ATASCOCITA – An Atascocita mother says she’s grateful the magic of Christmas wasn’t ruined by a Grinch who never delivered the Elf on The Shelf kits she paid for.
Elise Hendrix said she finally received a refund from the online seller after being ignored for weeks.
Hendrix first spoke to KPRC 2 on Dec. 1 after she said she was out of a $37 deposit she gave a woman in her neighborhood Facebook group who was selling kits to make the Elf on The Shelf experience easier for families. Hendrix said she was surprised to learn hundreds of people across various Houston-area neighborhood had given the woman money too and hadn’t received their orders.
SEE ALSO: Moms accuse woman of stealing money for ‘Elf on The Shelf’ kits
“Initially, it wasn’t about the money. It’s not that it was nothing, but it’s a menial amount of money,” Hendrix said. “It was more so [that] it was a really horrible thing to do to such a substantial amount of people.”
Hendrix shared a screenshot of her exchange with the woman who wrote in part, “I’m trying to rectify the situation. If I really wanted to scam people, I would have just disappeared altogether or asked for all the money upfront.”
Hendrix said the seller also shared several photos which appear to show boxes of kits that were delivered to customers.
Pearland police confirmed to KPRC 2 that four out of eight victims received refunds. The other half were skeptical to share their banking information with the woman, according to police. The case is expected to go before a grand jury.
Houston police are investigating several claims regarding this matter.