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Source: Fair Go -
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Reporter: Phil Vine
Hair straightening is a daily ritual for thousands of kiwi women
(and men). The Ferrari of the hair straightening world is a product
made by GHD.
They retail at hairdressing salons for $350 but there are many
websites out there selling them for 250 bucks or less. The websites
sell fakes that look extremely authentic but they can be quite
dangerous. Lexi Cuneen from Waipara in Canterbury got a pair that
began to melt and give off toxic fumes after they were turned
on.
Fair Go's had dozens of complaints about these fakes.
Websites such as
www.nicehair.co.nz <
http://www.nicehair.co.nz>,
www.ghdstyler.co.nz <
http://www.ghdstyler.co.nz>,
www.straightener.co.nz <
http://www.straightener.co.nz> and
www.i-store.co.nz
<
http://www.i-store.co.nz> appear to be based in
New Zealand but Phil finds out they're hiding behind fake
addresses.
GHD says that none of their authentic products are sold online
(they only sell through salons) and the fakes are electrically
unsafe.
Phil's top tips for identifying genuine New Zealand websites:
"Just because it has 'nz' in the website address doesn't mean it's
based in New Zealand."
1. Check if there's a New Zealand telephone number on the site.
Call it. If there's a fax, fax them.
2. Check for a physical street address. Look in the "contact us" or
"frequently asked questions" section. Use the white pages to check
if it actually exists.
3. Check the email address. If it's gmail or hotmail that's a
warning sign.
4. Go to the companies office <
http://www.Companies.Govt.Nz/cms> . Do a
company search. Check if it's a New Zealand company.
5. Check the language. If the English isn't great that's another
warning sign.
6. Take some of the text and google it to see if it's been copied
from another site.
7. Go to the whois website. <
http://whois.domaintools.com> put in the
website address. Look at the domain address. Check out where it's
been registered. Check if the details are correct and match the
website itself.
Online sleuths feel free to add to our list by sending us a message
on the feedback part of our site.
