An 8-year-old boy accidentally orders 70,000 Dum Dums lollipops on his mom’s phone, resulting in a $4,200 charge.
An 8-year-old boy from Kentucky surprised his mother when he accidentally placed a huge order online.
The order cost over $4,000 and included tens of thousands of lollipops.
8-year-old boy causes his mom $4,200 loss after accidentally ordering 70,000 lollipops on her phone
Holly LaFavers, a single mom, was shocked when she saw a $4,200 charge on her bank account.
After she had just been paid, she noticed her account was negative and quickly checked her Amazon account.
“I had just gotten paid, and so when I looked at my bank account and it was in the red, I just immediately panicked,” she told Good Morning America.
“I looked to see what was causing that, and I saw the $4,200 charge to Amazon. And so immediately looked over at Amazon [to] see what had happened.”
Boy wanted Carnival prizes for his friends
LaFavers’ son, Liam, made the purchase. He has fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), a condition that can cause learning and behavior problems.
Liam was adopted by LaFavers when he was just 2½ years old.
She said Liam wanted to have a carnival for his friends and use the Dum Dums lollipops as prizes.
“He was being friendly and kind to his friends,” she explained.
Liam is allowed to use his mom’s phone as a reward. He often plays with it and browses Amazon, but he knows he isn’t allowed to buy anything.
LaFavers said this had never happened before. “He just likes to window shop,” she said.
Amazon tries to help fix the problem
After calling Amazon, LaFavers was told to reject the delivery to get a refund. However, 22 boxes of lollipops still showed up at her door.
Liam got excited and shouted, “My suckers are here!” when he saw the boxes.
Later that day, 8 more boxes arrived. This time, LaFavers waited outside and refused to accept them. But she still felt overwhelmed.
“It was probably around dinner time, Sunday evening, I just kind of, for lack of better words, gave up and decided I was gonna have to ask for help,” she said after expressing her frustration to Amazon.
Feeling stuck, LaFavers asked for help on Facebook. Her friends and people in the community responded right away. Some offered to buy boxes of lollipops.
Local banks and doctors’ offices also helped by purchasing them.
LaFavers later posted an update on Facebook. She shared that Amazon had fully refunded her money.
“THANK YOU to everyone that offered to buy a box to help us. I will be happy to get you what you “ordered” or donate them to a charity of your choice. Please dm me your preference.”
The mother decided to donate lollipops to school and church
Even after the refund, LaFavers decided to share the lollipops.
She donated a box to her church and plans to bring another to Liam’s school.
She also said people who offered to help can choose to receive their box or donate it.
Amazon confirmed they refunded the full amount. “We’re glad we could turn a sticky situation into something sweet,” they said in a statement to PEOPLE.
Kirk Vashaw, the CEO of Dum Dums, heard about the story. He praised Liam’s love for the candy.
“We are excited to hear about such an enthusiastic Dum Dums fan,” he said.
Vashaw also joked that the company would be happy to offer Liam a job interview in 10 to 15 years.
Understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
Liam has fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, or FASD. According to the Mayo Clinic, this condition can cause problems with learning, behavior, and physical development.
It happens when a child’s mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy.
Despite this, Liam’s kind heart and excitement show his love for his friends.
His story also shows how a community can come together to turn a problem into something positive.