“There’s enough to fill two and a half glasses,” notes Matthieu, putting his words into action. This young man prefers to have fun with the tiny size of the carafe he ordered online with his girlfriend. The two young people have just moved into their new Parisian apartment. “We didn’t have a carafe, only sparkling water machines. So we went to the website of a store that we like,” explains Matthieu. When ordering their carafe, after comparing several models, the couple did not pay attention. “It said milk carafe, I told myself that it worked very well with water, that the container does not define the use,” jokes Matthieu. Only here: when the carafe is delivered to them, it actually measures… 14 centimeters high, less than half the desired size. “In the image, it seemed like a classic carafe,” sighs the young man, who admits that he did not unroll the banner which detailed the format of the product.
Like Matthieu, many of them are victims of these miniature items ordered online. Although no figures are available at the moment, testimonies are multiplying on social networks. Solicited, the specialized magazine 60 million consumers says “currently working on the subject”, which is still emerging. According to Brendan Witcher, an expert on consumer behavior and technology trends in the retail space, “Shoppers have become lazy: when they click ‘buy,’ they automatically think it’s the size they want “. However, according to the expert, “some brands deliberately offer smaller items for sale, and are often less expensive to manufacture”. The use of a plain background to present the product is also to blame, because it prevents the Internet user from imagining the real size of the object.
Also read: The revenge of stores on online commerce
Also read: Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba announces increased turnover
Like Matthieu, Pascale was fooled by ordering online. This 23-year-old Cameroonian bought a straightener on a Chinese retail site. Although she no longer has the order reference, the buyer claims that the size was not indicated. “When I saw the straightener coming, it was a little thing,” she remembers. “With the price it cost too… I took it for 6 euros. I told myself that it wasn’t really cheaper, but I see why now…” says the young woman, disillusioned. Pascale did not lodge a complaint, however, and kept the straighteners. “It works really well, it’s just a pain because you have to spend more time on it. It takes a few strands at a time, otherwise it is very powerful,” summarizes the young woman philosophically.
Matthieu did not seek a refund for his order either. “We had to put it back in the box and send it back, it was a lot of effort for a carafe costing €24,” explains the young man. “We are trying to find a use for it, as a vase or to put hot water to make tea,” he consoles himself. As for Pascale, the price of the object also explains the error of judgment. “It wasn’t expensive for a carafe, a friend had made us doubt it,” adds Matthieu. With Black Friday, the price of the carafe even dropped to €16.90. When contacted, the online commerce platforms did not respond to our questions. With the exception, however, of Amazon, whose spokesperson states that “Customers can shop with peace of mind knowing that we guarantee the products sold in our stores with the A to Z Guarantee.” However, this protection only concerns purchases made from “Marketplace” sellers, i.e. individuals.
For Matthieu and his partner, the disillusionment does not stop there. “My mother bought us a new carafe, which was also too small,” he says. Like her son before her, the Internet user was fooled by the white background in the background of the object’s online page. Matthieu prefers to laugh about it. “You can fill 4-5 glasses with this one, and it’s very pretty!”
