The possibly fake Chanel and the nasty lady

Back in February when I was still relatively sane I decided to buy a purse for my mother's approaching 70th birthday. I wanted it to be a grand gesture, something from my brother, sister and I which could be used everyday. Given that we live in three different countries (and continents) I was sensitive to exchange rates although now it appears the US dollars is the weakest of the three.

I digress. I found a bag on what I thought was a reputable website and having conversed with my brother and sister, I bought it. The return policy was along the lines of "returns given for authenticity only - no questions asked..." Peace of mind, or so I thought.

When the bag arrived I noticed immediately that it did not come with an official Chanel authentication card. This concerned me. The bag, instead of being a delicate pear color, was a moss green, it was stiff leather and generally ugly and unappealling. There was no way I could give my mum something like this, I didn't even want to keep it for myself, always a telling sign.

What then transpired was two months of frustration with one of the nastiest people I have had the misfortune to interact with. I honestly have tried to keep things cordial but when the woman shouted hysterically at me and hung up on me during a phone conversation, I had no option but to file a dispute with my credit card company.

This gets long, tedious and boring but needless to say, this is still going on. I have been rebilled by my credit card company for the amount of the bag. Given my current employed status (not) this is a huge amount of money. The woman actually lied outright and claimed I had not returned the bag. I did but she refused to accept it so the nasty green thing is sitting under my desk where it has sat for the past two months.

Now I face the prospect of having to pay for this albatross and see it everyday.

I also discovered that the care booklet was fake, it had spelling mistakes in it. So one would think a "no questions asked" return policy could and should be honoured at this point. Not according to the most irrational woman in the universe (and that's not me for once). The bitch from hell has refused to honour her original terms and conditions and has changed them on her website. Luckily I have a previous copy and have submitted it in my defence.

I have now had to call in an outside authentication service who are trying to help me resolve the situation. The seller uses their name to guarantee her business practise so it's definitely in their best interests to help resolve this issue.

How very dull it all is. I'm not a vindictive person but when this is over and done with, I'm going to report her to the Better Business Bureau and to Chanel.

I'm tired of being ripped off by people and that goes for my work too.

Perhaps progesterone cream takes away self-pity too. Let's hope so!