The ‘What I Wanted Vs. What I Got’ Trend Has People Sharing Funny Stories Of Frustration
Expectations are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s fun to imagine all the wonderful scenarios that might play out in real life. On the other hand, if your expectations are a tad on the unrealistic side, they can completely wreck your emotional state when you step down from your daydreams and come face to face with reality.
But what about fairly realistic expectations? Surely, if somebody advertises a product or a service, the customer can expect to get exactly what they pay for… right? Spoiler alert: oh, dear Lord, no! TikTok users have been uploading videos showing the huge differences between what they (un)realistically wanted and what they got. From clothes to dog haircuts and more.
People have been adding TikTok user Keelyknight aka Madeline’s audio (where she’s crying because of the nails she got) to their own videos, and we’ve collected some of the best ones for you to watch, dear Pandas. Have a look, upvote your fave vids, and be sure to let us know which ones were your favorite, why, and if you’ve ever been in a similar situation yourselves.
@kneelyknightThis was the worst experience I’ve ever had. #nails #help #foryou #foryoupage♬ original sound - Madeline
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When it comes to getting something we totally didn’t want, there are two aspects that you have to consider. The actual quality of the service and managing your own expectations so that you don’t end up being constantly disappointed.
The first aspect is fairly straightforward, even though it might not be easy to get around. If the product or service you’ve received doesn’t meet your standards of quality or what’s been advertised, then you’ve got to ask for a refund. Complain! Often and loudly.
Oh no... it will look better once you bush it out but that ombré is atrocious
Obviously, try to be as diplomatic as you can with your complaints—you’re dealing with other human beings after all. And it’s not always the person who’s registering your complaint who was responsible for what you got. So try not to make their life hell and they’ll be more likely to help you out.
This is stupid. I always had a mirror in front of me and the piercer made a mark with a pen before he pierced my ear, asking me if it was the position I wanted. This could never have happened.
Plus there is no way she wouldn't realize it the first time. Two times? Not buying it.
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As a piercing nut - what piercer worth their salt would mix up an outer helix and a forward helix piercing (it looks like a forward helix from here)? Or wouldn't ask you to double check the positions? This is wrong, this stuff is meant to be double, triple checked for a reason. I'm going to go for "person who shouldn't be near a piercing needle" for the "piercer" involved.
A friend did this, for sure. There's no way a professional did this.
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I’m not sure if I believe this— this just looks like an annoying TikTokker trying to get attention. There is absolutely no way a professional piercer did this. It looks like it was done by a friend who had no idea of basic human anatomy or how to even pierce an ear for that matter.
It has been implied that the comments on the tiktok state that this was not professionally done. I can't check them myself, but I doubt that this is professional.
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But...when you get a piercing done you approve where they dot you with a pen before they pierce you. That is if you go to a legitimate piercer.
There's no way a professional piercer would mix the two different types of piercings up, they'd have also checked before using the needle (or gun if that's the way they worked). When I had my helix done, it was marked in pen first and I had to verify I was happy with the location.
Any piercer that uses a piercing gun is not a professional piercer
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um- I call BS mainly because you can just put the earrings in the other way... They're just in her ears backwards.
No, if they put the earrings in the other way round the fastening would sit on top of the ear, it's supposed to be behind it.
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Take them out ASAP and let the holes grow shut - try again with a different Piercer
Was he high?! S**t that’s like, way tf off! How do you f**k this up?!
In all fairness,your ears are not the right shape at the top to make it work. You'd have had to wear massive earrings to see you had piercings there. Next time take that into account. That said,the piercer should have told you that.
Someone just put the earrings in backwards. If they're put in the front holes, their exactly how they should be!
I wonder if this was done in a piercing studio with actual clamps and needles and body jewelry, or if the "piercer" is a Claire's employee not trained in Jack s**t, using a piercing gun that cannot be completely sterilized between people, and can shatter cartilage. #BanPiercingGuns
by the way it looks i'd assume it was also done with a gun.... it wouldn't swell this much if it was done with a needle would it..
Did he put on a blindfold before he put the studs in? That looks painful af!
Could ya not just turn them around so the sparkling bits are on the inside of the ear........
How did you think you were going to pull off those earring placements with your earlobes?!?!? They're way too thick is that spot for what you wanted.
How could you not know where he was piercing on the first one? Didn't you feel it? Didn't he show you or didn't you demand to see the first one? I feel like this is both of your faults.
