This isn’t a post I want to write but as our current situation isn’t going away, it’s become necessary to put this out there. In December we were made aware of Facebook adverts using our images and videos, we assumed this was a scam and nothing was being sent out. When the listings popped up on Amazon too we decided to buy one to see what arrived… This is when the nightmare really began.
“My box is full of empty envelopes”
On December 22nd we got a delivery, a box that looked suspiciously like out but said ‘Dates of the Year’ in the lid, in our font. We were shocked. Then we opened the lid… The first thing we saw was our poem – the one John wrote on the original gift he gave me – printed on the inside, the next thing was the one large date card, complete with our logo. The rest of the box contained 4 sealed date cards, all with the same suggestion, and a whole lot of empty envelopes.
The next day the messages started, people who thought they had bought our box but had come to wrap a Christmas gift to find it wasn’t as it should be. We received emails on Christmas Day, negative reviews on our site, phone calls and comments on our social posts, and it hasn’t stopped since. We have been defending the brand we have built for 7 years against a counterfeit box that has literally just popped up from nowhere.
Can you not just shut it down?
Getting this stopped is proving to be a headache. We have had the Facebook ads removed, we have had countless Amazon listings taken down, Ebay have made us jump through so many hoops and it’s still all over their platform, Temu and Wish have also removed the products. But as soon as we have one taken down, 3 more spring up – it has been a full time job to keep on top of it which has taken its toll on our own business, and mental health.
After much investigative work (literally days of our lives!) we have tracked the box to a Chinese factory, this is supported by the people who have had a response from the company have been asked to send it back to China for a refund… As I’m sure you can imagine China has different rules to the UK around trademark infringement.
We won’t give up! There is a Ministerial Enquiry taking place about our case and we’re making progress but it is slow and we’re not expecting ‘Dates of the Year’ to disappear anytime soon, which is why we wanted to share details of the two boxes to help explain the difference…
As you’ll see they haven’t even taken our logo off the cards they have made, so if there was any doubt…
What you can do if you’ve been affected
- Contact the website you bought the box from. They may or may not reply! If you bought from Amazon or eBay you should get a refund from them.
- Leave. review stating what happened – the more awareness of this better to stop others being duped.
- Contact your bank/Paypal/other payment method and contest the charge to helpfully get your money back.
- Comment on any social media ads you see – that aren’t ours!
- Be aware of counterfeit deals, this isn’t just happening to us, there are loads of small businesses being copied out there. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is!
What do you get in A Year of Dates box?
As well as 52 sealed cards, each with a different date suggestion inside, you also get a leaflet explaining the concept, 5 blank cards for your own ideas and a colour coded key to explain the different types of dates. There is also the option to personalise the box.
This idea came from a gift John made me almost 10 years ago now, it is our story, our history and our future. We won’t let this beat us.
The original date box – A Year of Dates
52 sealed date ideas along with 5 blanks for you to fill in with more personal ideas.
To see our full range of date night boxes click here
