For some time I have wanted a periodic table with tiny pieces of real elements to display. Last month I saw an online ad for one so I shopped around. I settled on this particular one because it was a nice large size 8" (200mm). It took forever to get here because I did not realize from the ad that it was coming from China. It has changed hands between importers, shipping companies, customs, airports etc for a month but it finally got here. But what a disappointment.
It is not real elements embedded in clear plastic. It is a clear plastic rectangle with a single large decal stuck on the back with drawings of the elements. Looking closely it does not match the photo in the ad at all. And it looks like it will get damaged very easily. I re-read the description carefully and it does state “Elements cast in crystal clear acrylic” . The URL itself declares “real elements”. What do you think?
Just as a weird aside, I checked the OP link. It said “Hurry, just 3513 left in stock”. I thought, that’s not a very good way to drum up business. Why isn’t the number just 2 or 3, no matter how many they actually have, to give a sense of urgency?
Then as I watched, the in stock number started steadily increasing. After about a minute, it was well over 3800 in stock. WTF?
PayPal gives you an opportunity to ask for a chargeback.
Then again, so do most banks. If you can prove that you were ripped off (and that doesn’t seem hard in this situation), they can help make it right, as long as you don’t wait to do so and follow their instructions.
I was similarly ripped off probably around 15 years ago with an online ad, where I was automatically signed up to something when I made a different purchase, and they wouldn’t let me cancel the subscription or request a refund for the product I never purchased in the first place. (I bought some exercise equipment and for some reason that signed me up for some piece of garbage thing where once a month I get a dollar bill that someone stamps a picture onto.) I ended up getting all my money back from my bank in the end, thank goodness, and the subscription stopped.
It’s certainly misleading but I don’t see where in says “Real Elements”. The most egregious statement is “Astonishing collection of 83 samples making up our universe”. I think they are probably technically within the bounds of legality.
You can clearly see stuff inside acrylic. If you get something that just has a sticker in the back, that’s a classic example of false advertising, and isn’t legal in the US (I assume that’s where you reside, I might be wrong). So hopefully your financial institute will help you remedy this if you don’t want to just eat the $30 and not bother going through the motions.
