Teh One Who Knocks
08-15-2015, 12:15 PM
By Richard Wheatstone - The Mirror
http://i.imgur.com/lSMPx85.jpg
A mum couldn't believe her luck when she grabbed two deckchairs at a unbelievable bargain price last month.
Christine Harford, 55, decided to go shopping online for the first time after deciding she wanted some garden furniture to enjoy the summer sun.
'I knew what I was looking for'
Christine, from Aveley, Essex, said: "I knew what I wanted, an old-fashioned deckchair and people were saying to me 'you should look on e-Bay' and that there were some good offers on the internet.
"It was my first time online shopping but I had a look at a few sites and eventually found one on Amazon exactly like the ones I was picturing.
http://i.imgur.com/enIHFgY.jpg
"When I saw the price, I couldn't believe it, they were a right bargain.
"Even with the delivery, which cost much more than the chairs, it was a really good deal. It was so good, I decided to get two, one for me and one for my husband."
The bargain price was £1.89 for each chair plus £4.59 for delivery.
With a delivery date set Christine, a service station supervisor, stayed at home and waited for the chairs to arrive.
Delivery day arrives
A small parcel dropped through the letter box later that day but there was no sign of the chairs.
Christine said: "I called my daughter Ellie because she often orders things in my name online and I asked her if the parcel was for her.
"She said she had no idea what it was so I opened the parcel. I opened it and saw clothes pegs inside and thought 'I haven't ordered any clothes pegs'.
"Then I opened it some more and saw the material and there I was holding these deckchairs in the palm of my hand."
http://i.imgur.com/CglW0TJ.jpg
After re-reading the order, Christine realised what she had really paid for - two 1:12 scale miniature deckchairs measuring around 10cm by 5cm.
She said: "I was so, so disappointed. I couldn't believe it.
"My family were all taking the mickey out of me and telling my friends who all thought it was hilarious."
http://i.imgur.com/a38xn81.jpg
But that wasn't the end of the story...
Daughter Ellie, 16, shared her mum's unfortunate blunder on Twitter and word quickly spread.
How can my mum order deckchairs for the garden for her and my dad and this is what came dead pic.twitter.com/vrsojR0szy
— ellie mae (@ellharfordxo) July 8, 2015
Within days the tweet had gone viral and has now been shared more than 4,000 times on social media.
But Christine says after the early shock she is now able to see the funny side.
She said: "I couldn't believe it when Ellie told me how much interest there'd been in it and it quickly seemed like everyone knew what had happened.
"At first I didn't find it very funny because I was still so disappointed but after a few days I definitely started to see the funny side and my family still haven't stopped laughing about the thought of me opening that little parcel.
http://i.imgur.com/OHub5f4.jpg
Funny side: Ellie Harford's tweet became a Twitter sensation
"You've got to laugh really."
Ellie said: "When they came through the letter box she was so confused.
"We've kept them for a funny memory and they are now used in my five-year-old nieces dolls house. So at least they came in useful.
http://i.imgur.com/LWPb5Gu.jpg
"The amount of attention the tweet got has been crazy. I never thought it would blow up the way it has."
Christine added: "I suppose the moral of the story is always read everything carefully when you're buying online.
"I think next time I might just stick to the high street."
http://i.imgur.com/lSMPx85.jpg
A mum couldn't believe her luck when she grabbed two deckchairs at a unbelievable bargain price last month.
Christine Harford, 55, decided to go shopping online for the first time after deciding she wanted some garden furniture to enjoy the summer sun.
'I knew what I was looking for'
Christine, from Aveley, Essex, said: "I knew what I wanted, an old-fashioned deckchair and people were saying to me 'you should look on e-Bay' and that there were some good offers on the internet.
"It was my first time online shopping but I had a look at a few sites and eventually found one on Amazon exactly like the ones I was picturing.
http://i.imgur.com/enIHFgY.jpg
"When I saw the price, I couldn't believe it, they were a right bargain.
"Even with the delivery, which cost much more than the chairs, it was a really good deal. It was so good, I decided to get two, one for me and one for my husband."
The bargain price was £1.89 for each chair plus £4.59 for delivery.
With a delivery date set Christine, a service station supervisor, stayed at home and waited for the chairs to arrive.
Delivery day arrives
A small parcel dropped through the letter box later that day but there was no sign of the chairs.
Christine said: "I called my daughter Ellie because she often orders things in my name online and I asked her if the parcel was for her.
"She said she had no idea what it was so I opened the parcel. I opened it and saw clothes pegs inside and thought 'I haven't ordered any clothes pegs'.
"Then I opened it some more and saw the material and there I was holding these deckchairs in the palm of my hand."
http://i.imgur.com/CglW0TJ.jpg
After re-reading the order, Christine realised what she had really paid for - two 1:12 scale miniature deckchairs measuring around 10cm by 5cm.
She said: "I was so, so disappointed. I couldn't believe it.
"My family were all taking the mickey out of me and telling my friends who all thought it was hilarious."
http://i.imgur.com/a38xn81.jpg
But that wasn't the end of the story...
Daughter Ellie, 16, shared her mum's unfortunate blunder on Twitter and word quickly spread.
How can my mum order deckchairs for the garden for her and my dad and this is what came dead pic.twitter.com/vrsojR0szy
— ellie mae (@ellharfordxo) July 8, 2015
Within days the tweet had gone viral and has now been shared more than 4,000 times on social media.
But Christine says after the early shock she is now able to see the funny side.
She said: "I couldn't believe it when Ellie told me how much interest there'd been in it and it quickly seemed like everyone knew what had happened.
"At first I didn't find it very funny because I was still so disappointed but after a few days I definitely started to see the funny side and my family still haven't stopped laughing about the thought of me opening that little parcel.
http://i.imgur.com/OHub5f4.jpg
Funny side: Ellie Harford's tweet became a Twitter sensation
"You've got to laugh really."
Ellie said: "When they came through the letter box she was so confused.
"We've kept them for a funny memory and they are now used in my five-year-old nieces dolls house. So at least they came in useful.
http://i.imgur.com/LWPb5Gu.jpg
"The amount of attention the tweet got has been crazy. I never thought it would blow up the way it has."
Christine added: "I suppose the moral of the story is always read everything carefully when you're buying online.
"I think next time I might just stick to the high street."