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Featured, Inside The Industry, Professional Product Reviews, Style TipsHow To Spot A Fake GHD
Counterfeits have long been the bane of all legitimate businesses – and those involved in high quality, highly sought after brands are mostly targeted by counterfeit schemers because they can ride on the brand’s reputation and success.
THE POWER OF GHD
The power of the GHD brand has drawn the attention of criminal counterfeiters – just as other incredibly successful brands including Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Gucci have been targeted by counterfeiters.
The attention of counterfeiters shows that GHD have a highly sought after product backed by inspirational marketing – but GHD is dedicated to protecting consumers and legitimate businesses from the effect of this poor quality, dangerous and illegal counterfeits.
The counterfeits often appear to be very similar to the genuine products – but they do not have electrical safety approval, do not use the same high quality internal parts or workmanship and have not been through GHD’s stringent quality control process. Thus those buying counterfeit ghd stylers risk serious injury such as electrocution due to the poor quality construction and lack of safety checks.
CURRENT TRENDS
In recent times eBay and similar online auction sites as well as untrustworthy websites (mostly based in overseas) have become the main channel for counterfeits to distribute their cheap imitations to salons, wholesaler and the public.
WHAT DOES GHD DO?
GHD hair is going to extreme efforts to prevent counterfeits from reaching consumers. These efforts include numerous court proceeding, customs seizures, police investigations and many investigations into non authorized websites. A list of known counterfeit sites is listed on the official GHD site www.ghdhair.com.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Often if something seems too good to be true – it often is. Do your research, you don’t want to be asking yourself “is my GHD fake”.
Check that they are a hair salon, not just an online retailer.
GHD’s are a professional hair straightener, and are thus only available through Hair Salons. If I site does not have a “Salon Page” or list their salon name and address then you then be skeptical.
Look for Phone number, and give them a call.
You need to make sure that you are looking at a site that is Australian. A good, quick way to check is to look at the Contact Us page of a site. This should list not only a phone number but their Salon name and address.
Search Australian forums for feedback on the site.
Forums such as VOGUE are totally unbiased to a website or retailer, and give you a great look into other customers experience, comments and thoughts on where they have bought their GHD from.
Check ABN to make sure they are an Australian business.
This is another good idea to confirm if the ABN of the site/salon is legitimate.
Check GHD official website.
The official website for GHD is www.ghdhair.com.au. All salons that have been approved to stock GHD products are listed under their Salon Locator, check the address or salon name. If they are not listed – be very wary.
Jun 4, 2009
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Wow, this is REALLY helpful. I’m definitely book-marking this.
Jun 4, 2009
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Great article. I did a lot of research last year before purchasing my GHD from RY.com.au – it was reassuring to see the ‘authorised GHD stockist’ logo on the website, which took me to the official GHD website & confirmed that RY is an official retailer of authentic GHDs. Although I still saved money by purchasing from RY instead of my regular salon, the price was still realistic for a professional styling tool of the calibre of GHD. The sites which sell fake GHD’s sell them for prices which are ridiculously cheap, and therefore too good to be true.
Jun 4, 2009
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This is a really useful article – thank you!!! I’ll definitely be forwarding this on to friends who are looking at buying a ghd.
Jun 4, 2009
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what great info tellya what i wont get caught buying a phony now thanks for the info
Jun 4, 2009
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I bought my GHD from ry.com.au I was a little skeptical about the authenticity of the GHD, but ry.com.au is authentic and I love their next day delivery service.
Jun 4, 2009
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That is terrible that they are counterfeiting GHDs, especially being an electrical item.
Jun 4, 2009
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Don’t buy cheap ones!!!
Jun 4, 2009
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Very handy! Thank you
)
Jun 5, 2009
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What is the world coming to?
Jun 5, 2009
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I wish this article was around when I bought my GHD from ebay, will check my GHD to see if its authentic once I am home!
Jun 5, 2009
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Thanks for the reminder, I need to register my newly purchased GDH.
Jun 10, 2009
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once bitten twice shy. I purchased a ghd from paddys markets in Sydney. It was $99. when I got home the plastic melted. I called ghd and I was told that I could not get a refund as the product was a fake and probably from china. they advised me to buy from a salon so I found ry which is a salon and a website. I got my ghd just before Christmas and I sometimes get my shampoo and stuff from here as well.good service guys keep up the good work
Jun 11, 2009
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Worrying to hear that the plastic melted, i hate to think what this could have done to your hair, let alone your hands. I hope it didn’t cause too much damage.
Jun 16, 2009
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Wow I wish I had found this before I got dudded.
There are so many dodgy products but this one is actually dangerous.
I did report the store and had no regrets apart from having thrown away receipt and product
Jun 29, 2009
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Thanks for the info. Now I can comfortably and safetly buy a GHD
Sep 17, 2009
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My sister and I both bought a fake GHD styler from the same website, it was called ghdhsop-au.com and we assumed it was the Australian GHD website. Mine was faulty, I could hear some serious wire crackling when it was plugged in. Not until I wanted to send it back for a relacement did I begin to become suspicious, they asked me to try and get it fixed myself! I sent it back a month ago and havent heard anything since. I learnt the hard way and wish I had have known about this site before I was so quick to snap up a bargain
Oct 28, 2009
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mmmm i just recieved mine yesterday paid $83,because it said outlet and victoria i was sucked in,i just picked it up from the post office today .They really are very good the packaging is excellent ……i actually sent them an email after i had paid [stupid me ] to ask if it was genuin i told them i wouldnt cancell,i would just like to know it was during this process that i realised i had baught from china and new it would be fake i sent numerous emails back and forth as it took so long to get it that i thought ohh great,they’ll probably take all the money i have in my account,anyway ,waiting for electrocusion,as long as its not my daughters…..yep if it seems too good to be true ,than it probably is……
Feb 3, 2010
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At 8:00 this morning my daughter received an electrical burn to her hand when her Purple GHD straightener shorted. She was thrown to the floor and was very lucky not to suffer far more serious consequences. The GHD in question was purchased from ghdshop-au.com.
Following this incident I checked with GHD to confirm if her straightener was genuine. It is not.
Suffice to say, I recommend you do not purchase from this site and if you have, as my daughter did, dispose of the item or at least confirm its authenticity. A second straightener purchased from the site is also non-genuine and has been disposed of.