When the Deal is Too Good to be True…

On a once burgundy chair that turned grey-brown, on a Friday evening, two girls sat, ready to get down to the details of what’s about to be a juicy money story. The room is pretty busy with the rest of the team trying to close off their work for the week. A little discussion here and there, a little typing furiously here and there.

"Hi Virginia, I'm so glad to be here. My money stories are actually very interesting. But we're going to keep it short and sweet. So I have two money stories that relatively happened around the same way. "

" It's funny right now cause I was able to get over it. It's actually being conned in this Nairobi, like who hasn't,?kama hujaibiwa hii Nairobi?(soft laugh)."

" I had gotten my first job and I decided I'd get myself a cute fancy bag, one for me and one for my mum. So I went to this online store on Instagram. I still didn't know the nitty-gritty of how I'd determine if an Instagram shop was legit. They had a pickup point though and they did claim to do deliveries. I was a bit excited, my first salary was buying myself and my mother something."

“But the problem is that the prices of the bags we’re too good to be true. Like why was it too cheap? In my head it didn’t click like if the deal is too good to be true, I should pause and think about it, I should like mmmh, it’s Nairobi?bana."

" Yeah, so a girl called them. Yeah, I said I want to do this, I want this and this. They said yes, delivery, yes, you'll get it tomorrow, perfect. Then kenye ilikuwa inanistrike ni walikuwa wananiharakisha nilipe, like yeah tuma tuma. I asked how the bags will be delivered and they said that our pickup point has a ka-issue so our delivery guy will meet you at the archives. I'm like archives? But anyway I've already sent my money."

"So next time I called and asked them where they were. No one has called me and they’re like we’re calling you shortly, we’re calling you shortly.?Kidogo kidogo, that number is not going through.?Kidogo kidogo?Instagram?nimeblockiwa?I can’t even see that page. Then I’m like wow. But now to my amazement, it’s been like two years, three years I think. I can’t even remember how much I spent. But since it was my?kidogo?first salary in Nairobi, wuehh?ilikuwa?hard on me."

"Since that day,?mimi?if a shop doesn't have a physical location bye-bye.?Ata kama nyinyi ni legit aje,?but nowadays I kinda just save with Chumz. Once I achieve my goal, I withdraw, identify a legit shop, and buy and get my goodies. I'm so proud of myself. But that?kacharacter?development is etched in my head to date. "

You're one of the guys that used to use big words in their composition, ( soft laugh) ati etched.

"I'm a luo, what are you saying, what are you saying? English is our first language?banaa. I have to represent my people (soft laugh). "

" My second experience being scammed happened about last year. A girl boss was moving out, I was so excited. I had saved my?tuchumz?here and there. She was about to get a couch to make herself feel comfortable. So a girl is happy to go to the?fundi?and since ni?maisha ya kuhustle, you're looking for the best deal in town and word has it on the street that fundis in places like Dandora, Huruma and Githurai are affordable. "

" I’m a Pinterest babe, I went and downloaded what I wanted, I wanted something unique. Looking back I wish I had just bought the ready-made stuff, but being a Pinterest girly I wanted the most unique furniture in the world. So I went down to Dandora, to a fundi I had worked with before. So I didn’t suspect?anaweza niosha, but woe unto me. "

" I sent him the pictures and he told me that he could make that for me and I was like perfect. His previous work with me was pretty neat, I couldn't complain. The deal was good, it saved me a whole Ksh 7000 and even if I included transport it would still be a good amount that I had saved. I made the payment and he told me to pick it up the following week. I got an emergency the following week and wasn't able to go and pick it up. But I went later on and he hadn't made the couch yet. "

"Then he started taking me around in circles.?Mara?he’s like I’m bringing it to you with a pickup. Then all of a sudden the pickup broke down and he wasn’t able to deliver it. He promises to deliver it the next day. I had been so busy with work that I didn’t have the time to go and look at the couch or see its pictures. But since a girl babe is trusting, this has been my?fundi?for a while, I just trusted him.?Oh nimeweka kwa pickup nakuja hapo tu sai. He didn’t show up."

" The next day I said I’m not going to go to work, I’m going to wait for him. Do you know that the guy said?tumetoka tunakuja alafu ati wamepata accident and thus kiti imeraruka?so he has to go repair it. But then again he came to my place, I showed him where it was, where he’ll deliver the chair and told him I’ll leave someone to receive it. "

"Since that day I’ve never seen the?fundi?again, so I went to his shop several times. I was told by his fellow?fundis?that he has had several family issues, sickness, and someone in his family is in the hospital. It was really sensitive stuff that as a human being I felt sorry for him, but then again that shouldn’t have been a reason for him to take my money and not deliver my couch. "

" It hurt me so much that I even went as far as going to the police station. By the time the authorities were getting to him he’d already gone upcountry. And that’s how I lost my?kidogo?money."

" These days I just save up, go to the shop, buy what I can see with my own eyes and carry it home. A girl must flex once in a while, (soft laugh).”

“And that brings us to the end of our interview, thank you so much Annette for being kind enough to share your money story with us,” I tell her as I conclude the interview.

“Anytime?girl,?anytime.”

If you would like to share your own money story, please reach out to us via email at [email protected] or via WhatsApp at 0740323941