unknowingly bought fakes from charity shop

op32

I bought a pair of what I believed to be a designer pair of shoes from a charity shop today. They have written on the receipt "no returns". I paid £55 for the shoes. I have checked the shoes using online websites to help spot fakes and I believe I have bought fakes.
My mum used to work for a different charity shop (as a paid member of staff) and she thinks I should be able to get my money back.
I think I may have rights under the Sale of Goods act anyway, regardless of their returns policy with regards to this item. I should point out that they never say no returns on anything else.
I donate alot of items and money to charity shops and this one is particularly close to my heart as it raises money for a cause that has affected family members. I am unsure of MSE policy with regards to naming, so I won't name them.
Any advice?

hollydays

Were they new , did the claim they were original.
I can't see you'll have any problem
Bearing in mind most goods are used, they don't have to give a refund in most circumstances.

gettingtheresometime

Did they advertise them as the 'real deal'?

I would imagine that if they didn't then it could be argued that they didn't have the expertise to know they were fakes

Could their returns policy have changed since you last bought something ?

hollydays

I've taken fakes back myself with no problem.

op32

They are brand new and they were sold as being the real thing. I paid £55 because these would be at least £800 if they were real

op32

I was told that the manager had priced the shoes. I was talking with the staff about the shoes before I bought them

[Deleted User]

When I volunteered at a large chain of clothing charity shops, they did accept returns. The manager was very good at spotting design goods, but she accepted returns if the buyer wasn't satisfied.

photome

op32 wrote: »

They are brand new and they were sold as being the real thing. I paid £55 because these would be at least £800 if they were real

WOW thats some saving, if they thought they were the real thing and they were brand new wouldnt they sell for more than £55.

Take them back though, sure you wont have a problem

hollydays

jimmy choo?
In fairness I sell designer clothing quite a bit and I've recently have a prospective buyer more or less accuse me of it being fake because they were a variation of what could be seen on ebay .People often search the net and designer forums and may be given incorrect information .
You should get an idea of the quality of an item like this , just by examining the way it's made, the finish on the heel for example.
I do find charity shops get terribly excited about big designer labels, and there are a lot of fakes about and they are often quite obvious, while letting the less well known but valuable stuff go through for a few quid.they can't be knowledgeable about this stuff unless they are fashionistas I guess

daytona0

op32 wrote: »

They are brand new and they were sold as being the real thing. I paid £55 because these would be at least £800 if they were real

With respect, but you want to take a 55 pound donation back from the charity which is close to your heart despite the fact that the shoes look good enough to pass as real shoes if you have been persuaded to buy them in store.

It isn't adding up really. You should know that charity shops get a lot of tat, and so you can't realistically expect to find 800 pound items for 55 quid all the time! I just don't understand why your expectations were so high at the point of purchasing!

I have a sneaky feeling that you may have bought it with the intention of selling them on, and now that you've found out that they are fake they may even be worth less than 55 pounds. Nothing else really makes sense because they were "real" enough for you to buy them, but apparently not "real" enough for you to wear them. In such an instance you aren't really donating money, you are taking advantage of the charity shop. They could get a 400+ donation from a brand new pair of shoes valued at 800, and you knew that (irrespective of your ultimate intention). Whilst the shop will appreciate the 55 pound purchase, it isn't the most altruistic thing you'll ever do (that includes trying to get a refund too!).

hollydays

daytona0 wrote: »

With respect, but you want to take a 55 pound donation back from the charity which is close to your heart despite the fact that the shoes look good enough to pass as real shoes if you have been persuaded to buy them in store.

It isn't adding up really. You should know that charity shops get a lot of tat, and so you can't realistically expect to find 800 pound items for 55 quid all the time! I just don't understand why your expectations were so high at the point of purchasing!

I have a sneaky feeling that you may have bought it with the intention of selling them on, and now that you've found out that they are fake they may even be worth less than 55 pounds. Nothing else really makes sense because they were "real" enough for you to buy them, but apparently not "real" enough for you to wear them. In such an instance you aren't really donating money, you are taking advantage of the charity shop. They could get a 400+ donation from a brand new pair of shoes valued at 800, and you knew that (irrespective of your ultimate intention). Whilst the shop will appreciate the 55 pound purchase, it isn't the most altruistic thing you'll ever do (that includes trying to get a refund too!).

I disagree totally. Even if she was selling them on-so what?
The shop have just got it a bit wrong and the op got it wrong too but the op shouldn't be made to feel guilty.
The altruistic thing the op did was shopping there-that's good enough.