Woman reimbursed for counterfeit hair styling tool after calling NBC10 Boston Responds

A Boston woman shelled out a lot of money for a name-brand hair styling system she found online. But when it broke, she discovered it was a fake. And she reached out to our NBC10 Boston Responds team for help.

Donna Newton bought an expensive Dyson Airwrap system for her daughter’s birthday last year. But the $600 product didn’t last long.

“About five months later, she called me to tell me that it broke. It wouldn't turn on and completely didn't work,” Newton explained.

Donna contacted the manufacturer, Dyson, since the product had a one-year warranty. But when she gave them the serial number on the Air Wrap she purchased, they said it wasn’t their product. 

“She told us that that serial number and that tag was not a real Dyson, that it wasn't one of their products and that that serial number wasn't associated with any of their products,” Newton said. “I was shocked. I didn't realize that that could happen.”

Newton said she had purchased the system from a third-party seller on Amazon. 

“I did file a complaint with them through the Amazon system,” she said.  “And after I had filed the complaint with that vendor, I received an email back from Amazon saying that that vendor is no longer a vendor of Amazon's.  And therefore, there's no way for me to get in touch with them.”

So she filed a claim with Amazon for a refund.

“And about a month or two later, I get an email back from Amazon stating that they no longer use that vendor and therefore there was nothing that they could do,” she said.

Newton said she filed two appeals which were denied because she had received the item and it matched its description and she did not contact the seller to report the issue within 30 days of receipt.

They suggested she contact the manufacturer.

“That's when I found out there was no further recourse that I could take because I called again and they said, there's nothing… that's the last thing we're able to do,” she said.  “And at that very moment, while I was sitting on the couch, you were on TV helping someone with another consumer product.”

Newton said there was a QR code on the bottom of the screen.  She scanned it and filled out the NBC10 Boston Responds consumer complaint form.

We contacted Amazon on her behalf and Newton heard from the company right away. 

“I couldn't believe it,” she said. “There was an email in my inbox when I woke up the next morning from Amazon just telling me that they had credited my credit card for the product, so it was already done.”

An Amazon spokesperson tells us :

Amazon has a zero-tolerance policy for counterfeit products.  We have proactive measures in place to prevent counterfeit products from being listed and continuously monitor our store.  If we identify an issue, we act to protect customers and brands, including removing counterfeit listings and blocking accounts. 

We will continue to collaborate with brands and law enforcement to protect our customers from bad actors attempting to abuse our store.  We have since refunded the customer for their purchase.

“I was thrilled. I was really thrilled about it because it just, I think the whole thing about it was that it was just so unfair,” said Newton.   “Thank you so much.”

Dyson’s website said the counterfeit machines are very difficult to spot. They have extensive information on identifying fake Dyson technology, why the counterfeit products can be dangerous and what to do if you have purchased a counterfeit machine. 

You can find more information here. :  

If you have a consumer problem, contact NBC10 Boston Responds by filling out our online consumer complaint form. We will get back to you!

We will get back to you!