Every now and again Facebook ads will target me with something that looks like an incredible deal.
I came across an offer from Sticker Mule that let me get 50 buttons for 19$. This started a new habit of purchasing their weekly deal. Their pricing felt too good to be true and I jumped without thinking. I even got my homie to sign up so I could double up on the offers. Then he said something very alarming to me.
I think the pricing is in USD.
He was correct. That 19$ turned into 26$ Canadian. Thankfully this is still good pricing for 50 buttons. The thing is, this special is meant to encourage me to browse the site and make a bigger purchase.
Imagine I had.
This wasn’t a 500$ order but it made me realize how important reading the fine print is.
When something sounds too good to be true double check it
There are really good offers you should jump at.
Like your bank offering you bonus interest for saving more.
You either save more and get more money or you don’t. Other company’s offers will likely ask you for money. I was looking into getting the missus Tiffany’s for her birthday. Then I saw an ad showing what I believed to be Tiffany’s products at a discount. I later learned Tiffany’s does not offer discounts. I made my purchase and realized when it was too late I had purchased Fiffany’s. Silly me.
When I went back to the landing page from the ad there were clear signs that this was not the real website. In my eagerness to jump at a deal I spent 80$ on something nice, but not at all what I thought I was getting.
Fake Tiffany’s doesn’t drop panties quite the same.
The ad was from a store located in China. There was literally nothing I could do. I was duped.
Recently the article I wrote on my bad support experience also stemmed from an offer that was too good to be true. The company sent me something by accident. Despite all the red flags, I took it at face value.
In the end I saw amazing “opportunities” and ended up taking some L’s.
As a Canadian one must always double check the currency
Unfortunately both USD and CAD are represented with the $ symbol.
While in 2024 most websites you interact with can detect your country and update to your local currency, that is not always the case. All love to Sticker Mule, they just showed me an ad. It was on me to take the extra 5 minutes and Google if the prices shown were in Canadian dollars.
I don’t even think Sticker Mule acted duplicitous in any way.
They showed me a price and charged me that price. They even made the offer so low that the currency doesn’t really matter that much. We’re talking about 10-15$ max. It’s really not their fault I made 6 orders without catching on.
Technology isn’t perfect and if you don’t pay attention to things like currency you can spend way more than you meant to.
In this very same week I uploaded a new song for release. I chose to switch from Distrokid (where I know I pay in USD) over to CD Baby. This is another American company. That 49.99$ I thought I was paying was closer to 70$ once the conversion was done.
Convenient technology makes us lazy. Tough economic times make us want to save money. Any services that keep costs down may not want to invest in dynamic websites since that creates more work.
It’s on us to remember to stay vigilant and check before we process the order.
Assuming in project planning is just as costly
The worst part about the Sticker Mule fiasco is I recommended other people try it out.
Anyone who listened to me blindly will also be caught off guard. That is why you need to check the details every single time. As you plan out your future and build out your projects you need to think long term. My online purchases were a small example of a misplay. Imagine you had signed a 12 month deal with a website building company only to find out a key feature you need is an upsell.
Your project may go dead on arrival right quick over avoidable budget concerns.
Part of the art of project management is to sleuth around online and figure out the best path forward. You need to create checklists that represent your needs in full and find partners that fulfil your wishes at the lowest price points possible.
Getting approval will be largely based on trust.
When you can convince a decision maker that your plan is touching grass you’ll get the go ahead. You can’t really afford to make careless mistakes over not reading the fine print. Don’t let yourself get too excited and jump at the first thing you see. Take your time and systemically find the best option. Always take the time to double check with someone from a prospective company’s team.
Had I taken 5 minutes to verify I would have known the pricing was in USD and that’s why you shouldn’t buy things on impulse when it’s related to your business.
Live Long and Prosper Everyone
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