Sophia Michaels
Bethenny Frankel is “furious” with TJ Maxx for selling her counterfeit Manolo Blahnik shoes.
The “Real Housewives of New York City” alum called out the retail company in a video posted on Instagram Saturday, saying, “This is the most effed up thing yet.”
Frankel, 52, revealed that she was informed by a fashion blogger named Jack Savoie that pink Manolo Blahnik heels she purchased from TJ Maxx were fake because they were missing a sueded sole and the logo was wrong.
The reality star, for her part, also noticed that the shoe’s sizing was off since a size 40 didn’t fit her — even though she’s typically a size 39.
“Never did I think that there could be a fake product in there,” Frankel told her more than 3 million followers.
“It just never occurred to me. It’s a public company — I own the stock.”
The Skinnygirl founder said she has bought “tons of s–t” from the discount retailer because shopping at the store is like a “treasure hunt.”
“I’m there all the time. I live for it,” she added, highlighting why she was so shocked by the faux shoes.
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Frankel then shared that she called up TJ Maxx and they claimed to have not purchased “this particular shoe.”
The company rep told her that an individual must have done an exchange with a “counterfeit return,” which they said “rarely happens.”
Frankel said the TJ Maxx rep asked her for her receipt, but she had already thrown it out.
They also reportedly offered to reimburse her the $869 she spent on the faux shoes, but that amount did not suffice for the business mogul.
“I effectively without cursing said, ‘Eff that. A, I don’t have the receipt and next, you’re going to send me a larger check,’” Frankel said she told the store’s rep.
“‘I’ve done millions of dollars in free advertising for you and not asking for a goddamn thing.’”
Despite the ordeal, the former “Big Shot With Bethenny” star said she is still going to “wear these fake counterfeit shoes with pride” because she “[owns] them now.”
However, Frankel concluded with a warning, “Do not buy luxury goods at TJ Maxx.”
Page Six reached out to a spokesperson for the retailer, who exclusively tells Page Six, “At TJ Maxx, we stand behind the merchandise we sell, and our vendors represent and warrant that the goods they supply to us are genuine and authentic.
“We are aware of Ms. Frankel’s recent shoe purchase, and sincerely regret her experience. We believe that this may have been an instance of return fraud, in which an individual returned an item to our store that was not purchased at one of our stores.”
The rep also notes that “unfortunately” incidents like the one Frankel experienced happen “in retail from time to time.”
TJ Maxx’s spokesperson concluded, “We greatly appreciate Ms. Frankel’s longtime loyalty to TJ Maxx and have reached out to her directly to work to resolve her concerns.”
