I had posted previously that I had waited two months for two pre-sale authentication requests. I had received automated confirmation emails from A4U that my requests were received. I followed up several times requesting a status update and never received a response. You're correct that it's not about the money but the principle. I opened a claim with PayPal as well, and ended up going into a dispute as A4U did not respond to the request for a refund due to services not received. About two weeks later, the funds were finally returned. I'm sorry this has happened to both of you. This is definitely not a way to run a business and very disappointing for the customer.
Authenticate4U.com experiences?
- Thread starter Bratty1919
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I had posted previously that I had waited two months for two pre-sale authentication requests. I had received automated confirmation emails from A4U that my requests were received. I followed up several times requesting a status update and never received a response. You're correct that it's not about the money but the principle. I opened a claim with PayPal as well, and ended up going into a dispute as A4U did not respond to the request for a refund due to services not received. About two weeks later, the funds were finally returned. I'm sorry this has happened to both of you. This is definitely not a way to run a business and very disappointing for the customer.
The business provides a SERVICE & part of that service is COMMUNICATION.
Sorry, but the issue of chasing someone (for a response or refund) just seems to be out of the park for me...
Just popping in to say that I used etinceler for a Chanel purchase and I couldn't be happier. They are extremely professional and quick to reply.
Yes they are & a great example of what a professional service should be like....
I am still awaiting the formal certification letter from Authenticate4U. It has been 9 days.
Have you reached out to them on their Facebook page to see if there are any unexpected delays ?
Agree here.. LOL but
Authenticate4U was tops for the service they provided. Communication seems to be a BIG ISSUE. Many of us would like to think there is still hope
for them to turn things around but so many problems & issues leave us all wondering what the h**l is going on??? And at this point in time,
why bother with a service that you practically have to hunt down to get a response..
You're gonna be waiting awhile if you don't reach out to Lesley herself. I was in the same boat. Lesley has hired help but the person isn't efficient in following up. The email authentication says that the formal certificate would be emailed shortly. 7 days went by...*crickets* so I reached out to Lesley on facebook messenger. She answered within 24 hours and sent my the certificate same day. She did apologize and all is well.
I really rate A4U for their excellent authentication skills and to be honest, dirt cheap price. Personally, all the times I've used them, I've had responses straight away so I have no issues with them at all, and will continue to use and recommend them.
I appreciate that *some* people have had issues and how frustrating that must be. From the amount of excellent feedback they get though, it must be a tiny minority. No help if you unfortunately happen to be one of the "some people"....
I would definitely, definitely pay much, much more for their service if I wanted a specified time line. Perhaps it's something they could consider to offer?
I appreciate that *some* people have had issues and how frustrating that must be. From the amount of excellent feedback they get though, it must be a tiny minority. No help if you unfortunately happen to be one of the "some people"....
I would definitely, definitely pay much, much more for their service if I wanted a specified time line. Perhaps it's something they could consider to offer?
I've used them probably 6 or 7 times - this is the first time I have ever had an issue with timeliness. Unfortunately, it just so happens that this is the one instance where time was of the essence (only x days to file INAD if it was fake). I used to get responses within 2-3 days - any delay was due to time zone differences - and it was amazing. I did state in my original and follow up emails that it was a time-sensitive request and was hoping they would tell me if they could not accommodate it, but I had to send a FB message 9 days after my original and 2 days after my follow up emails. Thankfully, it was authentic.
I've had more good experiences than bad, but I'm wary of purchasing anything I'm not 100% sure of because I cannot be certain of their turnaround time right now. Authenticate This threads don't always have active members authenticating, plus they are doing it for free as a courtesy to members, so I don't always count on that as a backup.
Agreed on your last count. I would definitely pay $10-12 instead of $7.50 if it meant consistent feedback and turnaround times.
Really disappointed with auth4u right now 
I've used them a number of times in the past and heard back within 24-48 hours!
2 weeks ago I sent them photos+payment to have a bag authenticated. One week passed and I didn't hear anything back. I decided to send them a facebook message as suggested here. In a few hours I received a generic message that they would get back to me as soon as possible. That was last Friday. On Monday I got this message:
" Hi Emily - we do have this - and for some reason this hasn't been actioned. I've got this out for an urgent review. Will be in touch as soon as I have comments"
Never heard anything after that. So my "urgent review" had gone unanswered for another week. Not impressed.
