Ever felt ripped off with a xmas present??

LaineyT · 27/12/14 - 13:37

If no one has noticed but this year was the year of the FROZEN

Frozen this and Frozen that. So in October I bought my grand daughter the Frozen castle from Amazon about £40. I didnt mind the price as it was her big present off me and grand dad.

So it arrives and its a far size box 18" x 12". Wrapped it all up and sent to Santa ;-)

Christmas day comes and she opens her pressys and the Frozen castle came out of the box....what a bloody rip off. The castle is about 12" x 12". You open it and its got a couple of figures in and some really cheap lights in it..

Dont get me wrong she loves it but Im feel disappointed maybe Im getting old

Anyone else get a present that you thought well thats a waste of bloody money lol

That username · 27/12/14 - 14:59

LaineyT wrote: »

If no one has noticed but this year was the year of the FROZEN Frozen this and Frozen that. So in October I bought my grand daughter the Frozen castle from Amazon about £40. I didnt mind the price as it was her big present off me and grand dad.

So it arrives and its a far size box 18" x 12". Wrapped it all up and sent to Santa ;-)

Christmas day comes and she opens her pressys and the Frozen castle came out of the box....what a bloody rip off. The castle is about 12" x 12". You open it and its got a couple of figures in and some really cheap lights in it..

Dont get me wrong she loves it but Im feel disappointed maybe Im getting old

Anyone else get a present that you thought well thats a waste of bloody money lol

And probably made in China for next to nothing.- just to rub it in!.

And yes, maybe not Christmas presents but things like Apple stuff and clothing from the more expensive retailers

James Frederick · 27/12/14 - 15:08

I got my brother the MIP robot this year on the TV it looks quite big when I got it it's just a bit bigger than can of beans

dorydaryl · 27/12/14 - 15:09

After this year, I'm really going to bite the bullet and ask people not to buy me gifts and leave it up to them whether they'd like to make a small donation to charity instead. Likewise, I'm going to put it about in October that I won't be doing gifts next year (for most people). I really appreciate receiving gifts but for me this Christmas has been a huge rip- off in general. My extended family is expanding and I just don't have the time and money to do it any more. I received a few unique and really well thought out surprises but much of what I did receive I will end up donating to tombolas and so on and some of the gifts I bought for others will probably end up the same. It's good that they will be re-used but I just don't feel like I can handle the pressure to keep up with tradition for tradition's sake any more. I've been saying something similar for the last few years now but never had the courage to make the change. Wonder if I'll be brave enough nine months from now!!!! I have done hand-made gifts when I had the time in the past (all my cards were hand-made this year) and they do tend to be appreciated more.

butterworth · 27/12/14 - 15:13

Generally speaking, I prefer 'consumable' gifts rather than crap you have to store somewhere.

However, one of the biggest cons must be baskets of retro sweets and the like. Most of them would represent poor value if they were full, but most are just a few sweets arranged around cotton wool stuffing or similar

lemoncurd · 27/12/14 - 15:16

LaineyT wrote: »

If no one has noticed but this year was the year of the FROZEN Frozen this and Frozen that. So in October I bought my grand daughter the Frozen castle from Amazon about £40. I didnt mind the price as it was her big present off me and grand dad.

So it arrives and its a far size box 18" x 12". Wrapped it all up and sent to Santa ;-)

Christmas day comes and she opens her pressys and the Frozen castle came out of the box....what a bloody rip off. The castle is about 12" x 12"...

Have you considered that it may have melted a little whilst in your living room?
Seems an odd present anyway...a frozen castle?

Frankie_Little · 27/12/14 - 15:16

johnny_t wrote: »

Generally speaking, I prefer 'consumable' gifts rather than crap you have to store somewhere.

