Groupon targeted in BBC Watchdog counterfeit investigation
E-commerce marketplace Groupon has been the subject of an investigation into counterfeiting by UK broadcaster the BBC.
According to a release sent by the BBC yesterday, November 16, an investigation by the broadcaster’s consumer advice series Watchdog alleged that Groupon is misleading customers online with “too-good-to-be-true” offers of fake goods and services which do not live up to their descriptions.
Watchdog spoke to customers who had raised concerns about the “disappointing” goods and services they had received from the online marketplace.
The goods included Ralph Lauren shirts with a 50% discount, which UK Trading Standards revealed were fake.
Additionally, “white gold sapphire earrings” were sold to customers, who became suspicions that they “weren’t quite as advertised”.
The earrings were originally £300 ($373), but they were available on Groupon’s site for a 95% discount.
Watchdog took the earrings to the London Assay Office, where jewellery is tested and hallmarked. The office found that the earrings contained no gold and the sapphires were fake.
Nikki Fox, a presenter of Watchdog, said: “Groupon is a trusted name online, but as our research shows, you can’t always trust the deals on their site. Some of the prices look unbelievable, and as tonight’s Watchdog reveals, they are.”
She added that the presenters were shocked with how little information they were asked to provide while seeking to advertise a fake company. The advert was never released.
“Fake goods, disappointing experiences and bogus companies—surely it’s time for Groupon to cut out the dodgy deals,” said Fox.
A Groupon spokesperson told WIPR that the marketplace was aware it was referenced in a recent BBC Watchdog programme.
“As a large marketplace, we sell millions of products from over 1,000 suppliers each year in the UK. This scale allows us to give our customers great deals on top-name brands,” said the spokesperson.
They added that the marketplace works closely with suppliers to ensure counterfeit items do not enter the supply chain.
“As with any major online retailer, we take counterfeiting seriously and work hard to make sure that no-one ends up being disappointed with their purchase,” they said.
The spokesperson added: “On the extremely rare occasion where we are made aware that a product we’ve sold may be counterfeit, we immediately conduct an investigation and, if necessary, recall the product and provide a full refund.”
The BBC Watchdog episode was aired at 8.00pm yesterday on BBC One.
