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the good news is: they fit.

Mochi

Veteran

I'm talking about the Roger Vivier booties. By the time everyone chimed in (very reasonably) that the huge $60 restocking fee would put them off, I had already ordered them and so was feeling embarrassed already. But as I said, they fit at least.

I'm lucky that the shoes even got here. Because as soon as I got order confirmation emails from this company, I started to sense that they were scammers. So even more cause for embarrassment and self-recrimination. The company would not communicate with me or give me a tracking number. They had a webpage with English that wasn't quite bad, but was kind of flowery and off. The email I got said to the effect that if there were any problems, please don't dispute the charge! Talk to us and we'll work it all out! They gave a skype contact info. So my heart sank. I have already been in touch with my credit card company, which told me I had to go a certain time without receiving the goods before I could initiate a dispute.

And very quickly, the shoes did arrive just tonight, but because of all this I am now suspecting they're fakes. Also why would these shoes that are around $1100 be selling at $240 when they're sold out everywhere else? It's all setting off alarms.

Now that I have the product, I'm trying to figure out how to get verified whether they're legit or not. I already emailed the actual website of Roger Vivier, and am hoping they'll reply. In the meantime, they don't have much of a brick and mortar presence here (none in Boston that I can see). I will be in New York City for New Year's, so I could bring them down with me to their store and see if someone's willing to examine them.

If they're actually the genuine article, I will keep them. Looking at the pics (and for me, straight down at my feet) they seem kind of loud and look like slippers. I'm obviously not styling them well, so maybe I could get them to work for me. But if they're real, it would serve as a lesson, a reminder to myself to be more careful. I made a complete impulse purchase here, which is rare for me but happened. I feel pretty stupid and ridiculous.

If they're fakes, I will of course go through the hoops to get my money back.

Am I just being an impulsive INFP? You don't have to answer. I know it could be a lot worse, like buying a house without due diligence or hiring Bernie Madoff as your investment advisor. I just feel dumb nonetheless.

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Shopping

30 replies

Latest reply was from

Caro in Oz

Veteran

As a fellow I or E NFP I sympathise. No need to be embarrassed, big hugs.

Raisin

Veteran

I have no idea if they are fakes or not, BUT if you think there is a good chance they are and you want your CC to recharge the money, I think they need to do it within 30 days. Once I didn't receive some kids clothes I ordered and they did a chargeback very easily for me, but the lady told me that people run into problems because they wait too long (over 30 days from the purchase date) and then it's too late. Hopefully the company will email you back soon to give you some idea, maybe you can get very detailed pics to compare. If they do happen to be fake, don't beat yourself up too much...we all make mistakes, you're allowed some too! It could definitely be worse! At the very least, fake or not, they're still cute!

Mochi

Veteran

Thanks, ladies. Held up against a close-up pic from the official RV site, they look exactly the same. Of course it's just a pic, and forgers (or whatever the term is) can do a fairly decent job.

I'll call my cc company tonight to get their policy. If it's 30 days, I don't know where I would go to get an opinion on their authenticity.

With the incident over the gym charges I overlooked, man am I feeling two-for-two. Is Mercury in retrograde? (grasping for an excuse)

Raisin

Veteran

Hey Mochi...if you can get the company on the phone or something, maybe just one specific detail can help you decide. For instance is the name stamped on the inside of the shoe, and if so where, what color, writing style. Or what does the outsole tread look like (bottom of the shoe), they could maybe send you a pic. These are things that don't show on websites and are easily overlooked by fakers. I compare footwear impressions and fingerprints at work, and for footwear there are identifying markers in the shoes...but unfortunately it would mean taking them apart somewhat, so if they were real, that would suck. And not all shoes have the same identifiers, I don't know if they would or not. But the tread or the name stamp might help a lot.

krishnidoux

Veteran

Hugs to you. It's very educational for us all though, thanks for writing it out.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Big hugs, Nancy! This happens to ALL of us in one way of another - purchases that turn out to be....well...mistakes of some kind.

Do you LIKE them? After the fit, that is step 1.

Do they still feel like slippers? Do you think they are worth the work to style? If not, then investigating the potential fakery becomes more crucial.

amiable

Veteran

A big hug to you. It sounds like you have some steps to take to at least make a protect-yourself attempt....

And, if it's any consolation to you, my husband and I have, twice in fact, bought a house without due diligence. I can tell you it's a whole lot of adventure. (We fixed up and sold the first one, and almost broke even. The second is still a work in progress, nearly 4 years later. Someday it'll be live-able, then I think we'll move there. We have too much work into it now to just sell it).

