- A customer who paid $200 for a faulty cup complained about how the Etsy seller treated her.
- The dispute escalated as both sides posted viral TikToks about each other.
A refund request for a novelty Christmas tumbler spun out of control after going viral on TikTok, leading to accusations of lies, conspiracy theories, and death threats.
Breanna Chaplin, from Houston, Texas, bought a cup in the shape of a Little Debbie Christmas-tree cake for $200 from Tarra Voorhees, who runs an artisan tumbler store on Etsy called Voorhees Tumblers.
When it arrived broken, Chaplin's request for her money back escalated into a furious exchange egged on by millions of viewers who saw it play out on TikTok, where Etsy-related drama often goes viral.
Voorhees conceded to Insider that she was rude and unreasonable in her responses.
Voorhees also said she thinks that Chaplin set her up to become an internet villain and that the vicious responses Voorhees got were out of proportion.
Messages between Chaplin and Voorhees that Voorhees shared with Insider show that things started out civil. Voorhees apologized for the breakage and gave the refund right away.
But after the events became public, Voorhees lashed out at Chaplin, calling her a "horrible human being."
Voorhees acknowledged that she overreacted but told Insider she felt her side of the story wasn't heard.
Things escalated after the situation was made public on TikTok
Chaplin told Insider that when the cup arrived, it had a chunk missing from the back and some cracks on the surface. There was also an issue with the straw hole in the plastic lid: The resin had not been smoothed out, so bits of plastic could get knocked into the cup.
Chaplin requested a refund. Voorhees was apologetic and said she would take the issue up with UPS.
Voorhees then posted a TikTok saying she was upset about the breakage — but the comments started filling up with criticism of her work. "A bunch of them were just attacking me," Voorhees said.
Voorhees went back to Chaplin and mentioned the criticism, the messages seen by Insider showed. Chaplin said she'd sent pictures to others in the crafting community, which may have sparked the comments.
Voorhees then posted several TikToks, which have been deleted. In one, Chaplin's address was visible.
Chaplin said this was what prompted a post of her own, in which she accused Voorhees of doxxing her.
@lookinsharpsubs ♬ original sound - Lookin’ Sharp Sublimations
Chaplin shared photos of the tumbler in her video — which amassed more than a million views — saying it was damaged and did not arrive as advertised. She also complained about Voorhees' language in responding to her.
"I am still frustrated about the situation because $200 is a lot of money," Chaplin told Insider. "I don't expect perfection whatsoever. It's a handmade item, and we are humans, not machines. But it was just really disappointing this entire way that all of this was handled."
After Chaplin posted, other TikTok creators with large followings repeated her claims — including SwearyKim, who has over 350,000 followers, and Anna Reports News, who has over 880,000. Their videos received 1.8 million and 4.7 million views.
The increased visibility upset Voorhees further, she said, and prompted more negative comments.
Voorhees sent Insider several screenshots of messages on her social media calling her a "scammer," a "lunatic," and a "disgusting piece of shit." She also said she received death threats, with one message saying, "I hope your store crashes and burns with you in it."
@annareportsnews LET’S TALK ABOUT TUMBLER DRAMA! #tumbler #tumblers #drama #tea #expose #exposing #theorywithanna #spillthetea #fullstory #vorhees_tumblers #exposed ♬ original sound - Anna Reports News
Private messages show escalating anger
Insider reviewed the private messages between the two as the situation got out of hand. Voorhees asked Insider not to publish them in full.
They began with an apology from Voorhees, who said she was happy to refund the $200. But the exchange turned sour when the following day she accused Chaplin of "spreading lies" about her.
"If the box wasn't damaged how do I know you didn't drop it?" Voorhees said in one message. "This is bullshit and I won't deal with it!"
The exchange continued for the whole day, with Voorhees sending some messages in all capitals with several exclamation points.
"What did I ever do to you!?" one read. "You couldn't just accept the refund!? You have to add more hate on me and my business! It's awful!"
Voorhees told Insider she was being "aggressive" and "mean" because she was upset. Later that day, she sent Chaplin an apology and said she'd let her emotions "get the best" of her.
She said Chaplin's address' appearance in a video was an accident. Chaplin thanked Voorhees for the apology.
But Voorhees said she's still convinced that Chaplin wanted "drama over this cup" and accused the TikTok accounts of piling on and not checking their story.
"Nobody reached out and asked me anything," Voorhees said of the people who covered it on TikTok. "It was just me being attacked the whole time."
Chaplin said she was saddened by the claim that she acted in bad faith.
"I don't know what must have happened at some point in her crafting journey to cause her to feel this way," Chaplin said. "I hate that she does feel that way, but I genuinely wanted that tumbler."