Luxury handbag and accessories retailer, Cosette, has announced its return to form after findings from a NSW Fair Trading investigation cleared the brand of any alleged wrongdoings.
The retailer had previously come under fire followings claims made in an article alleging a woman had been the victim of a “superfake” or counterfeit purchase.
After the article went live, NSW Fair Trading was flooded with hundreds of complaints, each trying to ascertain whether they too had been duped, or claiming third-party authenticators found their goods to be far from the genuine article.
An investigation into the legitimacy of the claims was launched soon after, despite the luxury goods store ensuring its customers the claims were unfounded.
Cut to a year later, the retailer has announced there were “No adverse authenticity findings” against the brand after a comprehensive investigation.
In a statement released by the brand on October 8, it outlined the” detrimental impact” the allegations have had on both the business, and its loyal customers.
“The allegations stemmed from inaccurate and misleading services provided to customers by third-party authenticators,” the statement continues.
“In response to allegations, COSETTE has successfully defended all of the cases it contested in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT). In the course of these cases, NCAT found that these authenticators provide ‘no evidence of specific qualifications, skills or knowledge’ in providing their opinion, “do not warrant … the quality of any services” that they provide, nor are they recognised by the luxury brands that they purport to authenticate.”
How Does Cosette Sell Designer Bags For Less?
Marketing itself as “your new best friend in fashion”, Cosette supplies luxury designer handbags and accessories at discounted prices, a unique business model made possible by “parallel importing” directly from European retailers and suppliers. Meaning, it was able to on-sell authentic and brand new luxury goods for less by essentially cutting out the middle man.
“The direct sourcing means that we are able to share the benefit of any pricing advantage we obtain with Australian customers.”
After announcing the findings, Cosette clarified this further, reiterating that they believed the conclusion “vindicates our repeated statements on the quality and authenticity of goods sold.”
A spokesperson from NSW Fair Trading highlighted the issues faced by consumers, who often put their trust in online authenticators.
“In some instances, the luxury brand confirmed the authenticity of handbags that multiple online authenticators had advised customers were fake,” adding that consumers need to be more cautious about the limitations of using online platforms to assess their luxury goods.
