I was ecstatic when I read the news via WWD, that “LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton today won a landmark victory against eBay for allowing the sale of counterfeit goods.” Leave it to the French courts to stop the selling of Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Kenzo, and Givenchy on EBay. Merci beacucoup!
I am very passionate against the production, selling, and consuming of counterfeit goods, not only because of my extensive research on the subject, but I recently fell victim to buying something illicit. Not too long ago I lost my beloved gold Dolce & Gabbana Razr. Though devastated, I sought solace in the purchase of a new luxurious PRADA phone. I bought this phone with confidence as it was not from EBay, but rather from a website that touted some great online reviews and one of the first hits on a Google search.
My phone was delivered UPS and from the moment I opened the box I knew I had in my hands a counterfeit phone. My eyes filled with tears, and my stomach ached for the $500 I thought I’ve never get back. The embarrassment of having this contraband and paying such a price devastated me, but after my depression settled, my anger took over and I vowed to seek vengeance on the company who sold me this faux phone. After a ridiculous conversation had with the manager of the company I bought the phone from, I knew I had to seek action in another form – the law! The only problem, the company at fault was located in Chicago, and I was in L.A.
To save you the anxiety of – will she get her $$ back? /did she get her revenge? – lets cut to the final days of my story. After speaking with Chicago Police, the FBI, and the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition Inc (found via Harper’s Bazaar “Fakes are Never in Fashion”) I was given sound advice from two of the three agencies. They suggested I contact the Better Business Bureau, and I did so immdiately. After filling out a claim, and providing evidence, the BBB was prepared to go into arbitration for me. Instead, under the pressure of me and the BBB, the company succumbed to admitting fault and refunded my money back.
It may have taken some time and lots of patience, but it is absolutely wrong to run a shady business selling counterfeit goods. It is pertinent that if you fall victim to an incident as such, that you do not wallow in your embarrassment but instead talk to as many people as possible to help ameliorate your situation. There were many people who thought I was simply wasting my time trying to fight this, but in the end I succeeded and will continue to work against this illicit market.
If you need any advice on how to pursue a similar incident, please feel free to email me as I will try to connect you with the right people.
LABELS: Better Business Bureau, Counterfeits, Dolce & Gabbana, Fakes are Never in Fashion, Harpers Bazzar, Prada
