The Ugg brand, a division of Deckers Brands, launched dedicated anti-counterfeit social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter in time for the holiday season.
“The Ugg brand is committed to protecting shoppers from purchasing counterfeit Ugg products that are being sold as genuine,” company officials said. “In addition to supporting consumer education and providing easy-to-access verification tools, the brand continues to work with worldwide customs authorities and law enforcement agencies to find and stop the shipment and sale of counterfeit goods.”
The newly created Ugg counterfeit Facebook page features videos and photos that help consumers identify counterfeit product and alert them to popular scams. In addition, the brand also answers questions from customers and offers support with identifying sites as counterfeit or genuine.
HOW CAN CONSUMERS ENSURE AUTHENTICITY?
Thousands of counterfeit websites advertise their fake Ugg brand products using wording such as “outlet uggs,” “discount uggs,” or “uggs black friday.” Online auctions and forums are also common outlets counterfeiters use to sell fake products. Offline, counterfeiters may operate retail stores, flea market booths or on city street stalls in the hope of scamming unsuspecting customers into purchasing fake products.
The simplest way for consumers to guarantee their purchase is authentic is to check the list of Ugg authorized stores and authorized online retailers at www.uggaustralia.com. These are comprehensive lists of official Ugg retailers, both online and nationwide, that consumers can trust to provide genuine product. Additionally, Ugg has compiled an online gallery highlighting authentic and counterfeit product side-by-side, pointing out the differences and calling out tips on recognizing real versus fake Ugg products.
WHAT IS Ugg DOING TO HELP?
Ugg has taken legal action against 60,000 websites selling counterfeit Ugg brand products. Alibaba, the Chinese ecommerce company that has become notorious for selling counterfeit products has also faced scrutiny from the brand. To date, Ugg has removed over 300,000 counterfeit listings on Alibaba's consumer marketplace, Taobao. Between 2007-2015 law enforcement has globally seized over 2.5 million counterfeit Ugg brand products.
THE IMPACT OF COUNTERFEITING
Many consumers may not know that buying counterfeit products has a significant impact on the global economy, eliminating tens of thousands of jobs with legitimate businesses and costing the economy an estimated $600 billion of revenue a year. Worse yet, they are not accountable to human rights and environmental regulations nor do they adhere to child labor laws, anti-sweatshop laws, or restricted substances laws. This puts workers, the environment and consumers at risk.
HOW CAN CONSUMERS HELP?
If customers have already purchased counterfeit products unknowingly and are looking for a refund, Ugg instructs consumers on the necessary steps to get a refund from their bank or credit card company at http://counterfeit.uggaustralia.com/what-you-can-do. For more information, the brand also answers questions directly at counterfeit@uggaustralia.com.
