Why is Adam smashing his hand with this hammer? To show you the frustration he feels because the Impact Gel insoles he ordered over three months ago—and which shipped out over a month ago—haven’t arrived yet.

After seeing the first episode of “Pitchmen” on the Discovery channel for a new insoles product, I just had to order. [Link warning: Billy Mays shouts at you when site loads -Ed.] Even though shipping prices were out of the ball park for an item that could have been shipped for under $5, I went ahead and placed an order. $20 for the insoles and another $20 for shipping. Here is a timeline of what happened:

4/19/09: Order Placed

4/21/09: After thinking about the outrageous shipping charge, I canceled my order and received a confirmation of my cancellation.

06/17/09: I got an email saying my card had been charged $39.99. When I responded saying my order was canceled, they said the item was shipped out and would arrive in 7-10 days. They told me they would be happy to refund my money after I sent the item back, minus the outrageous shipping. I figured at this point, I would just keep the insoles.

06/27/09: I inquired about where my item was, and was told it takes 2-3 weeks to receive the item. Very different to the 7-10 days I was originally told.

7/20/09: More than one month has passed and still I have no insoles, and this horrible company has my money.

In the meantime, take our advice for any infomercial products that you simply must have: Wait a few months until they show up in the “As Seen on TV” shelf of your favorite big-box retailer. You’ll pay zero shipping and handling and get instant gratification.

(Photo: lumachrome)

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