It can be frustrating when you buy an item and it does the opposite of what it was advertised to do. After a ‘leak-proof’ Owala water bottle from Target started gushing water onto one woman’s car, she put the water bottle brand on blast. But is it their fault?
In an eight-second clip, Florida-based mother Erica (@noteriica) proves her point by standing in her kitchen with the 30-ounce perwinkle FreeSip Sway Owala culprit in her hand. When she angles the bottle upside down, water pours out from the mouthpiece and the lid onto the counter.
She vents her annoyance in the text overlay, “I bought my daughter this $35 Owala water bottle bc it [says] it is ‘leak proof’ but it completely leaked out all over the seat of my car on the first day of school.”
What did viewers say?
The video amassed 4.7 million views. Many attempted to diagnose the issue.
“That’s not a real owala girl,” one viewer remarked.
“I’ve never had one leak. I think something’s wrong with yours,” a second stated.
“Open the lid, I guarantee you’re missing the rubber seal under the lid (the gray circle). if you contact Owala customer support they should replace the lid. Normal owalas don’t leak,” a third commented.
“Girl don’t blame Owala. That’s user error,” a fourth said.
What was wrong with the Owala?
Initially, the content creator demanded answers from Owala in the caption, “@Owala i have some questions.”
After the criticism, she amended, “Yes this is a ‘real’ owala. It is their new style called the freesip sway. I bought this in store at target. I’ve made an update video that I purchased this item not knowing the rubber seal was taken/tampered with before I purchased it.”
Indeed, Erica does address it.
“OK, everybody keeps telling me that I need to put the rubber seal back on and that’s why it’s leaking,” she says in the update video. “Mine didn’t come with any rubber seal.”
Then, she pulls up green screen photos of the Owala on Target’s website, comparing hers to the one on Target’s website. “Mine is missing the entire piece,” she says, pointing to the black rubber stopper under the light green cap. To prove it, the content creator pulls out her Owala and gestures to the absent piece in her lid.
While at Target, Erica says she observed customers pulling switcheroos with the water bottle lids.
“There were people in the aisle switching lids to the Owalas while I was there,” she says. “I thought I was being careful. I even got an Owala all the way in the back of the shelf and someone did steal my seal. So, I’m gonna go back to Target and get a new Owala.”
A common phenomenon?
Unfortunately, Erica could’ve been a victim of the viral Owala lid-swapping trend. In 2024, it was reported that customers were replacing Owala lids on shelves to customize their own. In fact, Business Insider detailed how Target customers noticed several lid combinations for a singular Owala water bottle.
To quell the growing trend, an Owala spokesperson urged in a statement to Good Housekeeping, “We encourage customers to please refrain from lid-swapping or altering bottles in any way prior to purchase. Doing so disrupts the unique color combinations we work diligently to create, and it can prevent fellow Owala fans from finding the products they wish to purchase.”
@noteriica @Owala ♬ original sound – erica?
The Mary Sue reached out to Erica via email and TikTok comment as well as Target via press email.
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