Public record
Alina Baiguzhina — a paid promotion that didn't happen
Last updated: 17 July 2026
In 2026 I paid for an Instagram promotion of the iOS app Chess Puzzles: Tactics Trainer with chess player and content creator Alina Baiguzhina (@baiguzhina_alina). The agreed content was not published on the agreed date, and a full refund that was subsequently promised has not, as of 17 July 2026, been received. As of 17 July 2026, Alina Baiguzhina has also blocked me on Instagram. Below is a factual, dated record based on the correspondence and the payment.
Per her public Instagram bio, Alina Baiguzhina describes herself as a “Professional Chess Player”, an “Ambassador of @kzchessfederation”, and a “@unitednations student” (Spain and Switzerland).
Summary
- • Agreed deliverables: 1 Reel + 2 Stories, to be published on Thursday, 11 June 2026.
- • Paid €1,000 in advance via Revolut on 4 June 2026.
- • Not published on 11 June 2026.
- • Full refund promised on 17 June 2026; not received as of 17 July 2026; no reply to follow-ups.
- • As of 17 July 2026, blocked me on Instagram.
Timeline
21 May 2026
I contacted Alina Baiguzhina on Instagram about a paid promotion of Chess Puzzles: Tactics Trainer. She responded quickly.
4 June 2026
We agreed the terms: one Reel and two Stories, to be published on Thursday, 11 June 2026. I sent the agreed payment of €1,000 in advance via Revolut.
11 June 2026
The content was not published on the agreed date. The same evening I sent a follow-up message.
17 June 2026
Having received no reply, I emailed the address listed in the Instagram bio. I received a reply the same day, signed “Alina's Manager”:
This is Alina's manager. First of all, please accept our sincere apologies for the delay and for not responding sooner. Unfortunately, Alina's Instagram account is currently unavailable. We are working to recover it, but at the moment we do not know whether it was hacked or temporarily blocked by Instagram. She is unable to access the account, even with her password. We were trying to contact everyone affected, but unfortunately we did not have your WhatsApp number, so we had no direct way to reach you regarding the situation. We expect the account to be restored this week. The video is already prepared, and as soon as access is recovered, it will be posted on the same day. We completely understand your concerns and appreciate your patience. If the delay no longer works for your plans, we are happy to provide a full refund. Otherwise, we can proceed with publishing the video next Thursday once the account is restored. Please let us know which option you would prefer. Thank you for your understanding, and again, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Kind regards, Alina's Manager
The email offered either a full refund or publication “next Thursday” once the account was restored.
→ I requested a full refund.
17 June 2026
A further reply, signed “Alina's Team”, proposed publishing by Friday if the account were recovered within two days, otherwise a full refund within three days:
Hello Sergei, Thank you for your understanding and for your response. Before proceeding with the refund, we would like to ask whether you would consider one alternative option. If we are able to recover the Instagram within the next two days, we can publish the content by Friday, meaning it would still go live this week. The video and stories are already prepared and ready for publication. They were saved in drafts, but unfortunately Alina did not have the opportunity to publish them before the agreed date. If having the content published by Friday still works for you, we would be happy to proceed with the publication this week. However, if this timing no longer suits your plans, we completely understand and will process the full refund within the next three days. Please let us know which option you would prefer. Kind regards, Alina's Team
→ I again chose the full refund.
17 June 2026
The next reply confirmed the refund would be processed within three days and asked for PayPal details:
We will process the refund within the next three days and will send you a confirmation receipt once the payment has been completed. By the way, do you have a PayPal account? It would be more convenient for us to send the refund via PayPal if that works for you. If so, please let us know the email address associated with your PayPal account. Thank you for your understanding, and once again, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Kind regards, Alina's Team
I replied that I do not have PayPal and that, since the payment was made via Revolut, a Revolut refund would be simplest.
22–23 June 2026
No refund was received within the stated three days. I sent follow-up emails on 22 and 23 June, and a message on Instagram on 23 June.
24 June 2026
Having received neither the refund nor any response, I sent a final message:
As I have received neither the promised refund nor any response to my recent messages, I consider my attempts to resolve this matter privately exhausted. Sergei
17 July 2026
The refund still has not been received and no further response has been provided. As of 17 July 2026, Alina Baiguzhina has blocked me on Instagram: her profile no longer opens and appears as a private, unavailable account, and our earlier conversation now shows her only as “Instagram user”.
This is my personal account of events, based on the correspondence and payment records available to me, and published as a factual record.
If any factual information on this page is inaccurate or requires updating, please contact stovmasian.master@gmail.com. I will promptly review any relevant information and correct the page where appropriate.