Did I get scammed? What should I do?

jadejett

jadejett

O.G.
Jul 30, 2006
1,281
0
#1
Hi everyone,

A few weeks ago I posted a link to a "cheer up bag" I purchased that I was really excited about.

Here is the original link:
http://forum.purseblog.com/handbags...se-ended-bag-blahs-67989.html?highlight=furla


Anyway, I received the bag but it doesn't look right. :yucky:
First of all, it was thrown into a box, without any padding whatsoever - and without any padding inside the bag to protect the shape. When I took it out of the box, it was folded over and completely bent out of shape! The bag is supposed to be patent leather, so it simply can't hold up to being folded in half like that and as a result, it won't even stand straight! The worst thing is though - that I think it is fake. It doesn't look at all like the "polished calfskin" as described. It looks like cheap, crappy plastic/vinyl. :wtf:

I don't know what to do! I have sent them 2 emails but they refuse to acknowledge them. I know they check their email because when they sent me my shipping confirmation and the link to the courier didn't work I contacted them and they wrote me back immediately! Now that I am requesting a refund they are conveniently silent. There is some weird refund policy that you have to go thru on their website which basically says you have to pay a 10% restocking fee, and pay the courier to get it back there. What's worse, is that if you use their "automatic refund process" you are agreeing to their conditions, which I absolutely don't agree to. I don't know if Mastercard will take the charge off, since I paid via Paypal and I don't know if Paypal will honour it either. This is going to be a huge hassle! I really thought it was a legit site, even posted a message on the boards here asking if anyone had any dealings with them and got some favourable responses about them. What do I do??? I'm out almost $500 which is the most I've ever spent on a purse and I am starting to freak out a little...
Can anyone offer any advice or solutions? :crybaby:

I'm going to try one more time, making it my third and final email but I think I also need some help constructing a response that will not be ignored this time around. :s
 
#4
I am not familiar with that website but it does say you have 60 days to return and not everything is subject to a restocking fee. They do have a phone number so I would start there!!!
 
#5
I have tried calling. The number does not work. It asks you to enter the extension number of the person you wish to call, then it disconnects you.
Like I said, very shady.

It also says that when you do the automatic return you are agreeing to the 10% restocking fee.
It says if you don't want to subject yourself to the 10% fee - which I already explained I didn't want to do - you have to contact them within 5 days.

I have contacted them within that time period but if they don't respond does that mean that it doesn't count?
 
#7
[FONT=Century Gothic,Arial]You must of called after hours - I would call again during normal business hours and see what happens....let us know what you find out! THAT SUCKS!!![/FONT]
[FONT=Century Gothic,Arial][/FONT]
[FONT=Century Gothic,Arial]TOLL FREE NUMBERS[/FONT]
[FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Verdana]US 1-888-855-7056
UK 0-800-901-2975

REST OF THE WORLD
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular](toll number)[/FONT]
+39 (0)11 4407489 [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]mon-fri. 8am-3pm EDT[/FONT]
 
#8
oh gosh, that's a horrible feeling! i'm so sorry you're going through this - especially with with a 'cheer me up' bag, too! :hysteric:

first of all, you can dispute the charge through paypal if it's been within 45 days of the purchase. the paypal site has all the details. paypal can refund your money if you've paid through them - regardless of method (bank account, credit card, etc.) - if they rule in your favor, despite what the seller has to say about the matter. that's the beauty of paypal. you can also call your credit card company and file a complaint through them. paypal helped me in the past with a shady ebay seller.

last but not certainly not least, file a complaint against this company with the better business bureau (BBB.org). they'll intervene and try to help you, too. you can also search their site to see if others have had bad experiences with this company. the BBB has helped me in the past.

among all these options, you should be covered. good luck!
 
#10
boku said:
Can you dispute the charge?
Click to expand...

I'm trying to avoid getting to that point. Mastercard said I have to contact Paypal so now I'm just waiting to hear back from them. It's kinda weird though because when I did put my payment through my credit card when I ordered the purse, I got an email saying I needed to redo my order through Paypal. Do you think they did that so they could scam me more easily? I'm sure a credit card company would reverse the charges more easily than Paypal, where there is a huge process I'm sure I'll have to go through.

