Fake online fashion sites are ‘scamming’ angry customers with knock-off products after luring them in with massive Christmas discounts, MailOnline can reveal.
Dozens of people shopping for last-minute festive presents for loved ones claim to have been ‘ripped off’ by two websites flogging fake ‘cashmere’ garments, leaving them hundreds of pounds out of pocket.
The firms, Velora-London.co.uk and Thompson-Oxford.com, both seem to share similar ‘sob stories’ online and in social media adverts designed to pull at customers’ heartstrings and trick them into spending money.
Each claimed to have been running ‘for years’ but were being ‘forced’ to close up shop due to financial struggles – and that ‘with a heavy heart’ they were having a final ‘closing down’ sale with ‘huge discounts’.
However, checks reveal both firms set up their online shops just weeks ago, with Velora’s going live at the end of September while Thompson Oxford – which claims to have been ‘offering our customers the best service for more than 30 years’ – going live last month.
Disappointed customers who claim to have spent hundreds of pounds on high-quality garments advertised as ‘cashmere’ say when the garments arrived, they were ‘cheap knock-offs’ made of ’95 per cent polyester’ – and imported from China.
Since neither website provides complete communication addresses, frustrated customers who are looking for a refund then claim they have had difficulty getting their money back.
One person allegedly scammed by the Velora spent £154 on five tops after spotting an advert on Instagram last month, including a ‘large cashmere sweater’, two ‘cashmere turtle necks’, a cardigan and a ‘cozy sweater’.
When they arrived, weeks later, they were ‘acrylic’ and ‘not cashmere… with no labels.
‘I was very naive. I wanted to buy nice jumpers for Christmas presents,’ the person told MailOnline. ‘The problem is that you receive the order, but they send rubbish jumpers. I have sent two emails to the company to cancel the order. No news.’
In an email to the company, the angry customer wrote: ‘Dear Fraudsters, the quality of the jumpers is appalling.
‘They are neither cashmere nor wool – just cheap, badly cut acrylic. The packaging was equally rubbish, and there are no labels on the jumpers.
‘I demand a full refund immediately. Confirm at once where I should return this garbage. It is disgraceful that there isn’t even a return label provided.’
Others have left derogatory reviews online, alleging they were deceived into buying cheap knock-offs advertised as quality cashmere jumpers.
Nearly all of the 112 reviews of Velora on Trustpilot – which claims to have more than 14,000 ‘satisfied customers’ – are rated as one star, with seething shoppers saying they’ve been ‘scammed’. While 75 per cent of 91 Thompson reviews were one star.
‘FRAUD. DON’T BUY FROM THEM. Awful quality and you need to return to China and pay for the return yourself. IT IS A BIG SCAM,’ one person wrote.
Another added: ‘I bought a “cashmere” jumper from them because the site looked legit, and even states it’s based in Covent Garden, London with a 30-day money back guarantee and great customer support. None of this is true.
‘My jumper was shipped from a warehouse in China, and arrived the wrong colour, the wrong style and is certainly NOT made of cashmere.
‘If you try to contact this company to complain and ask for a refund, as I have done, you get absolutely nothing back. Nada. They take your money and run, and you are left with goods that look nothing like what they are advertising on their website.’
A reviewer of Thompson Oxford wrote: ‘Buyers beware! I ordered a luxurious, windproof cashmere jacket. Silly me! I received a shabby jacket made of thin polyester. It is neither luxurious or windproof. Outrageous!’
Velora London, which says it is ‘cleaning up’ on its website and claims to have an address someplace in London’s Covent Garden, was only set up on September 27.
Explaining why it was being ‘forced to close’ its shop, its website says: ‘Well, let’s be honest… Running an online store has been harder than we ever imagined a few years ago. It’s been a mix of many factors: poor collaborations with partners, too many unsold items, and a lack of funds that have accumulated, leaving us with no choice but to stop featuring most of our products.
‘We’re now at the point of liquidating our stock and, to speed up this process, we’re offering you these huge discounts. It’s difficult for us to see this situation continue… We hope that you, our community, understand and support our decision. With love, Annie and Sophie.’
In a supported post on Instagram, a scammer posing as the owner Thompson Oxford claims they have ‘a heavy heart and tears in my eyes’ as ‘after many years’ their store cannot compete financially with larger stores.
However, a probe by the MailOnline has revealed the alleged boutique shop’s website was only set up last month ago, on November 17.
Meanwhile, an almost identical sob story to Velora’s was shared by Thompson Oxford on its website.
It said: ‘Well, I’ll be honest with you… Running an online store has turned out to be more challenging than I had imagined a few years ago. It’s been a mix of different reasons: unfortunate partnerships, too many unsold products, and a lack of funds that have piled up, leaving me with no choice but to stop offering most of my items.
‘Now I’m at a stage where I’m clearing out stock, and to speed up this process, I’m offering you these huge discounts. It’s hard for me to let this situation continue… I hope that you, my community, understand and support my decision. With love, Maggie.’
Velora claims to have a 30-day money-back guarantee and ’24-hour customer service’.
But after buying at Velora, a consumer who wanted a refund said they were neglected for days before getting an answer.
In an email sent from Velora to the customer, seen by MailOnline, a worker going by the name of ‘Cindy’ wrote: ‘Thank you for your message. I’m sorry, but as your order has already been processed and is on its way to you, unfortunately, it can no longer be cancelled.
‘If you still wish to return the item for a refund, you can do so when you receive it. We’re here to help you with the returns process and ensure you receive your refund.
‘If you have any further questions or concerns, feel free to contact us. We are here to help.’
Both businesses have been contacted by MailOnline for comment.
Never buy from sites that don’t give you the name of their head office or telephone details. Check the fine details, especially if you’ve never bought from them before. Also, when attempting to purchase clothes, always look at the description, nine times out of ten it will say acrylic.
Many of these online stores where it’s being shipped from abroad, especially China, knock up these clothes on the cheap which means they use inferior materials, but sell them as something else. Not only that, you are purchasing from companies that manufacture in China where their workers work 15-hour days for about $1.50 a day – it’s called slave labour, and if they oppose the regime they get beaten if not killed.
The reviews are too easily faked, and Trustpilot and other internet review sites pay people to fabricate ratings, so you can’t even trust them.
Always use PayPal to make payments, and just don’t purchase the item if you can’t.
There’s an old saying, that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Some people just see a great deal, or at least believe that they do and just click and buy without even doing the most basic checks.
There are thousands of these sites now and they rely heavily on social media advertising. Always study the small print and facts section on the site. If it’s got a long delivery time plus a weird returns policy, this generally means it’s rubbish, and you could probably purchase it on Amazon or eBay. We need to stop fuelling this fast fashion – if it’s cheap, then it’s cheap for a reason.
The world revolved quite freely before the birth of social media which seems to have an almost narcotic influence on people.
If you can’t touch it or handle the item, then don’t buy it unless it’s from a store online like Marks & Spencer or such like. You get what you pay for, and if it’s cheap it’s not worth it.
People are becoming paralytic lemmings and letting social media take over their lives. When you can get genuine quality at a fraction of the price at high street businesses like second-hand shops, designer vintage stores, or even retro stores, why should you buy from retailers that are promoted on social media?
Facebook has become rife with these online websites advertising garbage. It shouldn’t be called Facebook, it should be called Farcebook or even Arsebook!
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 