I may only have nine posts but I have been reading the posts here for a long time. I did not know that if you only had nine posts you can not have a lot of opinions. I believe it is a great forum. I am speaking in general and not attacking anyone. I of course hope that the third round of inspection by the craftsperson in the Paris HQ rules in the OP's favor and that the authentication service she got is infallible. After all, it is a beautiful purse.
I'm in need of advice..my authenticated K28 is deemed fake by Paris HQ
- Thread starter SupaUltra_J
- Start date
TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
- Status
Just sharing my thoughts. If you think they are wrong, I respect that. Meanwhile, I wish the OP well. I am curious to know the truth and the final outcome. May she get back her beautiful purse.
I think if the authenticator is anyone else but bababebi, I would def think the authenticator might make a mistake... but we are talking about babebebi here, which is really the gold standard. I would say anyone has been employed by big auction houses would have the authority to authenticate, whether the industry is regulated or not. The issue at hand is who do we trust more? A known authenticator or an unknown Craftman (albeit Hermes). Having said that, if Hermes comes out and claims they have a database with all the bags’ code linked to that particular Craftman, and this particular bag does not match our database.... ok. That’s a ground to stand on. But Hermes should at least explain to OP the reason why (of course OP shouldn’t disclose that to the public), imho, other than just say we’ve been passing your bag around....
I’m still hoping OP will get her bag back, and if it’s really deemed fake, she will at least get her money back!
Just finished reading this saga...wow, I am so sorry! It sounds like you have handled everything the best possible way so far, and I only have two things to add:
1) If possible, get the store director from your local boutique (assuming you have a good relationship) to go to bat with regard to lobbying for you and expediting a resolution because...
2) We all know H after sales can take a painfully long time from drop off to pick up on a normal day! What feels like a 911 dire emergency to us is just another bag in the queue to them...a small amount of qualified craftsmen handle a large amount of bags from all over the world. Understandably, you want this resolved ASAP, but I wouldn't panic if it takes longer to hear back than one might expect.
Wishing you a happy (and hopefully quick) resolution!
1) If possible, get the store director from your local boutique (assuming you have a good relationship) to go to bat with regard to lobbying for you and expediting a resolution because...
2) We all know H after sales can take a painfully long time from drop off to pick up on a normal day! What feels like a 911 dire emergency to us is just another bag in the queue to them...a small amount of qualified craftsmen handle a large amount of bags from all over the world. Understandably, you want this resolved ASAP, but I wouldn't panic if it takes longer to hear back than one might expect.
Wishing you a happy (and hopefully quick) resolution!
Oh The absurdity of this thread! I am hoping and praying that Hermes comes back wrong especially with the authenticator having more backing than the brand itself otherwise then, I will be side eyeing a lot of you. Lol
Ah, I see you answered my question already!
The thing is, this is not about trust or bad faith but about liability (sorry I am a lawyer). Our trust level is, should be, dependent on expertise. But the fact is, at ANY level of expertise mistakes are possible.
Take Christie’s, which is the golden standard. They need to use authenticators and they use the best (as indeed Bababebi) to protect their reputation. Yet they have made mistakes including some famous blunders. Authetication is a very muddly thing. That’s why authenticators in practice what they usually give is an informed opinion, and have no liability. It is the seller, like Christie’s, bearing liability if the item is deemed fake. With fine art it is difficult to determine who’s the authority for this if the artist is no longer alive or their state active, and there are some fascinating lawsuits out there. With Hermes, it is simple, as the still active manufacturer company they “own” the intelectual property of their products. If Hermes won’t accept a bag to all effects the bag is a fake and the seller is liable. Who has made a mistake is, from this perspective, beyond the point because at the end of the day anyone can make a mistake and you and me, as lay people, cannot have certainty one way or the other. Ultimately, when you buy a Hermes bag you buy the privilege of a bag that will be served by Hermes forever, and that is a part of its value. So I think you should not have any problem to recover your money if worst comes to worst, which I sincerely hope it doesn’t.
OP, you are forgiving. the seller should be ultimately liable. I don’t see the argument of “legitimacy” at time of purchase.
You should try to recover your loss from the seller if the h spa authentication fail again. You lose your bag and your money; both h and authenticator’s reputation got hurt; but the super fake vendor walk away
You know what, you are absolutely right! What does it tell us about the knowledge of some Hermes employees? I think for some, it’s really just a job... but for us, it’s a passion! I always believe one needs passion to do a job well, and I truly can say some of us (not I of course) here will do a much better job selling Hermes than some of the salespeople I have heard/ met/ seen.