Anyway - this is why I'm hoping that I can resolve this through the company. My plan of attack is to write them a third and final email - no more Mrs. Nice Gal! - and scare the beejeezus out of them so that they'll refund my money immediately.

So far I'm thinking of threatening them by telling them I will be filing a dispute with Paypal, Mastercard, a number of watchdog organizations and of course - alerting The Purse Forum to their unlawful practices! Of course I don't know any besides the BBB. Does anyone know of any real agencies that I should alert? Raffaelo Network is in Italy so I don't even know if an organization like the Better Business Bureau have juridisdiction over companies outside of the US. :shrugs:

I work for the a national news network in Canada and they have an international news bureau, but I doubt that makes a difference in any real sense.

Also - is it better to tell Paypal the bag is damaged or the bag is fake? Which will give a more swift, and favourable outcome for me?
 
#11
itsgood2beme said:
[FONT=Century Gothic,Arial]You must of called after hours - I would call again during normal business hours and see what happens....let us know what you find out! THAT SUCKS!!![/FONT]

[FONT=Century Gothic,Arial]TOLL FREE NUMBERS[/FONT]
[FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Verdana]US 1-888-855-7056
UK 0-800-901-2975

REST OF THE WORLD
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular](toll number)[/FONT]
+39 (0)11 4407489 [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]mon-fri. 8am-3pm EDT[/FONT]
Click to expand...


That's what I thought! But it clearly says Eastern Standard Time! Is there another Eastern Standard Time used in Italy???? :cursing:
 
#12
As far as I know, Raffaello Network is a legit site, so I don't think the bag is fake. However, it does suck that they tossed it in a box like an $8 Wal-Mart bag! That's just lousy customer service.
 
#14
jadejett said:
I'm trying to avoid getting to that point. Mastercard said I have to contact Paypal so now I'm just waiting to hear back from them. It's kinda weird though because when I did put my payment through my credit card when I ordered the purse, I got an email saying I needed to redo my order through Paypal. Do you think they did that so they could scam me more easily? I'm sure a credit card company would reverse the charges more easily than Paypal, where there is a huge process I'm sure I'll have to go through.

Anyway - this is why I'm hoping that I can resolve this through the company. My plan of attack is to write them a third and final email - no more Mrs. Nice Gal! - and scare the beejeezus out of them so that they'll refund my money immediately.

So far I'm thinking of threatening them by telling them I will be filing a dispute with Paypal, Mastercard, a number of watchdog organizations and of course - alerting The Purse Forum to their unlawful practices! Of course I don't know any besides the BBB. Does anyone know of any real agencies that I should alert? Raffaelo Network is in Italy so I don't even know if an organization like the Better Business Bureau have juridisdiction over companies outside of the US. :shrugs:

I work for the a national news network in Canada and they have an international news bureau, but I doubt that makes a difference in any real sense.

Also - is it better to tell Paypal the bag is damaged or the bag is fake? Which will give a more swift, and favourable outcome for me?
Click to expand...

it never hurts to mention that you work for an international news bureau!

as for paypal, i think mentioning that the bag is damaged is the best way to go. you can take photos for proof. if you say it's a fake, you may have to jump through many more hoops to prove it's a fake.

the payment through your credit card, then being asked to do it again through paypal...that's bizarre. and i wouldn't trust it. what did you do? unless the first payment has been cancelled, and i have proof of it, i wouldn't send another payment through paypal. this smells like fraud...and the company needs to explain why they're asking for this. it's possible that they like buyers going through paypal because the seller has some protections (as well as the buyer, too), but they should spell out their reasoning.

yikes, this is confusing and just plain icky!
 
#15
ArmCandyLuvr said:
As far as I know, Raffaello Network is a legit site, so I don't think the bag is fake. However, it does suck that they tossed it in a box like an $8 Wal-Mart bag! That's just lousy customer service.
Click to expand...

Agree... the site is authentic as far as I know- quite a few tPFers have bought from there.

Looks like you should be able to return the bag no problem, maybe have to pay re-stocking fee, but if you give them a good enough case- you should not have to. Good luck- let us know how it goes!
 
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