If you want to know about hair straighteners, just ask a woman.
"Every girl has got one and this day and age you know, you'd be probably lost without it."
But even the smartest women in the world are being duped and the bait they took was online? so called genuine GHD hair straighteners at bargain basement prices.
The copy cats in China went to work and came up with an exact replica? well... on the outside at least.
"Everything that's on the inside, that is the plates, the heaters, the processor, the way that it's put together, the wiring? they are just what we would call a $7 product."
Monique Pescarini bought four of the fake GHD's for $115 each, believing they were genuine. Now she's stuck with a pile of junk and no money.
"We established that the GHD's weren't authentic and that they were going to pay me a refund? but the money never turned up in my account."
The man authorised to repair the real GHD's, Cliff Bailey from Hairdressers Direct admits he's even surprised at how many fakes are flooding into the country.
"During the last year we've seen hundreds and hundreds that have come though our factory to be repaired," says Cliff.
Suzie Alek-soska was ripped off when she made her maiden visit to Ebay.
"Yeah?I had it for a week. I think I used it twice and the second time I was using it? it just sorta stopped working."
Kate Alexander from Plympton is another who fell victim to this elaborate scam.
"When I actually received the thing, I got the box... it came with a dvd, the booklets? as far as I knew it looked legitimate."
Kate paid $100 for the online fake after she was spun a yarn by the online shonks.
"They retail about $250-$260 but we were told it was coming at cost price rather than through all the retailers and everything.... so yeah."
Christopher Zinn from Choice magazine says using virtual auction houses is fraught with danger.
"Nothing surprises us when it comes to piracy. They'll make things look really good," says Christopher.
Even the hologram designed to protect the authenticity of the GHD product has been fudged.
But companies falling victim to fake goods are fighting back. Ebay has had to pay Louis Vuitton sixty six million dollars for selling fake handbags and jewellery online, and Rolex is heading down the same legal path with Ebay in their sights.
"On their website they say that counterfeit goods are not permitted and if people are telling them they are counterfeit, you would have thought that would have sent the alarm bells ringing."
And talking of alarms, using the badly wired fakes could be more serious than just having a bad hair day.
"This is the biggest problem. What they don't know is that if they use that product in their house or wherever they are and it catches fire, which it can, and it's been known to, then their insurance could be null and void."
¤GHD the makers of the genuine hair straighteners are understandably not happy. In a statement to Today Tonight they say?
"GHD believes this counterfeit scam is unacceptable and to protect consumers we are working closely with Ebay and authorities to help stamp it out. Our hair stylers should always be purchased through professional hair salons."
Cliff Bailey has offered to help Today Tonight viewers caught up in the scam by trading in the rubbishy fakes for $70 and replacing them with his own Australian designed Sako brand hair straightener.
"Effectively you'll be paying about a hundred and twenty dollars all up, free freight anywhere in Australia."
Cliff has also devoted a website to expose the fakes.
So the warning is clear with the GHD hair straighteners at least.
"Really if the price looks too good to be true unfortunately, in our experience, it usually is too good to be true."
Contact Cliff Bailey- Hairdressers Direct
e-mail:
sales@hairdressers-direct.com.au
Phone 1800-466-466 and 02 45761700
Website
www.hairdressers-direct.com.au
