freely buying counterfeit products when abroad, fake toys are a major concern for them.
lack of certainty affects the parent’s willingness to complain.
Hannah said: “It depends
where it’s from, and if I was 100 per cent certain. We wouldn't want to be embarrassed.” When asked if she complains to the seller in this situation, Rebecca offered: “Yes, as they could be dangerous.” Helen added: “I would too, as I wouldn't think I was getting value for money otherwise.”
None of our group
expressed a concern about the effect counterfeiting has on the industry or the economy. Clearly, for parents, safety is paramount.
The consensus between our panel was that they would always complain if they found out they’d been sold fake toys by a shop, but they wouldn’t do so if they were bought from a market stall. “You'd expect knock-offs
WHAT ABOUT OTHER COUNTERFEIT GOODS?
WITH A couple of exceptions every parent in our group admitted to having purchased counterfeit goods, although not always on purpose.
“Handbag, sunnies,
DVDs… gosh that sounds awful; it’s not a frequent occurrence”, said Rachel, a
mother of a six and three year old.
Helen, mum of kids aged
two and four, added: “It's all part and parcel of being on holiday. It never seems that bad on holiday.” When asked why, Hannah said: “I was young, that's my excuse.”
Being abroad clearly help
our sample feel more at ease about buying counterfeit goods. A few of our group expressed worry that counterfeit products in the UK are linked to organised crime, although dangers related to faulty products is their chief concern.
on a market stall, but not in a shop,” commented Rebecca.
Although two parents
say they’d complain to Trading Standards, the rest claimed they would tackle the store manager. While stores present a figure of authority to complain to, the majority of counterfeit toys seen by our group were found at fairs, markets and online. Despite the majority of
our group freely buying counterfeit products abroad, fake toys are a major concern for them. However, that concern
was focused on their child’s safety and not the moral or economic issues, many even expect to find fakes online and on market stalls.
THE MAJORITY of our parents told us their favourite shopping destinations are the High Street and supermarkets, combined with online destinations such as eBay and Amazon. Father of one, Jim, added charity shops and car boot sales to his list of shopping destination. Although our virtual
group frequently uses eBay, many expressed a concern regarding quality. These included Hannah, mother of a four year old son, who said: “I’m worried about [a product’s] condition mainly, and I'd rather be able to see what they look like and, frankly, who's selling them.” We asked certain
parents why they don’t shop on eBay.
“I guess I just don't
want to take chances where my loved one is concerned. I've heard some awful stories,” explained Sam, mum to a baby girl. Sharon added: “On
eBay you just don't know if [toys are] genuine or if they're a cheap imitation. Everyone looks to eBay to get a bargain.” Most of the parents concur that checking seller feedback is essential when purchasing toys in online auctions.
And all ten parents stated their concern for safety, while Sam said another big concern is whether they have space for more toys –a sentiment echoed by others in the room.