Ghd hair straighteners

[k.a.53]

The folowing is an account of the attitude towards customers of GHD.....Having purchased a pair of GHD hair straighteners for our Daughters birthday we had reason to return them after 7 days as faulty,which we found very unsatisfactory,considering they cost £105.

After keeping them for 2 weeks they have informed us that these hair straighteners were in fact counterfeit (their words).We asked how this could be,as they came in the genuine GHD packaging and were complete with all the relevant documents and warranty certificate,etc.

They had the audacity to tell us that it is immpossible for members of the public to tell the difference and that they should check on their website for information.Now for the ridiculous statement on GHD's website.It states that "if you buy GHD straighteners and wish to check their authenticity you should enter the code from the hologram on the lead" (after spending over £100 to find they are fake).How utterly stupid.

They then went on to say that SUPERDRUG are currently selling counterfeits and you should check very carefully before purchasing.Well,correct me if I appear a bit thick,but if you can't trust a shop such as SUPERDRUG then you may as well give up.

I personally believe that they are actually condoning the sale of fakes to make customers buy from them direct (at more cost,of course).We asked them why they are not taking action to stop this so called counterfeiting and they said they were warning Trading Standing Offices.We asked why they were not taking direct action to warn people and they failed to answer us.

So be aware that you are more than likely blowing over a £100 on this rubbish and GHD will not honour the warranty.

[Paul Carcone]

Erm...it's a little unfair to ask GHD to refund you for a product that is not theirs. They did not make, nor did they sell the product, nor did they get any of your £105...as such I can;t understand why you think that they would refund you.

I also can't understand why you don't take them back to the place you bought them from and demand the refund from there...?

Surely this would be the easiest option...??

As for the product itself...I bought some for my wife a couple of years ago and they're still working perfectly.

[k.a.53]

Originally Posted by Paul Carcone

Erm...it's a little unfair to ask GHD to refund you for a product that is not theirs. They did not make, nor did they sell the product, nor did they get any of your £105...as such I can;t understand why you think that they would refund you.

I also can't understand why you don't take them back to the place you bought them from and demand the refund from there...?

Surely this would be the easiest option...??

As for the product itself...I bought some for my wife a couple of years ago and they're still working perfectly.

Sorry if you missed the point I am making,but it is the attitude of GHD and not the fact that the straighteners have stopped working.

If they know that there are counterfeits on sale that are indistinguishable from the real thing they should take steps to protect the public from this ripoff,and not make invalid excuses,after all,if they are not able to be recognised as fakes until after you have parted with over £100 then surely they should take steps to protect their "good" name by stopping the sale of this rubbish.

I can assure you that these straighteners are absolutely 100% identical to the "real" thing and even have the disc in the box with all relevant paperwork.I defy anyone to tell the difference.

As I said,the company have actually stated that it is not possible to tell the difference without entering the hologram number,which is a bit stupid considering you would not have this until after you have purchased them.

[Tony]

Hi Ka53,

It is possible to buy absolutely any product from the High Street in the UK and take it to China (for example) where someone will create an indistinguishable copy. They do take steps against retailers that sell fakes and even ebay was recently fined:

International Herald Tribune

It is in their interest to educate consumers and protect their intellectual property, they could go out of business if they didn't

The Sale of Goods Act protects consumers that buys fakes.

It is what you expected?

Secondly, if you are buying something on the basis of a description or a sample, you should expect the item to conform exactly to that description or sample. If it does not, you have the right to reject the goods, demand a full refund and possibly claim damages. If you have had a chance to examine the item for yourself prior to buying it, you cannot reject the goods but may be able to claim damages.

From guide on statutory rights.

Who did you buy the GHD (Good Hair Day) hair straighteners from?

Tony

BTW I bought a set of these GHD straighteners for someone a few years ago and couldn't believe how much they were. Should be called BWD (Bad Wallet Day) straighteners. : )

[pieface]

Ka53
I'm sorry you have got stung, but it is not ghd's fault that you have purchased a counterfeit version. They have no responsibility to you as they never made, sold or profited from the sale and therefore there is no warranty to honour. Counterfeiters are very good at making a product that looks exactly like the real one except in the one area that counts - how they work. The hologram is the one thing they cannot fake and that is the last line in defence for companies like ghd - and it clearly works!

On ghd's attitude - if you search on the internet you will see discussion of the fact that ghd is suing people who are selling fake ghds. They are doing this to protect their name! Also, how do you think the superdrug story came out?

