You may have seen the commercial on TV for Crazy Critters.
The ad for it says:
Crazy Critters™ are strong, durable and realistic looking. They are machine-washable so you can use them indoors or out, over and over again!
Crazy Critters™ are stuffing-free so they lie flat, making them easy for ANY SIZE DOG to play with. You'll never have to worry about cleaning up the mess from a torn or ripped stuffed animal! Even better, your dog will never be exposed to loose stuffing that could be harmful or dangerous if eaten.
I fancy myself a savvy shopper and thought this sounded like a good deal (especially when they said you could get two for only $10), I checked around web sites where people review stuff like this. I checked several sites and found only rave reviews for this supposedly indestructible doggie toy that was going to cost me only $10 plus shipping and handling for the two squeak toys.
I have spent so much money on doggie toys since Sheila arrived. She used to LOVE squeak toys and would play with them for days until that fateful day when she discovered that she could dig deep enough to get the squeaker out. Now a squeak toy is lucky if it lasts 20 minutes around here.
I did actually have a squeak toy that was made from fire hose material and that actually outlasted the dogs' interest, believe it or not. But this sounded like a good deal, so I ordered the two toys.
The on line ordering page is big and flashy and again, I'm a savvy shopper, right? so I was very careful when filling out all the information. I pushed that unforgiving "place order" button, fully expecting to get a page where I could review all the information before making the final commitment. Instead I was routed through a series of pages offering me more stuff. Did I want 2 additional toys? Did I want maybe only one additional toy? And they print a big "YES" button which turns your cursor into a hand so you can click on it, with a "no" written in tiny letters which does NOT turn your cursor into a hand, but which will, when you click on it, take you to the next screen anyway.
I was feeling proud of being such a savvy shopper. I was smarter than all their tricks. They weren't going to sucker me into buying more than I wanted. No sirree.
When I finally got past the last special offer page, I got a page that thanked me for my order, which turned out to be almost $30. What???? No "review" page? No chance to change my mind? And where in the hell did all that money come from?
Welll, you see, it turns out I'm not such a savvy shopper after all. Yes, you get two of these featherweight toys that cost nearly $7 for shipping and handling. EACH. The note that said that you would have to pay a separate shipping and handling charge for the second toy was printed in a font so tiny you needed a magnifying glass...and it was in a color that was just barely lighter than the background it was on, waaaay down at the bottom of the screen.
Congratulations, you crazy critters. I thought I was so smart, and you snookered me. Naturally there was no "contact information" where you could cancel the order. It also said to expect a 4-6 week wait time. I fully expected never to see the damn things, but actually they arrived today.
OK...so they are MUCH more expensive than I thought I was spending, but the dogs love them. They have been flying around the house all afternoon. Polly and Cappy have been playing endless games of tug of war and best of all, so far nobody has been able to figure out how to tear it up. I figure that might just be worth the price I paid in the first place.
However, this is just a warning to people who occasionally succumb to TV hype and check out the item on the net. Read everything before committing to anything, or you might end up, like me, paying more for shipping and handling than for the item you are buying in the first place!
Be forewarned. The Piñata ladies are having their own Cousins Day pajama party tomorrow, so the next entry for this journal will be posted late.
6 comments:
You are so much more persistent than I. When web pages are tricky, I get skeptical and usually back out and close the page, figuring if I can't trust them, I really can't trust them.
But then again, I am becoming very virus-shy, having been caught twice in the past twelve months, despite my constant checking.
Ah, but you see, that's the brilliance of this damn web site. There IS no backing out. Apparently once you push the first button with your credit information you have purchased it. I kept going to get to the point where I thought I would review and complete the transaction, but there is no "complete transaction" page--you've already completed the transaction and never realized it!
Bev, my little dog has a zillion stuffed toys too. Some, she can find the weak spot in a matter of minutes and shred them beyond recognition. Others, like Mr. Quacky from WalMart lasted nearly two years (until last week when he met an unfortunate demise).
But they do have the Crazy Critters at PetSMart. If you can catch them on sale they are about $8. Not on sale they are $10.
I haven't gotten one for Cookie because she has so many toys but they certainly seem like a good idea. The stuffing is always the first thing to go.
Good luck.
sunny from TMA
Oooo...that's good to know about Pet smart. I do think that it's worth $10. If they ever manage to destroy what we have, I'll check Pet Smart for a replacement
Bev,
Could I interest you in the Jonathan Hemlock Surefire bug killer? guaranteed to work.
It is two popsicle sticks that are still sticky. You just catch the little critters on the stick, (They love sweet stuff) and then squeeze the two sticks together.
works every time......
BUT WAIT.....I will send you two sets for the price of one. The price has been lowered $19.95 for one to 8.95 for two. Add $11 for S & H.
VOID WHERE PROHIBITED
My husband bought the puppy this alligator that has two different sqeakers in it and no stuffing, I think it's a plastic bottle or tube instead. I thought she's shread it to pieces in a day. Three weeks later and she carries all over the place and has yet to destroy it. I'm going to get one of your critters too now.
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