REVIEW OF THE PURR SHOP – OR – HOW I LEARNED TO SHOP LOCALLY INSTEAD OF BEING SCAMMED

 by Mel Dawn

Review: 5 out of 10.

Finding a new umbrella to buy can be a challenge at the best of times. I received one in my FabFitFun box last spring. It was only a month before it broke. I then purchased one from Home Depot. It’s small and compact, which is great, if I can find that trigger point to get it to stay up. So, let’s say I was super-happy when I saw a purple cat umbrella online at The Purr Shop. 

Initially, I saw The Purr Shop advertised on Facebook. But since there are so many scammers out there, I proceeded with caution. I only found 2 Better Business Bureau complaints. Not bad, considering that FabFitFun has over 2000. I even discovered that they’re located in the USA (or so I thought!)

So, I went ahead and ordered my new umbrella, along with some other goodies. The other goodies were great, by the way. 

The umbrella, not so much. 

I ordered a Purple Cat Umbrella, but not only did I not receive the correct colour, I received some sort of terrible cheap knockoff umbrella. 

Please refer to the photo above from their site. The brand I received is not even right. In the photo online, the purple umbrella says "Rechap" for the brand and has a silver inside, and mauve outside. The one I received says "Like Rain". I can see a blue umbrella on the site but the one I received looks nothing like that and even the sleeve isn't tagged.

As you can see from the photo, I didn't receive the correct item at all.

Normally I'd be fine with a blue cat umbrella, but not only is this not the brand as advertised on the site, but it's some cheap knockoff. The umbrella is made from some sort of cheap garbage bag plastic that I can poke my fingers through.

Also, the plastic totally smells really really bad. I've placed it outside. I'm sure that it wouldn't pass any North American guidelines for plastics manufacturing. I've never even smelled anything this bad.

I ended up putting the umbrella outside for a week. Then I contacted The Purr Shop. No response, but not a surprise considering their BBB reviews. I discovered that both their addresses listed online are actually for UPS Stores. So, this is a company located in China that has faux USA addresses. Sad. 

I took it to Paypal to dispute the cost. After all, why should I pay for junk? They ruled 50/50. So, in order for me to get a refund, I must return it. Since it cost me about $30 CAD, and would cost me $20 CAD to send back, I decided to just keep it.

Fortunately, the plastic smell has greatly dissipated. 

Let’s hope I can get a few years’ usage out of it and hope it doesn't break.

Lesson learned – Shop local from meow on!

PS: Check out my cat care book here: getbook.at/ameowzon 

Flash Fiction: The Key to Time

The Key to Time

by Mel Dawn

Jane was going through the junk in the attic of the new house they had just bought. The former owners had never tossed anything out. Annoyed, she grabbed stuff and tossed it into a garbage bag. 

She grabbed another book off the shelf. Something dropped to the floor by her feet. It was a set of ancient brass keys. 

She briefly wondered what they could be for, but remembered there was an old desk here.

Now, she could see what was inside. The third key worked.

The drawer opened. Inside were several photographs, letters, and a small jewel box. When she touched a girl’s ring, the ghost of a little girl popped out of the box. 

Jane smiled at the image. 

“Hey, Jane, are you done up here yet?”

“Just a minute.”

“Do you have the garbage?”

“No, I want to have a better look.”

“I thought you said it was junk.”

“I think we can donate some to the Museum. These things belonged to a family and were very important to them. I’d feel bad just tossing it all out.”

“Works for me,” said her husband.