[mmr421]

Hi, I hope anyone who's ever seen or experienced one of these vendors can help me understand something my bf and I encountered at a "Bazaar" (flea market) recently.

My bf wanted to buy some perfume for his mom for xmas. He decided to try his luck at this vendor at the local town Bazaar (first mistake).

Anyway, this vendor consisted of an old man and woman selling "pure perfume oil" with a list of brand names on display. They gave us a sample of Chanel no. 5 that indeed smelled like Chanel no. 5. I asked for a sample of Issey Miyake, which I applied, noticing hours later that I reeked to high heaven (smelled horrible, period). They sold my bf THREE vials of three different perfumes, for only TWENTY DOLLARS. I was immediately suspicious, so I coyly asked a couple lighthearted, legitimate questions. Needless to say, the vendor was very rude and condescending to me in return. I held my tongue b/c I did not want to ruin my bf's buying experience or step on his decision for his mother's gift (he was really stoked about this purchase).

My question is this: how can I report this vendor, to whom do I report it to, and on what grounds? Their card has no contact info, only stating that they treat "brands" as merely "types", which seems to mean that they are not selling oils that are genuinely Gucci or Chanel, but just oils that smell similar to them. I'll admit, I am motivated by anger (the vendor was mean to me) and the fact that my bf got fleeced by this jackass, while enjoying it (he knows nothing about the beauty or fashion industries).

If anyone has any advice or can share a similar story or interaction, I'd really appreciate it. Unfortunately, I suspect that their disclaimer of "we treat brands as types" seems to protect them from any sort of violation.

Thanks for reading.

[Ochi Chernye]

Any transaction done at a flea market is probably a scam. I'm sorry to say, but the fact that they assured you the perfume oils were real doesn't mean they were.

[Urban Stylin]

unfortunately there is no way you can report them that Bazaar is one of thousands of others selling fake perfume...theres probably more fake than genuine perfume thats sold...always check for the wording in most genuine perfumes its embedded in the bottle not on a paper thats stuck onto the bottle

[fashionista-ta]

Harper's Bazaar I think has a hotline for reporting fraudulent luxury goods ... I would try their website. I think it's mostly targeted to bags/shoes, but I don't see why perfume wouldn't be part of it ... worth a shot.

[tigerrouge]

Never mind shoddy perfume, I'd be indignant that my partner would hand money over to people who were rude to my face, as if I were a secondary consideration in the situation. Any man who would prioritise the purchase of cheap market stall rubbish over people showing me respect, that's what I'd be concerned about. I'd be angry that he didn't seem to notice the disrespect and walk away from those people, and that I felt I couldn't speak up at the time, for whatever reasons.