With the authenticator’s backing here, pray tell why the Seller would budge to issue a refund? From the look of things here, a tribe of Hermes artisans from every era could confirm the Bag is fake, however the court of TPf would insist they aren’t experienced as the authenticator. Lol
I might be wrong, but ultimately Tpf is an opinionated based forum. Hermes is an actual store. So if they come back and give OP a factual claim (like I said code doesn’t match the Craftman), then well, of course Hermes has the ultimate say. I don’t think anyone can dispute that claim further... and if that happens, then I think the reseller should do the right thing and offer a full refund. Just my humble opinion!
Hi OP,
I have been reading the thread for a while and wanted to wish you all the best in getting your bag back.
This is a very difficult situation to be in, I know because I was in a similar situation a few years back with Fendi.
I purchased a beautiful Fendi Spy from net-a-porter. The bag started discolouring and took it to Fendi Selfridges for repair. I receive a message from one of the SAs that the bag is fake. I go back they tell me the bag is fake but they won't give me any evidence as to what is the problem.
I email net-a-porter, they wanted proof that Fendi in Selfridges was not prepared to give me.
At least I got my bag back and went to Fendi in Sloane Street. The manager there, a lovely lady who incidentally used to work in Hermes for years explained to me why they thought the bag might be fake (they were not 100% sure), but still, nobody gave me any evidence to present to net-a-porter and they would not take the bag in for spa.
I gave up, was very disappointed, had lots of other things going on in my life at the time, couldn't dedicate more time or energy.
I never purchased a Fendi bag again ….
But I would say don't give up, this is your money and reach out to the reseller. In the unlikely event that the bag is indeed fake, they should be held accountable for it. It is their professional responsibility not to sell fake goods!
Good luck!
I have been reading the thread for a while and wanted to wish you all the best in getting your bag back.
This is a very difficult situation to be in, I know because I was in a similar situation a few years back with Fendi.
I purchased a beautiful Fendi Spy from net-a-porter. The bag started discolouring and took it to Fendi Selfridges for repair. I receive a message from one of the SAs that the bag is fake. I go back they tell me the bag is fake but they won't give me any evidence as to what is the problem.
I email net-a-porter, they wanted proof that Fendi in Selfridges was not prepared to give me.
At least I got my bag back and went to Fendi in Sloane Street. The manager there, a lovely lady who incidentally used to work in Hermes for years explained to me why they thought the bag might be fake (they were not 100% sure), but still, nobody gave me any evidence to present to net-a-porter and they would not take the bag in for spa.
I gave up, was very disappointed, had lots of other things going on in my life at the time, couldn't dedicate more time or energy.
I never purchased a Fendi bag again ….
But I would say don't give up, this is your money and reach out to the reseller. In the unlikely event that the bag is indeed fake, they should be held accountable for it. It is their professional responsibility not to sell fake goods!
Good luck!
I really hope that your Kelly is real. But I don’t understand how so many people can suggest that the men and women working in Hermes making handbags, aren’t as reliable as an authenticator? I mean really? You think such a reputable luxury brand (one of a very small few) would hire someone who is not extremely well versed and obsessed with their job? And an expert in the brand? Or extremely passionate and proud of the work they do? They consider themselves artists and I doubt for the most part that they don’t take it very seriously and know the ins and outs of the work they do. Unfortunately, if Hermes says the purse is not authentic, I wouldn’t second guess it.
I see your point. I really do. It’s just from personal experience I have come across some with very, very limited knowledge, compared to some of the people here (I’m not saying I am one of them, my knowledge is also very limited, but I’m not working there). But I can see a young craft person, regardless of their passion or what not, who have never seen this particular, older, special edition bag can deem it to be fake. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure a lot of them are very professional. All I’m saying is while I don’t know the craft person, or his or her background, I do know bababebi, and I trust hers. But I agree with you, ultimately, if Hermes comes back, and says we have proprietary information about the bag that cannot be disputed by outsiders, well, really no one else can argue at that point, right? At the end of the day, it’s their product after all...
Keeping civil while holding different opinions is a tPF tradition so let's uphold that on this thread.
OP, my sincerest sympathy with your predicament but retain your resolve and just remember you are still in a strong position. You commissioned and have the Mou authenticated by the best (and no doubt about it) but if the worst happens you will also have evidence enough to pursue a refund.
Aside from that, I hope that it's further assessed by someone who's actually worked on a Mou before and you get your bag back.
OP, my sincerest sympathy with your predicament but retain your resolve and just remember you are still in a strong position. You commissioned and have the Mou authenticated by the best (and no doubt about it) but if the worst happens you will also have evidence enough to pursue a refund.
Aside from that, I hope that it's further assessed by someone who's actually worked on a Mou before and you get your bag back.
I don’t think what I said was uncivilized. I am seriously confused. I apologize if it read rudely.
- Status