Ms. Rachel isn’t a household name, but when you spend a lot of time with toddlers, she might as well be a rock star. She’s like Steve from Blues Clues for the next generation – instead of a TV show, she has a YouTube channel with 10 million subscribers.
Ms. Rachel – a music teacher named Rachel Accurso – decided to use her platform for good causes. She started a fundraiser for Save the Children’s emergency fund, which supports children in Gaza, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and other conflict-ridden areas. She called the initiative “Messages for Littles to Help Littles” and the idea was simple: She would sell 500 Cameo videos for $100 a piece and then donate all the proceeds. She quickly sold out and put the requests on hold while she worked through the backlog of 500 personalized videos.
But if a creator on Cameo doesn’t fulfill their video requests within seven days, the person who purchased the video gets a refund. And for a full-time content creator and PhD student in early childhood education, that’s not a lot of time to shoot 500 personalized videos. If serious creators like Ms. Rachel don’t have time to fulfill a sudden surge in requests, is Cameo even an effective fundraising platform?
One parent who contacted TechCrunch reported that they were refunded their money in the form of a credit toward the Cameo computer. This was especially frustrating because they only purchased the Cameo computer because they thought the money would go to charity.
However, Cameo states that due to Apple’s policies, any purchases made as in-app purchases on an Apple device can only be refunded as a credit.
“Recently, we’ve seen unprecedented demand for Ms. Rachel’s Cameo requests, which has raised some concerns about bookings made through our app,” Cameo CEO Steven Galanis said in a statement to TechCrunch. “Because all purchases made through the iOS app are processed directly by Apple, Cameo has no ability to issue refunds. If you prefer a refund over Cameo credit, you can request one directly from Apple.”
When TechCrunch reached out to Ms. Rachel’s management for comment, they contacted Cameo to clarify the situation. As a result of this intervention, all parents who donated to this fundraiser should receive these personalized videos for their children. But although Ms. Rachel and her team were unaware of Cameo’s seven-day turnaround policy, the confusion could damage the reputations of parents who were frustrated at receiving Cameo credits instead of confirmation of their charitable donations.
Cameo’s policy makes sense in some cases – if a celebrity is inactive on Cameo and someone pays for a video they never receive, they should be compensated. However, Cameo was aware of Ms. Rachel’s extremely popular fundraiser because Cameo had posted about it on X. Often, creator platforms like Patreon, Twitch, or TikTok maintain direct relationships with their most popular talent and keep a closer eye on these high-priority users. Given that Ms. Rachel intended to fulfill her Cameo requests, it’s unclear why Cameo didn’t give her extra time to do so in the first place, rather than refunding buyers.
“Bottom line? Cameo wasn’t prepared for the demand and Rachel’s fame,” one parent who purchased a Cameo told TechCrunch. “And don’t kid parents of young children.”