Come on. She KNEW where those studs were being put! This is b.s. You don't end up with TWO in the wrong area, no effing way. And besides, they look like they've been there a really long time. Anyhow, that area of the ear hurts a hell of a lot less than piercing through cartilage, like they did in the 'want' photo. Consider herself lucky, I say.
There is no way she did not feel that being done in the wrong place. Those are off by over a centimetre and the ears are packed with nerves so she would have felt that was not the right place.
Wait, what? 1. couldn't you TELL he was piercing the wrong place? (definitely NOT blaming the victim here) and 2 was he BLIND?!?
How does someone even make that mistake!? I once peirced my second ear holes one evening with a needle after I had too much wine; and it came out much better than that.
The piercer should have told her: your ears are not suitable for this. I have those piercings.
Her ears are suitable if the piercer had placed them in the correct spot. The piercing she is looking for is a flat helix, they are not placed at the top of the ear. She has the anatomy for a correctly placed flat helix.
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the ear sharply is really different, otherwise just switch direction after it heals some
Well the studs are just on the wrong side no? Reverse them. Earring are movable last I saw. Also those ears were never meant to pull this off. Poor girls gotta damn awning on the top of her ears.
No. They are too far forward and placed at the top of the ear. The piercing she wanted is placed further back. Her ears are a perfectly fine shape for a helix piercing in the correct place.
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Okay... After the first one wouldn't you have noticed the needle did not go where it was supposed to go? I would think you would feel this and want to look in a mirror before the second one.
They are in the wrong place entirely, ther is nothing that can fix it except taking these out and having them done correctly by someone who actually knows what thy are doing.
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Then you still have incorrectly placed piercings done badly but you put the jewellery upside down.
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I have not been to a piercer who doesn't ask me to double-check the location he/she marked in the mirror before the actual piercing. Just saying. I have even asked a piercer to mark out a few positions higher/lower before I make up my mind. I find this hard to believe.
This is why a lot of people think it's not professionally done.
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Technically she doesn't have the ears for that. She would have to do them lower, and yes I would definitely A) not pay and B) may be going to court for that one or at the very least letting them close and then making them pay another piercer to do it correctly. My question is how this happened though because EVERY piercing I have ever gotten they mark it first and you have to approve.
She does, the piercing she was given is in the wrong place - the "lower" position is the correct placement for the piercing she wanted.
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I had a cartilage piercing get infected once. I went to a different piercer after that - I've found the ones in tattoo shops really know what they're doing.
I've just realised, those aren't even the kinds of earrings a piercer would use.
OK but a piercer should make dots where they plan to pierce and have the client check before doing anything permanent. If a piercer immediately goes for the equipment, that's a huge red flag.
Well, at least she can take the earrings out so the holes will close and then go somewhere else
Did you not notice that they were piercing the wrong side. Did you not say something. An idiot you are.
If your ears don't look like the example, don't expect the same result.. also.. if you turn the earrings the other way around, you get a similar placement. But your ear is different so it will not look so "cutesy" - more hidden in the fold
The example picture is a flat helix, it's further down the ear than hers, not placed correctly at all.
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That piercer should be sacked, how did he become a piercer in the first place. First they are in the wrong spot and second reputable piercers wouldn't do both at the same time.
Keyword there is reputable, in the original post the girl admits she went to a sketchy tattoo shop for the piercing.
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If a company has a genuine customer-first policy in play, they’ll take serious complaints, well, seriously. They’ll hear you out, offer you support, follow up on your complaint, and do whatever they can to make up for their mistake. But we all know that far from every company is willing to be so friendly and instead has a “profit comes first, collateral damage is all right” kind of mentality.
Consider seeking legal aid if the product was especially expensive or if you, your loved ones, or your pets suffered because of what happened. If somebody’s blatantly advertising something that’s clearly false as a way to make a quick buck, then you’ve got to do your part in putting an end to it.
However, there’s that pesky second aspect when it comes to not getting what we wanted. And that all comes down to our expectations. Sometimes, what we want is so perfect, requires so much skill and craftsmanship, that not everyone can fulfill our orders. In those cases, what we envision and what the local craftspeople can provide simply don’t sync up. Or, to put it more bluntly, you get what you pay for.
I can’t even fathom the thought process in thinking these were remotely similar. How to people get away with this?
Don’t expect your nails to look like a model’s when you’re getting them done at a discount store at your local mall. Similarly, you can’t expect a newbie dog groomer to get the same results as a grandmaster with decades of experience: they’ll do their best but you simply can’t expect them to perform according to your imaginary expectations.
