CONSUMERS are being warned that their money could end up burning more than a hole in their pocket if they spend it on a set of fake hair straighteners.
Lancashire County Council Trading Standards Service is warning consumers to steer away from two particular websites selling fake GHD hair products.
The websites are: www.gohairline.com and www.gohaironline.com Both appear to offer genuine GHD bra
nded hair straighteners at reduced prices.
However, Trading Standards has received two complaints from consumers where hair straighteners purchased from the websites were found to be counterfeit. The consumers thought they were buying genuine products and had no idea that they would be fake.
One set did not work and were burnt out on the inside, the other failed the second time they were used. Both cost approximately £90 and were delivered to the consumer direct from a trader in China.
Initial enquiries indicated that the registrant of the websites was in Lancashire but further investigation has indicated that the websites are actually based and operated in China. There are no supplier's address details provided on the websites.
There are also concerns as to the safety of the items. Genuine GHD products have a cut off facility should the hair straighteners not be used for a period of time. The counterfeit versions did not have this feature.
County Councillor, Marcus Johnstone, Cabinet member for community, planning and partnerships, said: "Consumers need to be careful when buying goods over the internet, particularly if you have not done business with the seller before. You may not know where the seller is based and ! can't then trace them should things go wrong.
"In this case, the seller is based in China and the goods they supplied were counterfeit. The consumers have no way of seeking redress. More worryingly, these straighteners appear unsafe in that important safety features were not present which are designed to reduce the risk of house fires should the straighteners be left unattended."
Anyone with information regarding counterfeit goods can report the matter to Trading Standards via Consumer Direct telephone 08454 04 05 06.
GHD is an established British company manufacturing hair products. Details of GHD stockists and information regarding counterfeit GHD products can be found on the GHD website at www.ghdhair.com/uk
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