Do not buy from 'Made By Jessica'!

[AgentPidge]

I bought two dresses online (£39 each) from what I thought was a UK-based boutique after a recommendation on a thread on MN. The website shows a pregnant woman, and says that 'Jessica' is closing her boutique due to the imminent arrival of her baby and is selling off stock at half price. The OP said about how much she loved the shop, etc.
Alarm bells should have rung when they ask for £4.99 insurance (to send a parcel from Surrey?). Also because there was no description of the fabric content given, only that it was a 'light and airy summer fabric'. They took a long time to arrive (direct from China?) and came today. The material is almost plastic, and they are a heavy weight, huge, shoddily made, with no labels (fabric content, washing instructions, brand) apart from 'Medium'.
Looking at Trustpilot, lots of people have the same story. They are Hong Kong based. There does not seem to be a UK store. 'Made by Jessica' my arse. They promise easy returns and refunds, but I don't hold out much hope, and it will cost a fortune to send them back to China. But will update.

I’ve also been caught out by a MNer recommending a shit product in the past so I know it can catch you out. I think we all need to not automatically trust that everyone on MN is genuine, just to add to all the other potential scams we need to be aware of. BTW don’t bother sending back to China, they will generally not receive the parcel, so you’re throwing bad money after good.

There is so much stuff online now that looks beautiful and uk based but is coming from China. I bought what looked like the most amazing ceiling light from what was called something like “the london lighting company” - took weeks to arrive. It’s actually fine now I got an electrician to change a part, but I am ultra careful now about checking out the trustpilot reviews now. It’s so misleading - and yes you definitely cannot believe all you read on mumsnet.

OMG I also got caught to a mumsnetter who recommended a tutoring service called HiFive in America. My DD could have done way better by doing workbooks instead. I think this woman was a plant. I think it was a shell company who sold a very sub par tutoring service based in Georgia. Money down the drain.

Never take anyone’s word for it without checking it out for yourself.

I avoid all random FB adds for clothes and shoes. I ordered from a company called Oxford Lotus ,think that was the name and the sandals took 4 weeks ,wrong size and nothing like I ordered .They refused to refund the item because they were a ‘sale’ item !! £39 down the drain!

Sadly 'big sale due to personal reason' is a well known scam. I nearly fell for some sea glass craft kit thing that online research showed to be a load of plastic crap.

The BBC is currently running a podcast series that shows how common this is, what it looks like and worryingly, how it's often not even the main scam to get you to pay too much for cheap crap that will cost a fortune to return, but they're also stealing your data, so expect further scams to come your way once they have your details.

Scam Secrets - The Great Knitted Cardigan Scam - BBC Sounds

Scam Secrets - The Customer Service Returns Scam - BBC Sounds

As it sounds like the items weren't described, if 'Jessica' won't refund you, you could try a chargeback with your card issuer.

I was caught years ago with something like this. I always look on trust pilot now before I order something. According to which this is a usual tactic saying they are having a closing down sale all bollocks and all coming from China and apparently based in the uk

Another scam site I get inundated with on MUMSNET is Elevenforest. They show the most beautiful clothing, which is nothing like the tat they send out.

Yes this isn't uncommon. If you see something you fancy I suggest having a good look at the website, then wait a week and keep scrolling social media. You may well find the same pics pop up under different "company names". That's a big clue that it's one bigger Chinese entity.

Sometimes I still take the risk and sometimes the product is fine (not the best but ok for the price). Sometimes it's just fit for the bin.

I bought some ballerina style shoes from a company called Oxford something. They are fine for wearing around the office but very lightweight so I would not wear them for a lot of outdoor walking. But cheap. Definitely not from Oxford though.

Also bought a dress from Lily & Fleur (i think) which looked lovely in photos but feels like wearing thin plastic and the waist is in a really odd unflattering place. So that wasn't so great.

I see a lot of these 'I have to sell as I am closing' adverts on Insta. Assumed they were all scams.

Always check trust pilot before ordering and check the returns address as well. If it’s not UK based don’t bother.

Scammers can set up hundreds of shopfronts in a day thanks to AI.

Get on Trustpilot, check the returns policy and generally be on the lookout for dodgy stuff like no UK address.

If you've never heard of the shop, find out why....

My teenager keeps sending me links to places she wants to buy things from that I have to veto. It’s never ending with the overseas scammers. She is finally starting to learn how to research a seller before getting too attached to an offering.

I agree with the others, don’t bother doing the return. It will just be more money lost.

Do a reverse image search and see if the item is on multiple other websites and is being dropshipped. Not foolproof but helpful.

I always look and see how much it is on aliexpress (usually cheaper)

They have an image search option too.

I get this too. When birthdays/Christmas are coming up, I ask teen DS to send me links for clothes he wants, and half of them get vetoed. He's learning now. A business has to be well known, have glowing Trustpilot reviews, or have an actual high street store version, otherwise it's not getting my money.

I have been caught out a few times by these scams . Now, I look at trust-pilot before even buying items from unknown companies

All those “shop closing” messages indicate a scam/poorly made product usually based in China.

I've fallen for 2, both basically scammy looky like sites. One for a swimming costume, one for a bag.
Just put it in the idiot tax box.

Don't know if it's been mentioned but I've been caught out thinking 'designed in UK' with a big UK flag means made in UK. It doesn't. It was made in China.

I am really kicking myself for not looking at Trust pilot first. They have loads of complaints and people saying it's a scam.

I know the ones you mean - 'Regrettably, we are closing our business'. This wasn't that. She had reviews on her website saying how lovely the clothes were and wishing her luck with the baby. Except now I know the picture of her and the shop are just stock photos and there is no shop. It's obviously really - no small boutique would carry the huge range of stuff on the website. It's another Shein or Temu.

Thanks. I don't hold out much hope for a refund. They have just sent me an email saying my order should be delivered soon, which tells me they have received my email asking for a refund but didn't actually read it!

There is a current thread with links to scam sites
Scam links on here

I reported the posts with the scam links but MN won't delete them as the posters are known posters and if I think the sites are scams I can flag it on the thread.

Jessica scam site

If you are looking at a site like Scam Jessica these are the red flags.

1. Everything is on sale.
2. Google lens any item . Google will show you the list of sites where the image appears. There will be dozens.
3. Google lens the photos of "Jessica" which will show where they're used. "Jessica" is a very busy lady.
4. Think about the stock - why is there masses and masses and masses, in all colours and sizes, with no coherent house style?
5. No information about what the clothes are made of or where.
6. If there is a UK address - Google it. It either won't exist or is a vacant lot on an industrial estate.
7. Check Trustpilot but remember Trustpilot has fake reviews - only trust the 1 stars.

It's another Shein or Temu. It's worse than them. At least they're honest about who and where they are , sell at realistic prices and people seem happy with what they send.

I always check the returns details on a site, that soon lets you know if its a scam site