Does anyone know what happens when a Vine product turns out to be counterfeit?
I ordered and received an origami cat kit last week. When I opened it and discovered the included paper wasn't a match to the cats on the packaging, I assumed that it was just another low-quality Amazon product, but then the QR code for the tutorial didn't work, so I searched for it.
Of course, I found the authentic product video instead, and it quickly became apparent that the counterfeit was using the true product's packaging and much of their marketing.
To be certain, I reached out to the company (Kikki, based in the UK), who confirmed my suspicions. They're currently going through the legal process of having the counterfeit (and several other counterfeits of their kits) removed from Amazon and other sites.
Since I haven't done my review yet, I'm sure Vine will remove the kit from my taxes, but the incident made me curious about some things.
- What happens if someone has written a review and a product is later proven to be a fake and removed? Does the new policy prevent them from getting a refund?
- Does Amazon ever notify Vine members that they've been sent counterfeits? I assume, given their track record, the answer is no, but I wasn't sure if anyone had experience with this.
- If you've received any confirmed counterfeits, what have your experiences been?
Of course, I also reported the product through its sales page and emailed Vine to let them know, but is there anything else I should do? Thanks!