In life, it’s best to do your very best to get the result that you want and then relinquish any and all expectations. You did your best. Well done! Now sit back and don’t fret, find something else to do. If you get what you want, fantastic. If not, no big deal—you’ll try again later. Maybe with a different tactic in mind.
Having low expectations is a healthy mindset, similar to the one where you’re encouraged to do good things for people without expecting anything in return. Life has a pleasant way of surprising us when we’re not desperate, needy, and whiny.
PsychCentral explains that the first step in relinquishing unrealistic expectations is being able to spot them. Of course, that’s easier said than done because we may have had certain expectations for years and years. And a lot of it’s connected to our desire to maintain control over everything.
Some examples of completely unrealistic expectations include the beliefs that everyone should like you and that the world should be fair. We simply can’t have that kind of control over the world (well, unless we’re a superhero, the Emperor of the Universe, or a member of the Greek Pantheon).
All you would have to do to get that sort of hair is go to sleep and wake up
Similarly, if we’re constantly disappointed by results and not having our expectations met every step of the way, well, maybe it’s time to analyze them in detail. Spend the weekend looking at your belief structures.
Note: this post originally had 40 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Give yourself permission to not have everything go perfectly. Embrace flexibility. That doesn’t mean giving up your high standards (quality is good stuff, people), but you have to be relatively down to earth. Otherwise, you’ll spend the rest of your life making wanted vs. got TikTok videos.
Let this be a testament to all: You get what you pay for. I'm a cheap-ass on most things but I work in a design-centric industry... If you want wedding invites, cake, beauty services, business cards, flowers, costuming, basically ANYTHING that is arts-adjacent, SPEND THE MONEY if you have high standards, people. Support the folks who have spent their money and energy to perfect their craft. If ya can't afford a pro cake, a messed up monster cake is adorable and very much expresses your love without the price tag.
THIS. You can't buy a $30 cake and expect it to look like the $200 designer cake you saw on instagram. You can't pay your hairdresser $50 and expect the $200 celebrity colour job.
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That is why there is the saying “You get what you pay for”. If you want it cheap, it’s going to look cheap. Why do people keep ordering clothes from Wish? 😂
Why did they eve'the bother trying? Most of it was to be expected... especially the face masks.
I never cease to be amazed by how people are surprised about shitty results when they find the cheapest dodgiest way of doing things hahaha
I always pay attention to the person I'm speaking to with any requests to see if they look like they understand or if they're looking mildly panicked. It's important to understand the limitations your stylist/baker/nail technician etc has, especially when it's involving crafts that rely on skill. Not everyone is an expert on every possible option within their trade (although it would help if people admitted that to their clients before they commit some of these atrocities)
The masks are just fools being separated from their money. If you don’t have the underlying structure, a flat mask is not going to look like a CARTOON character’s face when you drape it on your face!
This happens (at least the tattoo, piercing, hair and nail stuff) if every Tom, D**k and Harry can just go and open a shop. If people would get proper education and training in their crafts, this would not happen.
But if you visit someone with proper education and training you must pay 3 times what Thomas, Richard and Harry charge.
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A lot of companies - especially oversees companies that make it hard to get a refund - will use a beautiful photo of a professionally made dress then send what's essentially a sack. Fast fashion is a ripoff in so many ways.
If someone shows you a picture of the hair style you want or the nails or cake, etc, and you don't think you are capable of delivering that, then speak up. It's a waste of time and money.
I don't get this nail fails. Like after 1 nail it is visible what the quality is. Stop doing the other 9 nails and get the hell out of there
Why do people let things continue being done when u see they're making a mess, hair, nails?
I'm going to complain for a moment here. Under the one about the bad spray tan, I said "It looks like they made her up in blackface. She should sue." I keep getting downvoted for it either by ignorant people who don't know what blackface is, or by white supremacists who object to me condemning blackface. It's pissing me off, fellow Pandas. Thank you. I'm still furious, but at least I can vent.
You are looking for a fight with those woke comments, BP isn't the place for that. Stop bringing in racism in a discussion that doesn't call for it and you don't get down voted so much
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"if you think hiring a professional is expensive, try hiring an amateur and see what happens". Also, people who buy clothes on Aliexpress, Wish, Shein and similar should know by now the stuff is NEVER like what you see in the pictures.
My mom has cute leggings from Aliexpress sale. I also saw many people get beautiful clothes for their children from there. It's not 100% bad, sometimes people want to take the risk.
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Hey, if you need something to buy online you should go to the main product website. For example you need a cup Yeti and you found a cheap one on Amazon just go to Yeti.com so you can have the real product and the warranty. It is win win. Anyway, that is how it works for me. I hate this overpriced sites like Amazon or Ebay. Good luck!
