An online seller of designer merchandise in Brooklyn Park received an F rating by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) last month after receiving 40 complaints in 12 months that disputed the authenticity of merchandise, among other concerns.
The BBB purchased a Gucci handbag from Peppermint Park and challenged the firm to validate its advertising claim that all of its products are "100 percent authentic." The BBB said receipts provided by the business failed to prove authenticity.
The BBB noticed irregularities including an instance in which a BBB complainant received a product before the date Peppermint Park allegedly purchased it from the supplier.
"We're so far from the guys that would sell fake merchandise and then try to cover it up," Peppermint Park spokesperson Zachary Mandelstein said.
If a customer found a product was counterfeit, "we'd not only refund their money back but get them a $50 gift card or something," Mandelstein said. "We're not the ... experts at making sure these are authentic. What we are is a super honest group of people."
One complainant told the BBB that a third-party service deemed her Gucci bag a fake. When the person tried to get a cash refund, she was given store credit instead.
Dana Badgerow, president of the BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota, said a large number of similar complaints were lodged online against Peppermint Park. "The problem seems to be largely with the Prada and the Gucci bags," she said.
JANE FRIEDMANN
