Advice re potential counterfeit goods purchased online

thesealeyboy

Hi Guys

Been a while since i've posted on here, but I have a potential dilemma brewing and could think of nowhere better to seek some initial advice!

Basically i've started my Christmas shopping early(!) and recently went on the hunt for a piece of jewellery I know the OH would love. It's made by Links of London, and whilst it isn't massively expensive, it isn't cheap either! I opted for this and this, totalling £155 plus delivery. In an effort to shop around and see if I could find a better price I stumbled across a website (www.coolinks.co.uk) selling the same jewellery but at cheaper prices, basically the 'same' items for £39 plus delivery. On initial inspection it appears to be a genuine site, based in the UK, and I know alarm bells should of started ringing away, but how often do you see a manufacturers price being massivly undercut online?

So I ordered the item from coolinks.co.uk, payment was taken (Payment reference on my bank statement is 'DOTCOM GLOBAL TRAD CARDIFF' and I received a Parcel Force tracking reference and all the usual email confirmations etc. It was only when I did an online track and trace to see the progress of delivery that my fears began to emerge. The initial collection was from Beijing in China!

So I began doing a bit of research, research I know I should have done before hand, and found out that the coolinks.co.uk website is listed in places as being potentially dodgy for Links of London jewellery. Not good.

So, although the item hasn't yet arrived, i'm pretty sure what I have purchased, whilst it might be a half decent quality product, is simply a dodgy knock off.

I have emailed the coolinks.co.uk website and enquired about returning the item which is basically going to cost me shipping costs, presumably to China, and a 15% restocking fee. They have offered me a £5 refund in return for keeping the product, seems strange to offer that to a customer who simply wants to return the item, seems like a bribe to me!

I figured now, I have 4 options:

• Accept the item, even though it may well be counterfeit, and fall apart after 6 months (i'm sure the OH will love that)
• Email them back about returning the item and see if they increase their bribe from £5
• Return it, paying the shipping to China, and hope that I get a refund
• Contact Links of London, as suggested on their website, and see if they can offer assistance
  
• Contact my bank (paid on my debit card) and see if they can help at all

I know I am totally at fault here, and had I researched the site properly I would of realised all the things that are wrong with it. However I am simply at a point now where I am looking to minimise the damage to my pocket, and I have realised that I need to purchase the genuine jewellery from the Links of London website at the full asking price, but at the same time try and recoup the money paid to these con men in China.
Any suggestions?

Matt.D

[STRIKE]Did you pay using Paypal or credit card? Perhaps you could raise some kind of investigation through them[/STRIKE]. [Edit] Sorry, I've just re read you used debit card. Personally I wouldn't try sending it back to China. Shipping is notoriously unreliable and fraught with problems with the items going missing in that regieon. Perhaps haggle with the person that sold the items to you about trying to get £10/15 refunded and just accept you've made a mistake and then re buy the genuine article from Goldsmiths or Ernest Jones through Quidco? Give the knock off ones to the other half to wear when she's doing messy jobs and let her keep the legit ones for special occasions.

lil_miss_17

links of london won't do anything, it's not their problem and they do try and rpevent this b listing dodgy sites like you said

rsykes2000

Unfortunately Links of London won't be able to help,. but by contacting them, they will be further informed that a dodgy website is still trading and might renew efforts to close it down.

thesealeyboy

Thanks for your comments and thoughts so far. I emailed the company back and they did not offer any more than the initial £5 bribe, but have sent me the address to return the item to.

I have this morning check the tracking on the item and it is dated on the 10th as 'Arrived in destination country' and 'Awaiting Customs Charging'.

I presume from this that I will receive a letter requesting come money for purchasing outside of the EU. I hoping at this point I will have the option to refuse delivery, and therefore charge, and it will then automatically be returned to the sender?

I'm hoping, that although this may take a while, it may be the easiest, and cheapest, way of me returning the item to hopefully get a refund?

INT1

Did you pay by credit card?
Get an independant jeweller to give you a written report on what it is you actually purchased and value.
Show a copy of this to your credit card company and you should win the chargeback.

I have had the same problem with pirate DVD's but it's not worth the hassle for a DVD costing tenner as you would have to fork out the cost of the report yourself.

thesealeyboy

I paid using my debit card. I have contacted my bank to see if they can offer any assistance, just waiting to hear back from them.

Thanks

James

Infiltrator_2

I'd wait till it arrives, you might be surprised - I have a close friend who bought something similar not knowing it was a copy until it arrived from the far east.
The quality was very good - keep us informed.

stewarty35

Hi

Subject: FAKE DVD's

Do not buy from this website: www . dvdsetshop . com. They supplied me with poor quality counterfeit DVD's and refused refund. I informed FACT. Please be aware.

124bobb

Thanks for info is this connected to DVDSETSHOP.CO.UK? Have just ordered James Bond set 22 discs for £60.00 have I been had?? Does anybody know??
Thanks
Bob

INT1

It's hard to tell as these websites look so authentic looking, I think you might be though as there is no contact us button where I would expect to see a UK address and UK Landline...