The chinese counterfeiters aren't under the jurisdiction of UK trading standards & laws, therefore it is very difficult for any brand (like ghd, apple, ugg, gucci etc) to prevent these fakes and it is the chinese governments reluctance to do anything which is the main problem.

You don't say where you bought these from - this is important as if it was the internet, you would never have known from looking at them before you purchased them anyway. If you bought them from a shop then I would be ringing trading standards right now as the shop has purchased fakes (knowingly or not) and other people may have bought them.

[Tony]

Hey Pieface,

I think it is pretty easy for them to fake the holgrams too these days. I have seen some very convincing fake holograms on Microsoft products in the far east. See this:
eBay Guides - Authentic and Fake Dolce Gabbana - Hologram Tags

Tony

[k.a.53]

Hi,as a matter of interest the Hologram is identical to the real thing and is absolutely undetectable as a fake to the naked eye (the words of a GHD rep).I found all this a little strange,as most if not all counterfeits are usually detectable in some way.

I have done a little bit of research into the REAL story behind these so called "Counterfeits" and was absolutely shocked to find out what has really been going on.This affects the Pink ones only as far as I can find out.

I would not post what I have found out without the permission of someone that runs this site,as it could have implications for them,but I will say that certain people refuse to sell these things.

Everyone seems to be missing the point I am making and that is that GHD are in fact aware of where these things are being sold and refuse to take action against anyone.This is confirmed by a local Hairdressing salon,who was in fact a GHD agent.I am only trying to warn people that regardless of where you purchase these straighteners,be extremely careful,as you can not be sure what you are getting.

[pieface]

But I think your point is wrong. ghd are taking action against people - there are lots of forums on the internet discussing the fact that legal action is being taken against people selling on ebay. The issue for any brand owner is how they can enforce their intellectual property - where they can (e.g. through the ebay vero programme) they take action, but when the seller is overseas it is much harder to track down and shut down. Trading standards are the enforcers in the UK and as you have mentioned in an earlier post ghd are working with them. Do you think ghd should have a private security function scouring the world? What should they be doing?
ghd, like other brand owners (apple, gucci etc) only supply original genuine equipment direct to authorised companies. all of these companies are listed through their official websites - so actually, if you do a 2 minute piece of research it is very easy to guarantee you are getting original equipment.

[k.a.53]

Originally Posted by pieface

But I think your point is wrong. ghd are taking action against people - there are lots of forums on the internet discussing the fact that legal action is being taken against people selling on ebay. The issue for any brand owner is how they can enforce their intellectual property - where they can (e.g. through the ebay vero programme) they take action, but when the seller is overseas it is much harder to track down and shut down. Trading standards are the enforcers in the UK and as you have mentioned in an earlier post ghd are working with them. Do you think ghd should have a private security function scouring the world? What should they be doing?
ghd, like other brand owners (apple, gucci etc) only supply original genuine equipment direct to authorised companies. all of these companies are listed through their official websites - so actually, if you do a 2 minute piece of research it is very easy to guarantee you are getting original equipment.

I think you are wrong in the way you think.It sounds like you have shares in GHD.If you can't see the point I am making then surely you should accept that other people have the right to their views.

I have had direct contact with GHD and their attitude towards counterfeits is disgusting.Maybe if they took as much interest as the film studios do with DVD's,etc,then there would not be a problem.

As for your idea about a 2 minute piece of research,I suggest you go back and read my original post regarding the fact that GHD are telling customers that they are "undetectable to the human eye".As a matter of fact a local Hairdresser was offered the exact same thing and informed GHD of this and she was told they could not do anything.How about that for stamping out "counterfeiting".

[pieface]

The film studios are incredibly unsuccessful in stopping the counterfeiters!
My point about the research is that if you are careful about who you purchase from, i.e. retailers who the brand owner authorises, you can be sure you are getting original equipment.
No, I don't have shares in ghd but I do work for a company where brand and counterfeiting is a problem so know that it is an issue companies like mine and ghd will take extremely seriously. It is also a very complex issue to manage for reasons I have mentioned in earlier posts as enforcement of the chinese counterfeiters is very very difficult and hugely expensive and time consuming. Did your hairdresser tell ghd exactly who offered them the product, what their address/contact details are and for proof of the offer? If she didn't have this then what do you think ghd can do?
You still haven't mentioned where you purchased the fake from - a picture on the internet is bound to be undetectable to the human eye...