A TikTok customer buys $845 Chanel earringsfrom the RealReal. When she attempted to return them, the company informed her that the earrings were counterfeit.
Amy Tripp (@realstarheal) reports that she paid $845 for Chanel earrings on March 22, 2022, via the site. She eventually chose to sell the earrings on the same website.
Customer Outrage - TikTok User Exposes The RealReal's Counterfeit Chanel Earrings Scandal
When she returned the earrings to The RealReal, she was told that they were "inauthentic." Tripp remembers:
“„I called them and said, ‘Hey, I bought these from y’all. So, you’re telling me your own stuff is fake?- Amy Tripp
The RealReal then allegedly stated that it will return the box to Tripp and have them re-authenticated. Tripp claims that the company afterward stated that they never got the delivery.
Fakes and mistakes: Inside The RealReal
Tripp was assured she would receive a refund within 3 to 5 businessdays after multiple phone calls to fix the matter. On May 17, she received this email. Tripp has yet to be reimbursed. Tripp states:
“„I’ve called The RealReal probably about 20 times, and every time I call, they hang up on me or tell me that they’re going to call me back and don’t. I’ve wasted so much of my time calling them, and they still owe me $845.- Amy Tripp
Users expressed their dissatisfaction with The RealReal in the comments area.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything good about the RealReal,” shared a user.
“I bought a ‘Hermes scarf’ this week and got delivered a pack of cardboard cards,” alleged a second. “They’re still investigating.”
"This EXACT thing happened to me too omg!" yelled a third.
An investor sued The RealReal in 2019 stating that its verification method "fell far short of its description." According to the complaint:
“„The vast majority of items supposedly ‘authenticated’ by the Company were actually reviewed only by the Company’s copywriters. These copywriters were low-wage hourly employees, often with little or no experience in fashion or luxury products. They received at best 1-3 hours of training on the immense number of products and brands they were expected to authenticate, and much of this training was focused on how to process the items for sale on the Company’s website as fast as possible.- One of the investors
The lawsuit was settled for $11 million in 2021.
Chanel has also filed a lawsuit against The RealReal. Chanel alleges in the claim that "through its business advertising and marketing practices, [The RealReal] has attempted to deceive consumers into falsely believing that The RealReal has some kind of approval from or an association or affiliation with Chanel or that all Chanel-branded goods sold by The RealReal are authentic."
Chanel also claimed that The RealReal sold at least seven fake Chanel purses. In a statement to FashionNetwork.com, The RealReal "unequivocally reject[ed]" Chanel's assertions.
Commenters on TikTok offered Tripp solutions to her problem.
"Better business bureau and/or small claims court will fix it," one commenter said.
“Provide that email from the retailer to the credit card company and file a dispute with the credit card co,” suggested a second. “They’ll refund your card.”
"Just go in the store and start yelling," another person joked.
Updated at 3:30 p.m. CT on June 15: A spokesman for The RealReal told the Daily Dotin an email,"We were unable to process the earring consignment at first due to a missing Chanel marking." We have, however, contacted Ms. Tripp and are working with her directly to rectify this issue and issue her a refund."