If there’s one thing that customers don’t have to worry about when purchasing goods in stores, it’s accidentally buying a counterfeit item.
Well, unless you accidentally buy something from a counterfeit store.
And that’s exactly what happened to this lady in China who thought she was buying shoes from Charles & Keith, but only realised afterwards that she had bought them from, wait for it…
Chermas & Kaeth.
(Not to be confused with Cherlss & Keich. Or Chfpibs & Kslth.)
Yes,
When posting about her experience on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, the lady explained that she had initially thought that she was buying shoes from Charles and Keith.
She then forked out 500 yuan (approximately $93.47) for the pair of shoes.
The title of her post, “It’s not Little CK at all, I was tricked”, sums up her entire experience pretty well.
For context, Calvin Klein is usually called “Big CK” in China, which is why those in China have given Charles & Keith the “Little CK” nickname.
The lady added in her post’s caption that she tried to ask the store’s staff for a refund after she realised that her Charles & Keith shoes were knockoffs, but the staff refused to refund her.
She also mentioned that she found out afterwards that Chermas & Kaeth is a “random” brand from Guangdong.
“Well, I guess I’ll treat it like I learned a lesson for 500 yuan,” she concluded.
Others Also Thought Chermas & Kaeth Was Charles & Keith
And it seems like the lady who uploaded her post wasn’t the only one who got fooled.
Some netizens said they also thought that Chermas & Kaeth was the real deal, while others mentioned that the storefront of the Chermas & Kaeth store in the photo looked similar to that of most Charles & Keith stores.
On the other hand, other users who had their IP addresses stated as other countries like Malaysia questioned why knockoff shops like these were allowed in China.
However, one netizen pointed out that Chermas & Kaeth technically does not sell “counterfeit” goods as it is just a brand with (uncannily) similarities to Charles & Keith.
Hence, if Charles & Keith does not take legal action against the brand, consumers are unable to take any action either.
Despite the original poster’s claim that Chermas & Kaeth is from Guangdong, its website states that it was founded in Hong Kong.
The website revealed that the brand was founded in 2018 and that most of its products range from 300 to 500 yuan (approximately $56.08 to $93.47).
Apart from that, the brand also listed one of its “brand tonality” qualities as “original”.
Which is pretty ironic.
Chermas & Kaeth also included photos of its various storefronts but did not state where their stores were located.
However, based on a Weibo post, it apparently has an outlet in Wangfujing Mall in Beijing, China.