Bogus online fashion sites are ‘scamming’ furious customers with knock-off products after enticing them in with huge Christmas discounts, MailOnline can reveal.
Dozens of people shopping for last-minute festive gifts for loved ones claim to have been ‘ripped off’ by two websites flogging fake ‘cashmere’ clothes, leaving them hundreds of pounds out of pocket.
The firms, Velora-London.co.uk and Thompson-Oxford.com, both appear to share identical ‘sob stories’ online and in social media adverts designed to tug at customers’ heartstrings and dupe them into spending money.
Each claim to have been running ‘for years’ but were being ‘forced’ to shut up shop due to financial struggles – and that ‘with a heavy heart’ they were having a final ‘closing down’ sale with ‘huge discounts’.
However, checks reveal both firms set up their online shops just weeks ago, with Velora’s going live at the end of September while Thompson Oxford – which claims to have been ‘offering our customers the best service for more than 30 years’ – going live last month.
Disappointed customers who claim to have spent hundreds of pounds on high-quality clothes advertised as ‘cashmere’ say when the garments arrive, they are ‘cheap knock-offs’ made of ’95 per cent polyester’ – and imported from China.
Fuming shoppers seeking a refund then say they have struggled to get their cash back, with neither websites posting full correspondence addresses.
One person allegedly scammed by the Velora spent £154 on five tops after spotting an advert on Instagram last month, including a ‘large cashmere sweater’, two ‘cashmere turtle necks’, a cardigan and a ‘cozy sweater’.
Velora London.co.uk is offering up to 80 per cent off in its ‘closing down’ sale. However, customers have complained clothes advertised as ‘cashmere’ are in fact cheap knock-offs
Customers have also hit out at Thompson-Oxford.com for selling alleged knock-off cashmere clothes, in what shoppers have dubbed a ‘scam’
Pictured are some of the clothes on sale at Velora London, with some of the images used appearing to be the same as those used by Thompson Oxford
When they arrived, weeks later today, they were ‘acrylic’ and ‘not cashmere… with no labels.
‘I was very naive. I wanted to buy nice jumpers for Christmas presents,’ the person told MailOnline. ‘The problem is that you receive the order, but they send rubbish jumpers. I have sent two emails to the company to cancel order. No news.’
In an email to the company, the furious customer wrote: ‘Dear Fraudsters, the quality of the jumpers is appalling.
‘They are neither cashmere nor wool – just cheap, badly cut acrylic. The packaging was equally rubbish, and there are no labels on the jumpers.
‘I demand a full refund immediately. Confirm at once where I should return this garbage. It is disgraceful that there isn’t even a return label provided.’
Others have left scathing reviews online, alleging they were duped into buying cheap knock-offs advertised as quality cashmere jumpers.
Almost all of the 112 reviews of Velora on Trustpilot – which claims to have more than 14,000 ‘satisfied customers’ – are rated as one star, with fuming shoppers saying they’ve been ‘scammed’. While 75 per cent of 91 Thompson reviews were one star.
‘FRAUD. DON’T BUY FROM THEM. Awful quality and you need to return to China and pay for the return yourself. IT IS A BIG SCAM,’ one person wrote.
Pictured is one of the cardigans purchased by one person on Velora London.co.uk
Pictured are two of the turtlenecks purchased by one customer, which had been advertised as ‘cashmere’ but came with ‘no labels’ and were just ‘cheap acrylic’, the customer claimed
Another item of clothing, the ‘Claudia ‘cozy sweater’, which is described as a ‘wool turtleneck’, on Velora London.co.uk’s shop
Another added: ‘I bought a “cashmere” jumper from them because the site looked legit, and even states it’s based in Covent Garden, London with a 30-day money back guarantee and great customer support. None of this is true.
‘My jumper was shipped from a warehouse in China, and arrived the wrong colour, the wrong style and is certainly NOT made of cashmere.
‘If you try to contact this company to complain and ask for a refund, as I have done, you get absolutely nothing back. Nada. They take your money and run, and you are left with goods that look nothing like what they are advertising on their website.’
A reviewer of Thompson Oxford wrote: ‘Buyers beware! I ordered a luxurious, windproof cashmere jacket. Silly me! I received a shabby jacket made if thin polyester. It is neither luxurious or windproof. Outrageous!’
Velora London, which says it is ‘cleaning up’ on its website and claims to have an address somewhere in London’s Covent Garden, was only set up on September 27.
Pictured are some of the online reviews left by customers who have shopped at both firms
Describing why it was being ‘forced to close’ its shop, its website says: ‘Well, let’s be honest… Running an online store has been harder than we ever imagined a few years ago. It’s been a mix of many factors: poor collaborations with partners, too many unsold items, and a lack of funds that have accumulated, leaving us with no choice but to stop featuring most of our products.
‘We’re now at the point of liquidating our stock and, to speed up this process, we’re offering you these huge discounts. It’s difficult for us to see this situation continue… We hope that you, our community, understand and support our decision. With love, Annie and Sophie.’
In a sponsored post on Instagram, a scammer posing as the owner Thompson Oxford claims they have ‘a heavy heart and tears in my eyes’ as ‘after many years’ their store cannot compete financially with larger stores.
However, a probe by the MailOnline has revealed the alleged boutique shop’s website was only set up last month ago, on November 17.
Meanwhile, an almost identical sob story to Velora’s was shared by Thompson Oxford on its website.
Pictured is the reason for the Velora’s alleged closing down sale, posted on the shop’s website
In a post on Thompson Oxford’s website, a near-identical closing down sale statement was also shared – prompting shoppers online to link the two sites to an alleged online scam
Other posts on the websites about their closing down sales also appeared to be similar
It said: ‘Well, I’ll be honest with you… Running an online store has turned out to be more challenging than I had imagined a few years ago. It’s been a mix of different reasons: unfortunate partnerships, too many unsold products, and a lack of funds that have piled up, leaving me with no choice but to stop offering most of my items.
‘Now I’m at a stage where I’m clearing out stock, and to speed up this process, I’m offering you these huge discounts. It’s hard for me to let this situation continue… I hope that you, my community, understand and support my decision. With love, Maggie.’
Velora claims to have a 30-day money-back guarantee and ’24-hour customer service’.
However, one customer who demanded a refund from Velora after shopping there claimed they were ignored for days before finally receiving a response.
In an email sent from Velora to the customer, seen by MailOnline, a worker going by the name of ‘Cindy’ wrote: ‘Thank you for your message. I’m sorry, but as your order has already been processed and is on its way to you, unfortunately it can no longer be cancelled.
‘If you still wish to return the item for a refund, you can do so when you receive it. We’re here to help you with the returns process and ensure you receive your refund.
‘If you have any further questions or concerns, feel free to contact us. We are here to help.’
MailOnline has approached both companies for comment.