Lux Afrique Boutique Arvostelua 

I was looking for a limited edition item that had sold out at the actual brand store. After an extensive search, I somehow stumbled upon Lux Afrique Boutique, who listed they had this item in stock. They had a social media presence (albeit a little on the weak side) but did seem to have some real customer reviews. After some initial pleasant correspondence with their personal shopper, Fabien and reassurance about how they have been doing this “personal shopper business for 9 years”, I decided to go ahead (knowing that I would get 100% protection from my credit card if they fail to deliver me said item).

Right after I paid, I was told they did not have the item but would have to source it from overseas –Fabien explained it’s because “I took too long deciding and they sold the one they physically had." (One would think that they would have warned me about this before I paid, but ok...) After 2 days, Fabien told me they managed to source the item from another country and it would take about 3 business days up to 2 weeks for it to arrive at their UK warehouse and from that point, it would be shipped to me.

However, the next day I heard that the actual brand is releasing some more supply. Since I have already paid Lux and they made it clear that there are no refunds possible, I reached out to them to make sure the item was sourced for me. (It would suck if they were lying and I miss out on ordering the item from the actual brand). Fabien said there’s an item coming but cannot provide any concrete proof. They said that if I don’t feel comfortable, they can offer me a one time refund (minus £300 service fee). I decided to trust Lux and I ultimately missed out on ordering said item from the actual brand.

After a few days with no updates, I reached out about the item status (is it on its way from the other country to the UK?) I immediately get an email back from them saying my order has been cancelled and they will be issuing me a full refund. I was flabbergasted because just a few days ago Fabien confidently said the item was sourced and being delivered to their UK warehouse. I did not ask for a cancellation. They stopped responding to my emails and Fabien even threatened to block my number if I attempt to message or call anymore. Gone were their pleasantry and manners. I had a friend reach out to them to inquire about the same item. Fabien told my friend they have no stock and there is a waitlist, and best of all – the price has jumped from £1700 to £2500.

I have many questions that they have refused to answer, therefore leading to a lot of speculation on my end. Did they ever, at any point, actually source the item for me? Were they hoping I would accept their first offer for a refund minus a £300 service fee? Did they realize they could be selling the item at an even higher price and therefore decided to cancel my order? Who knows because they never responded to my email.

Perhaps they have a niche group of well-off clientele and don’t need to rely on new customers. If that’s the case, they should make that clear. They did refund me in full but I lost some money due to the foreign transaction fees. Fortunately, after I opened a dispute and supplied lots of evidence, I was credited back in full from my credit card company. Lux may be a legitimate company, but my experience with them was extremely negative. If you are reading this and thinking about whether to trust Lux Afrique Boutique, I highly advise you to turn away.

Update in response to Lux's reply:

"Unfortunately, the item was sold out globally" - Yes, that's fine, but that doesn't explain the lies I was told and the attempts that were made to charge me additional money. After I paid the invoice in full, your personal shopper, Fabien, made it very clear the item was sourced for me and on its way to UK. When I asked him for some proof that the item was sourced for me, he said he can't provide me with proof but if I did not want to go through the purchase, he would do a one time refund for me but he would have to charge £300 because he spent all morning looking for this highly sought after item. So if you’re telling me the item is sold out globally, how does that explain Fabien’s messages?

This doesn’t have to be a “he said, she said, they said” situation – I do have the chatlogs, as do you/Fabien. So, let’s just leave it at that. I already got my refund and every cent I paid towards this item has been returned to me. I wrote this review to recount my experience in dealing with your company and Fabien and to serve as a warning for others.

Update 2:
How about you take a look at Fabien Bernard's phone and see what he told me? How he sourced me the bag? Perhaps the issue lies with him and not your company as a whole. Have a nice life!