Jennifer

khou.com -

When it comes to designer purses, getting expensive products on sale is a huge steal.

But one Houston-area woman was surprised to find her big buy at a retail giant was a major disappointment.

Handbags are like an investment for Brenda Lyman.

“I paid $400 (for this bag) when I bought it, and it’s now worth $1,300,” she said of a Gucci purse.

But the gain on the Gucci was swallowed by a Prada.

Lyman paid $700 for a Prada at Sam’s – a Prada that may be a fake.


“I was at Sam’s and the girl said, ‘I can save you X amount of dollars, and you don’t have to go to the Galleria. It’ll be right here in Humble, and it’s authentic,’” Lyman said.

So she made the purchase.

But then she got a letter from Sam’s suggesting it might not have been such a good deal.

“They said they are real, but they are not authentic. Call me crazy, because if something is real, then it’s authentic,” Lyman said.

Court documents indicate that a couple in Kentucky purchased a Prada bag at a Sam’s and mailed it to a family member in Italy. That family member took the bag into a Prada store for a repair and was told it was a fake.

The couple filed a lawsuit against Sam’s. As part of the settlement, customers can expect a full refund if they return the suspect handbags.

“We believe that this settlement is in the best interest of our Members, and we wanted all of our affected Members to know they could return their merchandise if they have concerns,” Sam’s said in a statement.

But Lyman said it’s just not a good return for her money.

“It just doesn’t seem fair to me. That I could have spent $150 more and gotten the same bag, but they talked me into buying this one,” Lyman said.

As a result of the lawsuit, customers who bought Prada products from Sam’s between 2002 and 2006 may be eligible for the refund.

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Jennifer

I cant believe some people still think that places like walmart and sam's sell authentic bag - actually i cant believe those stores are still selling them. wasnt there a lawsuit last year between a designer and walmart?


oh and this made me laugh "...they are real, but they are not authentic..."

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JessLR

The Sam's near me had a Fendi spy and some other bags for sale. The Fendi was over $1000.00 - I can't remember the exact price though. It was in one of those display stands behind the jewlery counter.

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Wishlist:
-Rebecca Minkoff MAM: in Black Basketweave, Cream/Brown Wicker, & Persimmon
-Rebecca Minkoff Nikki in cobalt or mint
-something Marc by Marc Jacobs


tBF Holiday Gift Exchange: '08

Magnolia Lane

<< “It just doesn’t seem fair to me. That I could have spent $150 more and gotten the same bag, but they talked me into buying this one,” Lyman said. >>

Serve her some cheese to go with that whine. Wah, I could have spent more and got the same bag, but I was talked into saving money on this one. Wah, wah. So return it and get a different bag. No, wait, let's file a lawsuit over the trauma the alleged fake bag has inflicted on you.

I'm sure there's a correlation between this and the dropping educational test scores and lack of scientific innovation in this country. We're turning into a nation of dumbasses and and entitlement mentality whiners.


<< I cant believe some people still think that places like walmart and sam's sell authentic bag >>

I've never seen designer bags at Walmart. I used to see them (not any more, though) in glass cases at Sam's along with Swarvoski crystal, Mont Blanc pens and Lenox china. I have no reason to think they're any more fake than the crystal and pens. I think they get/got their stuff from the same avenues 3rd-party merchants like Bluefly do.

boysRsmelly

^^^ Yes, it's true (about where they get their bags from, I mean). But, they have been in trouble in the past for selling fake Fendi and Gucci. Hehe... then again, wasn't Bluefly in trouble at one point to? I think what happens is they get scammed by some 3rd party where they think they are purchasing authentic goods for the store. A lot of the time, the good are indeed authentic. But every once in a while, there's a crooked person on the ladder.

Well, at any rate, I would never buy a bag from Sam's anyway... real or not.

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Jennifer

Oh my gosh, I dont know why I never thought of that.. do you think the swarvoski crystal and mont blanc pens are fake?? what about their designer watches they have there?? dont they have movado???

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Magnolia Lane

I have no reason to think their crystal and pens are fake. They look real to me. Just because Sam's is owned by Walmart doesn't mean it's a low-income store of knockoffs; quite the opposite, actually. Their demographic for customer household income is high; it has to be. Low-income people don't buy in bulk nor do they have room to store bulk items. The stuff Sam's sells -diamond rings, giant flat-screen TVs, salmon and other gourmet foods - is not targeted to low-income shoppers, nor are their locations (typically affluent suburbs).

boysRsmelly

Magnolia - I don't think they intend to sell fake items. I seriously doubt their pens or crystal are fake either. I think most of what they get in is authentic, but they have been in trouble in the past for fake handbags. Like I said, I don't think it was intentional... they were probably scammed too.
Hehe... and yeah, their stuff isn't cheap. I never shop there because it seems like what they have to offer isn't any less expensive than shopping the sales or clipping coupons. I prefer not to buy barrels of chocolate syrup either!

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Magnolia Lane

oops, this double posted for some reason.

Magnolia Lane

<< Hehe... and yeah, their stuff isn't cheap. >>

Actually, I think most of their items are priced cheap for what they are. My point was just they're not cheap items.

I agree that you can get better deals shopping grocery store sales and clipping coupons, but I got tired of doing that a long time ago, and prefer to just shop where the prices are consistently low. I avoid the chocolate syrup barrels, lol, but I buy stuff like meat there and re-package it into smaller, Zip-loc bags for future use.

sexyalisha

is this the same for Costco?? Because I know Sams is similar to costco. i saw a few bags behind the glass case alongside china and crystal... but i didn't know who the designers were.. but just for the future... are they real?

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"Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful." -Sophia Loren

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Magnolia Lane

Sexyalisha, I'm sure they are real. I can't imagine Costco would take on the risks of knowingly selling fake bags.

One place to avoid is Plato's Closet, a franchise store for second-hand "designer" merchandise. I was recently at one, and they had a whole rack full of fake bags, at high prices. I told the owner that selling fakes was illegal and her answer was, "We're not selling them as new." ?? Bet the garbage (which most of it was) on their racks was mostly fake, too.

Britni

I was in costco the other day and they had versace china and a few marc jacob purses and a burburry..kinda suprised me i wonder if the same thing is going on there?