Yeah it doesn’t seem like any of these things were ordered from the original designer. Something doesn’t sit right about that with me, as an artist.
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About the shaved dogs, coming from a dog groomer: There's a lot of issues with the "wanted" photos of the dogs. There was one where the wanted picture was of a puppy with a puppy coat, while the dog was an adult. The groomer should have discussed this with the client and tried for more reasonable expectations. Also, it looks like they were all shaved down. This is most likely due to MATTING. You don't see any of the before pictures, and if your dog is matted IT WILL BE SHAVED DOWN, no matter what. Take care of your dog's coats, and you should be able to have a better groom.
I see a lot of hair saloon disasters. It won't be easy to get exactly the style you've seen on the picture. You won't have the same hair type and the hair dresser. Consult with your stylist and choose what will look good. Don't just follow the trend. Also, don't be stingy and research before you go to a saloon.
People still think they are going to get something awesome by buying cheap, knockoff crap from China... when 99 percent of the time, that simply isn't going to happen.
My whole renovation could be on here. Only the guy who painted our walls delivered what was expected
Oh, I am sorry that happened to you. That's worse than most things here. Hope you didn't have to pay for work that was sub-standard. That can be worth going to court over as it is usually much larger sums of money.
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Y'all just pay for a pro, what do you expect, stop bashing the hairdresser/ cake maker/nail artists if they aren't trained to do it how the f you expect them to manage those XD
It's what happens when you try to copy others instead of doing something original.
I wanted to see how many times the word sue came up. I was pleasantly surprised that I only saw it once.
Some people get clothes that are way to small for them then complain? It's not the stores fault it's theirs. And about the others, you get what you pay for. Most of these cost like 10$ when the pictures they wanted cost about 100$.
Why is "I ordered the same size as the model " supposed to fit when they aren't even close to the size of the model?
I don't understand how your nails can turn out so bad. You sit right there. The nails are right in front of your eyes... If you don't speak up when the nail lady does the first nail too short, you can't be surprised about the result...
The pic of the nails at the top isn’t even that bad! It’s the same thing they asked for. Maybe a shade darker, but pretty much the same.
I don't understand how you let someone continue a bad job on your finger nails. You are right there, you can see the colors, the length of the nails etc. Tell them to stop. The other problems may just be that the people are asking for things, say the cakes or the hair styles, that the designers have never done or can't do. Unless they are advertising it as something they do.... Of course they should say, I'm sorry I can't make this cake. Or I'm sorry your hair isn't going to take the dye like this etc. The idea that "you get what you pay for" isn't the issue here. We don't know what people were doing other than asking to have something done that looked like what was in a picture.
A lot of people seemed to just be ordering the wrong size. Makes me think maybe they ordered the wrong size so they could get attention for expectation vs. reality...
Let this be a testament to all: You get what you pay for. I'm a cheap-ass on most things but I work in a design-centric industry... If you want wedding invites, cake, beauty services, business cards, flowers, costuming, basically ANYTHING that is arts-adjacent, SPEND THE MONEY if you have high standards, people. Support the folks who have spent their money and energy to perfect their craft. If ya can't afford a pro cake, a messed up monster cake is adorable and very much expresses your love without the price tag.
THIS. You can't buy a $30 cake and expect it to look like the $200 designer cake you saw on instagram. You can't pay your hairdresser $50 and expect the $200 celebrity colour job.
Load More Replies... That is why there is the saying “You get what you pay for”. If you want it cheap, it’s going to look cheap. Why do people keep ordering clothes from Wish? 😂
Why did they eve'the bother trying? Most of it was to be expected... especially the face masks.
I never cease to be amazed by how people are surprised about shitty results when they find the cheapest dodgiest way of doing things hahaha
I always pay attention to the person I'm speaking to with any requests to see if they look like they understand or if they're looking mildly panicked. It's important to understand the limitations your stylist/baker/nail technician etc has, especially when it's involving crafts that rely on skill. Not everyone is an expert on every possible option within their trade (although it would help if people admitted that to their clients before they commit some of these atrocities)
The masks are just fools being separated from their money. If you don’t have the underlying structure, a flat mask is not going to look like a CARTOON character’s face when you drape it on your face!
This happens (at least the tattoo, piercing, hair and nail stuff) if every Tom, D**k and Harry can just go and open a shop. If people would get proper education and training in their crafts, this would not happen.
But if you visit someone with proper education and training you must pay 3 times what Thomas, Richard and Harry charge.