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Nancy, look carefully at the lining and the stitching on the shoes. Does it seem high quality? What is setting off bells for you - the website or the shoes themselves? Google fake Viviers - see if these are common fakes. Shoes do get faked but much less often than handbags. Post close-ups and we can see how they look (I like them in the shot above). And finally, don't feel embarrassed - I would be quite amazed with myself if this sort of thing was the most regrettable thing I had done!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Shevia - LOVE what you said there..."I would be most amazed with myself if this sort of thing was the most regrettable thing I had done!"

So true...

Mochi

Veteran

shevia, I can say that it's the website that set off all these bells. I am not sure about the shoes themselves; have never seen a real RV shoe before and despite googling am not able to find real close-ups of things I should be looking for (with this particular shoe--I'm finding out more about fake Blahniks, though!) At least to me, the shoes look and feel sturdy and don't look "cheap" per se....I just don't know what to expect.

For those of you who would like to play Shoelock Holmes, I took some pics with my not-too-great phone camera. Lastly is one attempt to style the shoes. They look like little kids' bedtime slippers. Ay carramba. It would be a challenge. It would have been better if the background (to the spots) had been in a warmer color. What was I thinking? Part of me is just wanting to not deal with it and just keep them and try to figure out how to work with them. I'm just feeling stressed out about going through what will probably be bringing them to some authority for verification (this would have been the step with Visa; I don't know for sure with MC but am assuming). Then the paperwork and waiting. I'm thinking in a way, well, serves me right. We'll see. Hopefully I will hear back from the actual RV company to see what they say about this other site.

Thank you all for your kind and encouraging words, btw. I WISH this was the biggest regret of my life! That said, it's more of a combination of possibly having been scammed, and also making a purchase decision that was not well thought out, scam or no scam. I sometimes feel like it's a response to my overall difficulty in spending money (in the past). Like I have to compensate by sometimes plunging into an expensive purchase that I should have given a lot more thought. (And an INFP is supposed to have a hard time making decisions...if so, this is how we end up making them!) This embarrasses me.

In the larger scheme of things, it's not the worst thing that could happen.

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Karie

(website)

Veteran

Don't beat yourself up over it, we all make mistakes. Regardless of what you decide to do about the shoes, I would keep an eye on your credit card charges and make sure the company does not charge you for anything else. I had this happen once and had to shut down my credit card.
You could also google "how to spot fake Roger Vivier shoes" and see what you come up with.
Hugs to you!

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Ok, only because I spend a lot of time doing this sort of thing, I will venture my opinion - two things are setting off red flags for me. I do not like how the back of the shoe is not matching up and I find the inscription on the bottom inauthentic looking. I compared it to the bottom of some shoes on ebay and the script is different and it seems the initials are usually printed from toe to heel. On the other hand, I have no personal experience with Vivier shoes at all. I do have a lot with Robert Clergerie, and in that case there are a variety of styles for the inscription, so take what I saw for what it is worth. They don't look like slippers to me, btw!

Mochi

Veteran

I just had to add that I googled as Karie suggested, and came up with a guide for how to buy fake shoes! In other words, the real thing is too expensive so this is a good way to get something which is pretty decent quality. Of course it was written in really bizarre English.

Mochi

Veteran

shevia, I wish I could find a pic on google of the inside inscription (inside the shoe). On mine it only says "Roger." It could be legit but who knows. Unfortunately there's not much specifics for this brand to be found--there's a lot more info on the Blahniks, for example.

Jan

Mochi, did you do a google search on the name of the company that you ordered from? The way the company conducted their business makes them sound terribly suspect. If the company isn’t legit, or produces counterfeit items, then some other people may have already done the leg work and posted that information online.

If the shoes are counterfeits, your credit card company would be able to tell you how to handle the problem, including the $60 restock fee you’d be charged if you sent them back.

I got scammed once on a pair of Ariat boots that was selling for $100 less than anywhere else on the internet. I, too, pulled the trigger much too fast.

When I didn’t get an order confirmation from the company, I googled their name and discovered that they were nothing more than a bunch of con artists who had burned an awful lot of people. I called PayPal immediately and they ultimately refunded my money.

I hope this suggestion helps... I completely understand your frustration.

RoseandJoan

Veteran

Even if they are fakes; if you genuinely like the shoe and feel the quality matches the price you paid, could you chalk it up to experience and wear them anyway. If raising a chargeback with the CC company would cause undue stress this may be an option.

