Almost 1000 customers have complained to authorities after luxury shop Cosette was exposed for allegedly selling some fake handbags.
But months on, there’s still been no action taken against the retailer.
Desperate customers who are still chasing refunds have now had to take Cosette to court, as the luxury shop continues to claim all of its products are genuine.
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“People who don’t have a lot of money and save up a long time for these bags, it’s a shame they have to go through this,” one customer said.
It’s been almost four months since our joint investigation with The Age and Sydney Morning Herald exposed allegations the luxury shop was selling some fake handbags.
During that time, NSW Fair Trading said 959 customers had made complaints about purchases valued at $1,899,305.
Despite that, the doors to Cosette’s flagship boutique in Sydney remain open and the business is still operating.
Some customers requested and received refunds quickly, but others have had to take the luxury retailer to court.
At least a dozen customers have gone to the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) in a bid to get their money back, like one Queensland woman, who doesn’t want her real name used, so we’ll call her Sam.
Sam paid $1875 for a Prada Re-Edition 2005 Nylon bag in January, but after hearing the counterfeit allegations, she got it authenticated and was told it was a fake.
“I pretty much demanded nicely that I get my money back,” Sam said.
“As expected I was asked to resend the bag for authentication and I said I wasn’t going to do that. I was aware it was fake. They continued to ignore me.”
So Sam went to NCAT.
“They did not show up on the day.”
“The judge went through all my evidence and ultimately ruled in my favour. I received the refund the next day.”
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Another woman, who asked not to be identified, wasn’t so lucky.
“How many bags did you buy from Cosette and how many are you worried about?” A Current Affair reporter Hannah Sinclair asked.
“I bought five and they’ve done an automatic refund on two of them, and I’m still claiming for three,” she replied.
“In total, how much money do you think you’ve spent with this company?” Sinclair asked.
“Over $10,000,” she said.
NCAT didn’t rule in her favour, so she’s stuck with three handbags which so far have been authenticated as real.
“How has this whole thing made you feel?” she was asked.
“Very hard to trust any retailers that say that they are licensed resellers of any branded items,” she said.
Review platform Trustpilot also revealed it conducted an investigation into the authenticity of Cosette’s reviews.
In a statement Trustpilot said: “Our automated fraud detection software has detected high volumes of fake reviews. In the past six months, 70 out of a total of 205 submitted about the business – have been removed by our detection software… under suspicion of being fake.”
“In June 2023- we issued a legal Cease & Desist notice to Cosette, informing them of their violation, demanding they stop their abuse with immediate effect.”
“As part of our ongoing investigations, we also have seen evidence that the business was pressuring customers to remove negative reviews.”
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New South Wales Fair Trading is continuing its investigation, and said it was engaging with brand owners based overseas to determine the authenticity of goods involved in the matter.
It also said complex investigations can take months to complete, requiring interviews with relevant parties, gathering of documentation, records and seeking advice from technical experts.
“The Australian Border Force will continue to do everything in our power to combat this illicit type of trade including liasing with our partners both domestically and internationally and working with industry,” Australian Border Force Superintendent Tori Rosemond said.
Superintendent Rosemond wouldn’t comment on Cosette’s case, but says generally the importation of counterfeit goods poses a risk to the community.
“There are health concerns in regards to the chemicals used,” she said.
Australian Border Force has seized more than 20,000 high-end luxury items like these ones in the past financial year, worth an estimated value of more than 20 million dollars.
It urged consumers and influencers who buy or spruik counterfeit items to think about why they are cheap, with some of the organised crime groups which sell these goods, exploiting vulnerable workers, including victims of modern slavery.
“Whilst the Australian Border Force protects the borders against such things as narcotics and weapons coming across, dealing with counterfeit goods is not a victimless crime, and we take it just as seriously,” Superintendent Rosemond said.
COSETTE STATEMENT:
Cosette stands by the authenticity of its products. We have arrived at this conclusion after looking at both who supplied the product to us and where the product originated from. In particular, we have traced our product to confirm that it was obtained from a luxury brand or a licensee of the brand.
Our authentication process relies on the integrity of the supply chain. Cosette has used third-party authenticators from time-to-time to provide an additional assurance check. However, authenticators are not affiliated with the registered brand owners and, in Cosette’s experience, expressly do not warrant the accuracy of their findings. Unfortunately, Cosette has found those services to be unreliable. This is why Cosette does not rely on them. Cosette’s authentication process is comprehensive and high quality.
The number of complaints to NSW Fair Trading is a direct response to the unfounded claims promoted by A Current Affair. An investigation by NSW Fair Trading is ongoing and Cosette continues to provide every support to NSW Fair Trading to complete its investigation in a timely manner.