Load More Replies... A lot of companies - especially oversees companies that make it hard to get a refund - will use a beautiful photo of a professionally made dress then send what's essentially a sack. Fast fashion is a ripoff in so many ways.
If someone shows you a picture of the hair style you want or the nails or cake, etc, and you don't think you are capable of delivering that, then speak up. It's a waste of time and money.
I don't get this nail fails. Like after 1 nail it is visible what the quality is. Stop doing the other 9 nails and get the hell out of there
Why do people let things continue being done when u see they're making a mess, hair, nails?
I'm going to complain for a moment here. Under the one about the bad spray tan, I said "It looks like they made her up in blackface. She should sue." I keep getting downvoted for it either by ignorant people who don't know what blackface is, or by white supremacists who object to me condemning blackface. It's pissing me off, fellow Pandas. Thank you. I'm still furious, but at least I can vent.
You are looking for a fight with those woke comments, BP isn't the place for that. Stop bringing in racism in a discussion that doesn't call for it and you don't get down voted so much
Load More Replies... "if you think hiring a professional is expensive, try hiring an amateur and see what happens". Also, people who buy clothes on Aliexpress, Wish, Shein and similar should know by now the stuff is NEVER like what you see in the pictures.
My mom has cute leggings from Aliexpress sale. I also saw many people get beautiful clothes for their children from there. It's not 100% bad, sometimes people want to take the risk.
Load More Replies... Hey, if you need something to buy online you should go to the main product website. For example you need a cup Yeti and you found a cheap one on Amazon just go to Yeti.com so you can have the real product and the warranty. It is win win. Anyway, that is how it works for me. I hate this overpriced sites like Amazon or Ebay. Good luck!
Yeah it doesn’t seem like any of these things were ordered from the original designer. Something doesn’t sit right about that with me, as an artist.
Load More Replies... About the shaved dogs, coming from a dog groomer: There's a lot of issues with the "wanted" photos of the dogs. There was one where the wanted picture was of a puppy with a puppy coat, while the dog was an adult. The groomer should have discussed this with the client and tried for more reasonable expectations. Also, it looks like they were all shaved down. This is most likely due to MATTING. You don't see any of the before pictures, and if your dog is matted IT WILL BE SHAVED DOWN, no matter what. Take care of your dog's coats, and you should be able to have a better groom.
I see a lot of hair saloon disasters. It won't be easy to get exactly the style you've seen on the picture. You won't have the same hair type and the hair dresser. Consult with your stylist and choose what will look good. Don't just follow the trend. Also, don't be stingy and research before you go to a saloon.
People still think they are going to get something awesome by buying cheap, knockoff crap from China... when 99 percent of the time, that simply isn't going to happen.
My whole renovation could be on here. Only the guy who painted our walls delivered what was expected
Oh, I am sorry that happened to you. That's worse than most things here. Hope you didn't have to pay for work that was sub-standard. That can be worth going to court over as it is usually much larger sums of money.
Load More Replies... Y'all just pay for a pro, what do you expect, stop bashing the hairdresser/ cake maker/nail artists if they aren't trained to do it how the f you expect them to manage those XD
It's what happens when you try to copy others instead of doing something original.
I wanted to see how many times the word sue came up. I was pleasantly surprised that I only saw it once.
Some people get clothes that are way to small for them then complain? It's not the stores fault it's theirs. And about the others, you get what you pay for. Most of these cost like 10$ when the pictures they wanted cost about 100$.
Why is "I ordered the same size as the model " supposed to fit when they aren't even close to the size of the model?
I don't understand how your nails can turn out so bad. You sit right there. The nails are right in front of your eyes... If you don't speak up when the nail lady does the first nail too short, you can't be surprised about the result...
The pic of the nails at the top isn’t even that bad! It’s the same thing they asked for. Maybe a shade darker, but pretty much the same.
I don't understand how you let someone continue a bad job on your finger nails. You are right there, you can see the colors, the length of the nails etc. Tell them to stop. The other problems may just be that the people are asking for things, say the cakes or the hair styles, that the designers have never done or can't do. Unless they are advertising it as something they do.... Of course they should say, I'm sorry I can't make this cake. Or I'm sorry your hair isn't going to take the dye like this etc. The idea that "you get what you pay for" isn't the issue here. We don't know what people were doing other than asking to have something done that looked like what was in a picture.
A lot of people seemed to just be ordering the wrong size. Makes me think maybe they ordered the wrong size so they could get attention for expectation vs. reality...