Secondly, do any kind hearted fabbers have easy access to a store? If you are going to raise a chargeback I feel prompt action may be needed.

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I just googled 'the inside of Roger Vivier shoes' and the results are consistantly different to what you have posted Mochi
http://www.google.co.uk/search.....38;bih=559

RoseandJoan

Veteran

double post oops

Raisin

Veteran

Mochi I suspect you could get your CC to initiate the chargeback just based on the pics of the inside lettering. It looks like Roger Vivier has a standard "stamp" and it's not at all what your shoe looks like. From my experience with a chargeback, Mastercard just took my info over the phone and said the company I bought it from had 3 months to reply and give evidence other wise to my complaints (like proof that they sent it to me or something). At the time I complained my card was credited immediately, and I never heard from the company again! Call, tell them you were sent FAKE shoes and you have pics of your shoes and what the real logo should look like, and can they refund. You are not even required to send the shoes back, the refund is based on the fact that they did not send what they said they were selling (which is fraud). This is why on Ebay people are taking good photos on making good descriptions now, because people can claim the item was not as described and get a chargeback just based on that....and the seller really has no recourse. This is of course, if you are sure they are fake....and I think according to that logo they might be. Also, the outsole looks suspect to me, but I couldn't find one to compare.

Mochi

Veteran

Thank you, runnerrae, R&J and everyone I may be omitting because I'm rushing around getting ready for a trip this morning. I agree that every other insole I looked at on ebay had an entirely different logo and when I get the chance today after I get to my parents', I will give MC a call and get this started. I am not in love with the shoes and it's the seller, not me, who should be penalized. I'll let you know. Yesterday I was feeling more stressed about it. You are all so helpful and I really appreciate it!

Mochi

Veteran

(I meant to add that shevia, your work sounds intriguing and I won't press you, but if you ever want to talk about it I'd be all ears!)

Mochi

Veteran

So I was just on the phone with the CC company and they mentioned they'd already alerted Fraud because there was a $10 skype charge on the account?!?!? They said when I had initiated the order I might have also agreed to set up a temporary skype account (no, I did not). And they are not the Fraud Dept themselves, so I have to wait till Monday to speak with Fraud about exactly how to handle this. Dispute dept thought I might have to initially contact the seller and try to get a return, even though I explained that I do not want to do this--I would be charged that restocking fee and that would be ridiculous. (ETA they are a fly-by-night operation so I doubt I'd even get a response from them anyway) It's a moot point since they said Fraud would know exactly how to proceed. Blah. Trying VERY hard not to beat myself up over this. I'm glad I'm going to visit my parents in Florida...will find out more tomorrow.

Mochi

Veteran

More details available now indicate that transaction originated in Beijing.

Raisin

Veteran

Good thing you called! Yikes! Well that will probably make it all the more obvious and easy to get your money back. Sorry it happened, but try not to feel too bad, there are scammers everywhere and they just take advantage of decent people.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Oh ugh! Such a disappointment! I'm sorry this was a product of a sham company. I liked the shoes in your original post, and I don't think they look like kids' slippers, but it does sound like they're fakes and the company is trying to rip you off. Good for your cc company for working with you! I just got a call from Capital One the other day after making a significant purchase after some time of not using the card at all, so I'm really happy cc companies are on top of fraud warnings.

Keep us posted!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Ach, Nancy - so sorry about this - but I'm really glad you called and are on top of it. It sounds as if you will at least get your money back.

Jules

Veteran

I guess we're pretty sure these are fakes at this point. Pic#2 made me suspicious with the use of two panels and the spots not matched very well. In this pic it's one piece of fur/"pony" hair:
http://www.colette.fr/#/eshop/.....-boots/90/
Ack, never mind... Your pic is of the back of the shoe! My mistake.

Anyway, if you liked them and ordered them in good faith I would have said keep 'em anyway but I don't think you feel good about this. Hopefully the Skype thing works in your favour and MC refunds the whole charge without much hassle.

Atlantia

Veteran

So sorry about this. Just remember this: you are making all the correct steps, so this will get sorted out. Also, there is no reason to feel foolish for falling for a scam. It is merely an indication that you have excellent morals and character, and simply expect that from others.

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

I was getting ready to says that these little pups looked cute on you, but, with the unethical storyline, I can see why you'd want to return them. This is a great lesson for all of us and CC companies are usually very good at supporting their cardholder. I hope it all works out for you, Nancy. Smiled at your INFP comment as I once tested as INTP and then as INFP, with the T-F being even. As for Mercury retrograde, that was Nov. 6-26.

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