I've used them a number of times in the past and heard back within 24-48 hours!2 weeks ago I sent them photos+payment to have a bag authenticated. One week passed and I didn't hear anything back. I decided to send them a facebook message as suggested here. In a few hours I received a generic message that they would get back to me as soon as possible. That was last Friday. On Monday I got this message:
" Hi Emily - we do have this - and for some reason this hasn't been actioned. I've got this out for an urgent review. Will be in touch as soon as I have comments"
Never heard anything after that. So my "urgent review" had gone unanswered for another week. Not impressed.
Really disappointed with auth4u right now
2 weeks ago I sent them photos+payment to have a bag authenticated. One week passed and I didn't hear anything back. I decided to send them a facebook message as suggested here. In a few hours I received a generic message that they would get back to me as soon as possible. That was last Friday. On Monday I got this message:
" Hi Emily - we do have this - and for some reason this hasn't been actioned. I've got this out for an urgent review. Will be in touch as soon as I have comments"
Never heard anything after that. So my "urgent review" had gone unanswered for another week. Not impressed.
Oh goodness. I'm sorry. This is exactly the thing that happened to me. It shows a basic lack of respect for their customers especially since it keeps happening.
I can tell you that I would have lost out on my Chanel purchase if I hadn't had a timely response from the other service that I used. These things are time sensitive. I recommended charging more for a quick turn around time too and I was told that I had no right to give others advice on how to run their business. All I can say is take your business elsewhere.
This is a forum meant to share thoughts... You have the "right" to "express" yourself , good bad or indifferent & the comment shared with you seems to be not necessary,IMO
Perhaps if Authenticate4U would get their "act together" & fix whatever issues seem to be consistently
discussed on this forum, many would WANT TO continue to use their service. The lack of a timely response at this point
for many does indeed show a lack of respect & regard.
I'm not Lesley and I'm not speaking for her but I've done enough business with her to feel comfortable making a few comments.Really disappointed with auth4u right now
2 weeks ago I sent them photos+payment to have a bag authenticated. One week passed and I didn't hear anything back. I decided to send them a facebook message as suggested here. In a few hours I received a generic message that they would get back to me as soon as possible. That was last Friday. On Monday I got this message:
" Hi Emily - we do have this - and for some reason this hasn't been actioned. I've got this out for an urgent review. Will be in touch as soon as I have comments"
Never heard anything after that. So my "urgent review" had gone unanswered for another week. Not impressed.
While I understand clients' frustrations when they don't get good communication, and while I don't know the brand you are trying to have authenticated, I'm offering speculation based on my experience with A4U.
Most of the times I've used their service, I've received prompt (<24 hour) replies but there were 2 cases where it took quite a while. One was a slow authenticator and for the other, a second opinion was needed.
I've said this before and this is what I suspect happened with your request.....because A4U uses brand specialists, I believe Lesley is at the mercy of those authenticators. Some authenticators answer immediately when a request is sent to them and they respond with their verdict. We don't hear from those clients because one is more apt to complain when they're unhappy than they are to compliment good service.
Also, in answer to a question I'd asked Lesley some years ago when I was concerned if there might be a difference of opinion in authenticity, she told me that in those cases, she tries to have more than one expert to review the pictures. So in cases like that, if one authenticator has doubts or drops the ball, she has another specialist to submit the request to.
But because good experts are HTF, it's not as though Lesley can "fire" one and "hire" another. It takes a lot of time, study and work to know a brand, know what to look for in determining authenticity and authenticators need a huge library of images and text docs to verify details.
While some might think it's easy to find a good authenticator, it not easy. It's not as though someone can become expert by going into a boutique and looking at items and believe it or not, I've heard that's what some people think and even what some authentication services do.
Lesley doesn't do that because she wants her service and experts to be credible. And unfortunately, because of the lack of punctuality on the part of some of her independent contractors as well as the computer issues and personal problems which have been admitted to, Lesley's shortfalls take a beating.
I, for one would choose this service over many others (depending on brand) and would also be willing to pay more for the service if it would help her get more help with the administration of her business. I too would like to see an improvement in communication, even if the delays are the result of something outside of Lesley's control.