However, one of the biggest cons must be baskets of retro sweets and the like. Most of them would represent poor value if they were full, but most are just a few sweets arranged around cotton wool stuffing or similar

Yeah, I bought a family friend a retro sweets hamper - it was the size of a box of Kleenex with about half a dozen packets of sweets arranged on shredded tissue. £35 it cost :mad:

LaineyT · 27/12/14 - 17:15

lemoncurd wrote: »

Have you considered that it may have melted a little whilst in your living room?
Seems an odd present anyway...a frozen castle?

You know what Lemon I never even gave that a thought

But the box wasnt damp !

Theres always one

[Deleted User] · 27/12/14 - 20:17

Not exactly a ripoff, but my sister asked for a DVD of Peter's Friends as she really likes Stephen fry, and we all sat and watched it on Christmas Day.

That is all. Oh, and

.

I mean it has good actors in and everything. How did none of them spot what a godawful film they were making?

annette kurten · 27/12/14 - 20:43

everything disney is dreadful quality at a ridiculous price.

i spent yesterday helping a granddaugter assemble a snow globe kit [disney] that was the shittest thing EVER, daughter will be spending the next three weeks wiping up the leaked, glitter laden water from the "watertight" globe and trying to get the glitter out of the carpet and everywhere else it has spread, including everyone`s hair, clothes and eyes.

[edit: i didn`t buy it.]

LaineyT · 27/12/14 - 20:52

I know what you mean Annette when I was little toys were made and they lasted a lot longer than Boxing Day.

I was really disappointed with the Frozen castle for the price ,and the size when it was out of the box.

That flaming Walts got a lot to answer for lol

gemma-the-husky · 27/12/14 - 21:08

Well i find a lot of food gifts expensive for what they are.

Personally, i object to, say, paying 12 pounds for something thats only worth about 3 or 4 but is packaged for christmas.

I would rather get and give a nice bottle of scotch, say.

Sansa_Snow · 27/12/14 - 21:29

Lego is flipping expensive!

Dix · 27/12/14 - 22:08

annette kurten wrote: »

everything disney is dreadful quality at a ridiculous price.

i spent yesterday helping a granddaugter assemble a snow globe kit [disney] that was the shittest thing EVER, daughter will be spending the next three weeks wiping up the leaked, glitter laden water from the "watertight" globe and trying to get the glitter out of the carpet and everywhere else it has spread, including everyone`s hair, clothes and eyes.

[edit: i didn`t buy it.]

Hope they get their money back asap:)

Toby LaRhone · 27/12/14 - 22:13

I bought my little granddaughter a bag of FROZEN peas.
They were only £1.50

LaineyT · 27/12/14 - 22:20

Toby LaRhone wrote: »

I bought my little granddaughter a bag of FROZEN peas.
They were only £1.50

where from thats about the only Frozen thing my grand daughter didnt get

LaineyT · 27/12/14 - 22:21

Sansa_Snow wrote: »

Lego is flipping expensive!

And hurts like hell when you stand on it without your christmas slippers on

Gordie1 · 27/12/14 - 22:37

Frankie_Little wrote: »

Yeah, I bought a family friend a retro sweets hamper - it was the size of a box of Kleenex with about half a dozen packets of sweets arranged on shredded tissue. £35 it cost :mad:

You could have gone to poundland and made up your own:o

twingle · 27/12/14 - 23:39

Sansa_Snow wrote: »

Lego is flipping expensive!

But worth it as it lasts for ever. My grandchildren are using my children's lego from 30 yrs ago. Of course we have added to it as it isn't all the modern friends stuff

My *why me* present this yr was a Lady gaga perfume and body lotion set

:o I just can't think why they think I would like it . It smells rank and must have been in the bargain bin

Sansa_Snow · 28/12/14 - 00:00

twingle wrote: »

But worth it as it lasts for ever. My grandchildren are using my children's lego from 30 yrs ago. Of course we have added to it as it isn't all the modern friends stuff

My *why me* present this yr was a Lady gaga perfume and body lotion set :o I just can't think why they think I would like it . It smells rank and must have been in the bargain bin

It wasn't expensive back in the day though was it? It seems to be all special sets in the shops when a big box of bricks would much more fun in my opinion, I think my mum has my old Lego somewhere, will have to hunt it out!

talentedmonkey · 28/12/14 - 00:42

A certain relative decided that this year was to be a year of charity, forgetting that charity begins at home. Everyone recieved a card from this person, which stated that £40-£50 had been spent on a enamels African village, my card told me the money would go installing new toilets in a village, somewhere in Africa, did not even state the country.

