Description

I purchased jewelry from an online company that misrepresented itself and its products. They claim to be an American brand since 1996, using UPS/USPS tracking and offering 30-day money-back returns. This is false. They used GoFo for shipping and have several return addresses, including in China. The company posed as another business, which I believe is a legitimate jewelry brand (C’est la vie), and, at the time of purchase, used a false backstory claiming the owner’s husband passed away and that she was closing the store, offering large discounts. Depending on the day, this is either “Eileen” or “Chloe” losing her husband, or its these same characters and their husbands claiming to close the store for another reason. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until after I made my purchases and tracked my packages that I realized I had become part of a consumer fraud scheme and that this appeared to be a fraudulent marketing tactic to solicit purchases. The items I received are poor quality and do not match the descriptions or photos advertised, which I believe constitutes false and deceptive advertising. I requested a full refund, which they are not honoring, and received the following message: “John and I have been running this little store with so much love for years, but I'm now in the middle of closing down because of financial struggles and it’s been one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. Since I had to shut my local shop, everything now ships from my last warehouse abroad and returns have become slow, expensive and sometimes they don’t even make it back to us. Even though it puts us at a bit of a loss, I feel that offering you a 15 % refund without needing to return anything is the most fair and honest solution.” I also looked into whether others had fallen victim to this. The owner of C’est la vie has posted on social media stating that this other company is a scam. For this reason, I felt it best to report the company for deceptive business practices, consumer fraud, and potential brand impersonation.