TAMPA, Fla. — Women across the country, from Tampa to Seattle, who thought they were ordering storybook-themed products are taking to social media to say they paid and their orders were never delivered.
Former USF student Ashley Williams vented on TikTok about the nearly $200 she said she lost to an online seller.
“I wasn't just buying from some stranger. I was buying from someone I thought was an established businesswoman,” Williams said.
And Williams isn't alone in her complaints. More than 120 others joined this Facebook group called "Storybook Scam Date Collection." Many members say they paid Erin Maynard for items they never received.
Brandon resident Jessica Ragan said she also shelled over $200 for items she ordered from Maynard in 2021, but the items were no-shows.
Ragan, Williams and others tell ABC Action News Maynard offered them refunds that never came through.
“She would tell us she was sending money. Something was wrong with her account," Ragan said.
Many of Maynard's customers report they ordered on Maynard’s Facebook page using Cash App and PayPal. Facebook’s purchase protection plan doesn’t cover peer-to-peer payment methods such as PayPal, payments in Messenger or Venmo.
So, who is Erin Maynard, and why would people buy products from her?
Maynard and her sisters ran a successful online cosmetics business from about 2016 to 2020 with nearly 400,000 Instagram followers. In 2018 the Omaha World Herald reported the triplet sisters’ business, Storybook Cosmetics, had just struck a deal with the beauty retailer Ulta to carry their products online.
Some of Storybook’s former customers, including Williams and Ragan, say they placed orders with Erin Maynard after she started marketing products on her own.
Some customers who questioned Maynard about their missing items say she responded with what they said were sad stories about not having money to pay the light bill or things for her son.
ABC Action News reached Maynard via Facebook Messenger. She responded in various messages saying.
“…..Due to a variety of extremely personal matters, a group of orders became delayed...I was informed some disgruntled members grew tired of waiting…” Maynard said.
She added, “Ashley is owed nothing from me.”
Maynard lives in Omaha. ABC Action News asked Nebraska’s Attorney General for records of complaints. A spokesperson responded they had records related to our request, but they would not release them. The AG’s office would not confirm or deny an investigation.
The BBB in Omaha also has complaints about Erin Maynardnot delivering products after customers paid and not issuing refunds. The BBB has rated the company as an "F."
This story is a reminder to be careful when ordering online, especially if you are using a peer-to-peer app like PayPal, Cash App, Zelle or Venmo. You may have little recourse if the deal goes south.
