purchased just one pair of shoes from JustFab over that time, and it was time to unsubscribe. I logged onto my account, excited to be freed from the endless stream of emails, when I noticed there was no email unsubscribe button. In order to fully unsubscribe from their list, you had to call their customer service to request this. Huh, weird.
But I was not deterred. I called and was connected to a customer service representative - let's call her Tina. I explained to Tina I wished to no longer receive JustFab emails, sorry sis.
"But you have 18 points," Tina said.
"I don't care about the points, I don't want them," I replied.
"No, you have 18 points to use. You're a VIP Member, which means you've been charged every month for shoes and have 18 products to chose from," Tina calmly explained, clearly experienced in the typical reaction to being told this information.
I'm sorry Tina, I think I misheard you....what.
Turns out, hitting that I ACCEPT button and not reading the teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy fine print meant that my mother's card had been charged over $30 every month for over a year-and-a-half. A refund option was not available - I would not be able to get any of that money back. And now I had 18 products to select and have shipped to my apartment - and the obligation to explain to my mother what I had done. Reader, she was not pleased with her dear daughter. I called her immediately, along with many friends, crying hysterically at my sheer stupidity. Also, did anyone want a pair of shoes?
As it turns out, I was not the only one who had made the same blunder. A blessing in this whole situation was that I was able to discover one of my now favorite YouTubers Kendall Rae, as she detailed a similar experience on her channel:
A few years later, I had received a letter in the mail detailing a class action lawsuit against Just Fab for their VIP Membership and if I wanted to be a part of it and compensated. Yes! Justice will be served! I feel less stupid and alone!
A check in the mail from the lawsuit arrived a few months later, in the hefty amount of exactly $5. It was the best check I've ever cashed, for the ugliest shoes I've ever owned.