Monique – your wonderful BF was not a fool. He was fooled. The TOLBLANC PARIS bags DO look very much like expensive GENUINE LEATHER bags. The sad news is, as you already guessed it, they are not real. They are made of man-made material – a very good one, but fake nonetheless. I know - because I got sucked into this fraud last week.
TOLBLANC PARIS - the reason why you can’t find any info on this brand is because it’s not legit. This is a fake brand label attached to the fake leather bags. The name of the store where I bought my sorry purchase is called “Tuci Italia”. The name on the receipt is “Cleo & Patek Paris”. The name of the business is called “Eiffel Paris”. I believe all these entities sell the same fake products as GENUINE LEATHER goods. They are not. They are all made from artificial leathers.
More on this fake brand later. Let me tell you how I was also fooled. I consider myself a very savvy shopper. Over the years, I’ve seen all kinds of scams and frauds, but the owner of this boutique on 56th street and 6th Avenue – well, she takes the cake in her extraordinary chutzpa! (That’s the people with colossal nerves!)
I don’t normally go to Manhattan because I live in Long Island. Last Thursday, I had lunch with my girlfriend in the city. It was such a beautiful day that afterwards I decided to walk to the train station. While walking between 56th and 57th Street on the 6th Avenue, I saw a HUGE discount sign outside a posh boutique. Inside was well-decorated showroom, displaying expensive-looking stylish handbags and accessories. (This is probably where your BF was fooled. This place looked very chic -- not at all like a place where you’d think people cheat customers!)
The saleslady told me that the store was closing and that she must sell everything. All her bags were made from "TOP QUALITY GENUINE LEATHER" from Italy. She was very pleasant and very enthusiastic. We chit chat as I walked through the store. She told me she was from Poland. She swore to God a lot.
I saw a cute Tolblanc Paris bag that can be turned into a knapsack. The bag was originally $598 but I can have it for measly $125. The saleslady assured me that it’s top quality GENUINE LEATHER bag from Paris. (“I swear to God! I gave my customers the very lowest price even if they don’t ask for it!”
She was very convincing. I made the mistake of believing her. I bought that bag and several other items and paid with my American Express card. When I got home, I took out the paper fillers and found a tag inside -- "Made in China". My mouth dropped! When my shock wore off, I took a closer look at my Tolblanc Paris bag.
To know whether the material is genuine leather or not is to see the underside of it. I looked for any exposed area where I can check this out. The bag was very carefully constructed. All the seams were tightly sewn and fused together. Inside the bag was completely lined. There was no exposed area for me to check EXCEPT the area where the straps went through. Here, the holes were very small but I can separate the two flaps and look under. I took out my craft pliers and very carefully left the flap. The underside was made of --- fabric. Not wanting to believe what I saw, I took out the biggest magnifying glass I have and checked again. It’s fabric all right. No question about it. This bag was made entire of vinyl material.
I looked at my other purchases. None were made of real leather, including my beautiful red “Italian” soft leather evening bag with removable chain. That one was made in India and it also used man-made material lined with plastic foam to make it soft to touch from outside. It was a very clever trick. I thought I bought soft leather Italian evening bag. I didn’t.
I went back to the store the next day to get my refund. The same lady who swore to God in front of me now turned into the Devil. She said, “I laugh at you! No refund!” I asked to speak to the owner. She told me SHE was the owner. I point out to her that my Tolblanc Paris bag was actually made in China. She GRABBED my jacket collar and hissed, “Is your jacket made in China? EVERYTHING IS MADE IN CHINA!” Yes, but that’s not what you said yesterday and we are talking about the bag, not my jacket. She insisted that all her bags were made of genuine leather.
I took out a piece of paper that I had pre-typed which basically states that the bags she sold me were genuine leather and asked her to sign it. She refused. With her eyes glowing, she told me to “GET OUT!” of the store because I was scaring her customers away. I retorted that I was actually SAVING them. She HITS me in my arm with her cell phone and threatened to call the police. She never did. I did. I knew there was nothing the police could do, but I called because I wanted this lady to know that she can’t bully people around.
I am now disputing my charge with American Express. I told them that while the receipt state “NO REFUND”, that should be applied to the purchase that I believed I was sold -- that the products were REAL leather goods, not fakes. I stressed to them that this was NOT a case of buyer’s remorse but a deliberate attempt by the merchant to defraud customers.
The business tactic of this establishment is illegal and immoral. Unfortunately, it appears they are located everywhere! Just be wary when you see a sign that said “EVERYTHING IS ON SALE! 90% OFF!” Walk away and save yourself headache and money. If you do go in and see something you liked, just know that you are buying a man-made bag, not an expensive European leather bag at a bargain price simply because the “store was closing”.
So, this is MY sad story. I hope it’ll have a happy ending.