This person knows I am struggling to make ends meet, so yes, it was rather good of them to send money to the bottomless money pit called Africa, instead of me..

F2kSel · 28/12/14 - 00:44

I remember as a kid some forty odd yeas ago I got a really odd present.

There was a toy car a single piece of track u shaped, 4 plastic logs and a structure in which you placed the vehicle.

The vehicle would drop down inside the structure and pop out at the bottom and knock over the logs it then just stopped, even without the logs the car would stop just an inch or two from the structure

I never knew what the u shaped track section was for.

Totally useless toy.

I wish I could remember the name and see how it was supposed to work.

James Frederick · 28/12/14 - 00:50

F2kSel wrote: »

I remember as a kid some forty odd yeas ago I got a really odd present.

There was a toy car a single piece of track u shaped, 4 plastic logs and a structure in which you placed the vehicle.

The vehicle would drop down inside the structure and pop out at the bottom and knock over the logs it then just stopped, even without the logs the car would stop just an inch or two from the structure

I never knew what the u shaped track section was for.

Totally useless toy.

I wish I could remember the name and see how it was supposed to work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIgpPk4uLg0

I had that

idlewilde · 28/12/14 - 01:00

Sansa_Snow wrote: »

Lego is flipping expensive!

The quality is excellent though, evidenced by comparing the large number of inferior Lego knock-offs there are, like CRE-O, MEGA BLOKS etc

darkisland · 28/12/14 - 01:01

Product Dimensions 83.8 x 14 x 36.8 cm. Stated quite clearly on Amazon's site.

Not sure I'd pay £140 for a bit of injection moulded plastic though.

Fibromite59 · 28/12/14 - 01:29

dorydaryl wrote: »

After this year, I'm really going to bite the bullet and ask people not to buy me gifts and leave it up to them whether they'd like to make a small donation to charity instead. Likewise, I'm going to put it about in October that I won't be doing gifts next year (for most people). I really appreciate receiving gifts but for me this Christmas has been a huge rip- off in general. My extended family is expanding and I just don't have the time and money to do it any more. I received a few unique and really well thought out surprises but much of what I did receive I will end up donating to tombolas and so on and some of the gifts I bought for others will probably end up the same. It's good that they will be re-used but I just don't feel like I can handle the pressure to keep up with tradition for tradition's sake any more. I've been saying something similar for the last few years now but never had the courage to make the change. Wonder if I'll be brave enough nine months from now!!!! I have done hand-made gifts when I had the time in the past (all my cards were hand-made this year) and they do tend to be appreciated more.

I must admit that I feel exactly the same. I had nice presents from my husband and son who had asked me what I would like and so knew I would be pleased to get them. However, just about everyone else bought me things that I will never use and will end up being given to sales and tombolas etc. The worst was three things wrapped up from a friend who works in a charity shop (guess where I think she got the presents from.) One of them was a big clumpy and heavy white photo frame that was worn and scratched all round the edges and had a bit of pen scribble on the side of it, then there was a tiny heart shaped cushion that wasn't very clean. Both have been put into the bin.

I have spent lots of time and money trying to buy what I know people will like, but of course I don't know for sure that they will. I also have to buy for lots of children in the family and don't always get any acknowlegement from them or their parents. When I cut down on a few presents last year, I was yelled and shouted at over the phone by the mother of one of the children and was told that they would never contact me again.

The whole Christmas present thing has become very much out of hand.

Hey there!

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Ever felt ripped off with a xmas present??

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