Sister orders Toronto Raptors gift basket for brother, gets jams, crackers, and pretzels instead

Julie Meisner said the Toronto Raptors gift box she ordered for her brother's birthday didn't arrive quite as advertised. (Supplied)

TORONTO — A woman who ordered a Toronto Raptors gift box for her brother’s birthday is crying foul after the item arrived without any fan merchandise.

Julie Meisner told CTV News Toronto that she purchased the gift box through BroCrates, a company that packages curated gifts that “guys actually want,” according to their website.

She picked the “Ultimate Toronto Raptors Basketball Fan BroCrate” and split the $265.54, including tax, between the members of her family.

The box was supposed to include a novelty Raptors parking sign, pennant flag, and licence plate, as well as a few bottles of Budweiser beer, chocolates, popcorn, pretzels, and chips.

                                                                                                                               (Source: BroCrates.com)

When the package arrived at her brother’s residence earlier this month, Meisner said the accompanying pretzels and crackers were as advertised, but the Raptors merchandise was nowhere to be found.

Meisner then said she contacted BroCrates to address the issue. In response, she said the company told her its policy is to substitute any items they don’t have in stock for something of equal value.

“If it was one item, no problem. If it was strawberry jam and you had to substitute apricot jam, no problem. But if I’m paying $300 for a gift basket for a Raptors fan and there’s no Raptors stuff, I don’t want this basket,” she said.

Meisner said she hoped the company would allow her to pick a different gift basket of equal value but it refused.

Instead, she says BroCrates offered that she could keep the basket at a 40 per cent discount. Alternatively, she said she was told she could send the product back, but must cover the shipping out of pocket, to get a full refund.

“I understand that with the pandemic, everybody’s struggling. But if it’s a Raptors box, I should know that there’s going to be no Raptors stuff,” Meisner said.

CTV News Toronto reached out to BroCrates for comment but has not received a response.