“Ms. Rachel may not be a household name, but to toddlers, she’s a rockstar. She’s like the Blues Clues of the next generation, with a YouTube channel boasting 10 million subscribers.”
Meet Rachel Accurso, better known as Ms. Rachel to the little ones she serenades with her musical talents. Recently, she decided to use her platform for a worthy cause, setting up a fundraiser for Save the Children’s Emergency Fund. This fund provides aid to children in war-torn areas such as Gaza, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan. Ms. Rachel called her initiative “Messages for Littles to Help Littles,” and the concept was simple – she would sell 500 personalized Cameo videos for $100 each and donate all of the proceeds. The response was overwhelming, and she quickly sold out. However, she soon faced a dilemma – could she fulfill all 500 personalized video requests within the seven-day time frame required by Cameo’s policy?
According to Cameo, if a creator fails to fulfill their video requests within seven days, then the purchaser is refunded with a Cameo credit. For someone like Ms. Rachel, who is both a full-time content creator and a graduate student in early childhood education, this was not enough time to produce 500 personalized videos. This raises the question – is Cameo truly effective for fundraising if even reputable creators struggle to keep up with sudden bursts of requests?
One parent, who reached out to TechCrunch, shared their frustration after being refunded with a Cameo credit instead of their intended donation to charity. This was especially disheartening since they had only purchased the Cameo under the assumption that the money would go towards a good cause.
However, Cameo explains that, due to Apple’s policies, any in-app purchases made on an Apple device can only be refunded as a credit. “Recently, we have encountered an unprecedented demand for Ms. Rachel’s Cameo requests, which led to some concerns regarding bookings made through our app,” stated Cameo CEO Steven Galanis in a statement to TechCrunch. “As all purchases made through the iOS app are processed directly by Apple, Cameo does not have access to issue refunds. If you prefer a refund over Cameo credits, you can request it from Apple directly.”
When TechCrunch reached out to Ms. Rachel’s management for comment, they promptly contacted Cameo to resolve the issue. Thankfully, all parents who donated to this fundraiser will receive their personalized videos for their little ones. However, the confusion and frustration caused by the refunding of Cameo credits instead of charitable donations could potentially harm Ms. Rachel’s reputation among her audience.
Cameo’s policy does make sense in some cases, for instance, if a celebrity on the platform is no longer active and a purchaser never receives their video. However, it appears that Cameo was aware of Ms. Rachel’s highly popular fundraiser, as they even posted about it on their website. Often, creator platforms like Patreon, Twitch, or TikTok form direct relationships with their most popular talents, closely monitoring their activity. Considering that Ms. Rachel fully intended to fulfill all of her Cameo requests, it is unclear why Cameo did not grant her additional time to do so instead of automatically refunding buyers.
“In the end, what it comes down to is Cameo was not prepared for the overwhelming demand and Ms. Rachel’s widespread fame,” stated a parent who purchased a Cameo video. “And, let’s not forget – never mess with a parent of a toddler.”
