What started as a fun Instagram promotion for a small brand quickly morphed into a full-blown viral mess, although with a potential happy ending.
If you don’t know what we’re talking about, here’s a quick catch-up. On May 2, Sunny Co., a swimwear brand started by two University of Arizona business students, posted a photo of their Pamela swimsuit in red on the company’s Instagram account. The post promised that any customer who shared the post would be able to purchase the suit (regularly priced at $64.99) for just the cost of shipping and handling. The post went viral, resulting in their Instagram account blowing up from 7000 to over 300K in just 49 hours. Their account is currently at 709 K followers.
And then things started to get out of hand. Some customers had success with the code, but others reported being charged full-price for the suit, not just shipping and handling. The suit quickly sold out, and Internet chaos ensued.
Sunny Co. released an official statement aimed at making things right for their customers. Company co-founder Brady Silverwood said, “My main priority right now is to fulfill all of the orders we have received. I won’t be satisfied until we do so.” The company also promised refunds for anyone who inadvertently paid full price for the Pamela. It doesn’t appear that those refunds will happen automatically. The statement says, “customers can file a claim for a refund.” Be forewarned, though. The website says that if you get a refund, you will not be receiving one of the swimsuits.
Sunny Co.’s press release and their website both say that customers can expect their Pamelas to arrive within three to six weeks. Also, if you reached out to the company directly and haven’t yet heard back, the website asks for your patience. They say they have received over 50,000 messages since the promotion.
So, there’s some good news for all of those Pamela Anderson superfans out there. It might be a little late, but there’s no need to rethink your Baywatch cosplay.
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