Think I have bought a fake product

milliemonster

First time this has ever happened to me.

I buy a particular hair product regularly from ebay as its a lot cheaper than getting it from my hairdresser.

Last week I purchased this item from a seller I haven't used before (although feedback was good) and received the item promptly, all's good or so I thought.

I have just used this item this morning and it quite clearly isn't what it is supposed to be, it smells like nail polish remover watered down and nothing like the product (I use it all the time so I recognise the smell)

What should I do with this? I haven't contacted the seller yet or left feedback, it only cost me about £3 plus postage but that's not the point I guess

cyberbob

Contact the seller see what they say. If you go via paypal at any point you will need to get a letter from a supplier or manufacturer confirming its fake. You will then get refunded without having to return the item. I'd see what the seller comes back with first though

milliemonster

Thanks, I have emailed the seller in a friendly way, I have checked their feedback again, they are a private seller but have sold a lot of hair products, from this manufacturer and others and all the feedback is good, this product I've bought would be easy to fake as you can easily empty the bottle and refill it with whatever you wanted, the bottle is genuine but the contents definitely aren't.

Not sure what the seller will say, their listing states they do not accept returns. If I did return it, do I have to send it tracked? as then it's going to cost me the same amount of money as what I've paid (just under a fiver including postage) so it hardly seems worth it!

I'm more than happy to contact my hairdresser and get a letter from her to determine its fake, would that suffice?

MileySmiley_2

I would wait and see what the seller says and then contact paypal and have your letter 2 hand, Paypal and ebay should then sort out this problem.
Good luck.

cyberbob

milliemonster wrote: »

Not sure what the seller will say, their listing states they do not accept returns. If I did return it, do I have to send it tracked? as then it's going to cost me the same amount of money as what I've paid (just under a fiver including postage) so it hardly seems worth it!

If its fake Paypal will not require you to return it. If the seller asks you to its worth pointing this out. I assume (though I could be wrong) as long as the letter is from a supplier (which the hairdresser would be) and on headed paper they should accept it

trrk

Does the packaging look normal?

I once had a bottle of shampoo (also a brand I knew very well) that had been sitting in the cupboard for 2 years and it smelt like nail-polish remover and was thinner than normal when I finally used it. Is it possible that the product you brought is quite old and has gone off? You should still get a refund though but it might come down to how much the seller wants to avoid negative feedback.

milliemonster

Well seller has replied and said she can assure me that the product is genuine as she has the receipts to prove it,she has offered a refund if I return.

The packaging is normal and the bottle is genuine, I have just found the empty bottle of the last one I used and compared and yes the bottles are genuine but the smell is very different. I know the contents of this are not what she claims them to be.

So what do I do now? I don't really want to pay to return the item as its not worth it for sake of a few quid, would rather just chuck it in the bin but at least get a partial refund.

My hairdresser has agreed to write a letter to say it is a fake but they do not have headed notepaper at their salon????

I don't see how having receipts proves this particular bottle is genuine as she sells hair products a lot, so a receipt could easily be for another bottle?

When I compare them, it does smell old and very different.

If I return the item, should I open a dispute first? how should I return it? recorded? special delivery? I don't want to run the risk of her reselling it??

deanos

Its no good a hairdresser writing a letter it needs to be from the company that makes it.

You wont get a refund of your return postage cost , not sure how much you paid , might no be worth sending back if postage is expensive

notlongnow_2

deanos wrote: »

Its no good a hairdresser writing a letter it needs to be from the company that makes it.

Is this dedfinately correct? In the case of fake Uggs, a letter from any Ugg retailer will surfice for Paypal. It doesnt have to be a letter from Ugg itself

I would have thought it would be the same for any product...as long as it was an authorised retailer..

milliemonster

But I will have to send the item off to the manufacturer to do that which could take forever, the manufacturer does not sell these products independently, they are sold only through authorised salons, therefore the salon is the supplier so surely this would suffice?

I paid £4.74 for the item inc postage, was charged £2.99 for P&P although postage costs were £1.41, I guess I would have to send it back special delivery which is going to be £2 something? I'm still prepared to do that and get my full money back

pinkgem

milliemonster wrote: »

But I will have to send the item off to the manufacturer to do that which could take forever, the manufacturer does not sell these products independently, they are sold only through authorised salons, therefore the salon is the supplier so surely this would suffice?

I paid £4.74 for the item inc postage, was charged £2.99 for P&P although postage costs were £1.41, I guess I would have to send it back special delivery which is going to be £2 something? I'm still prepared to do that and get my full money back

special delivery would be £5 or £6

you probably mean recorded delivery, its 75p on top of 1st or 2nd class