Counterfeit Petzl Gear!!!

[NZcaver]

Post edited to add official Petzl Press release - click HERE


Please see the below message regarding counterfeit Petzl Gear, I received in on the Texas Cavers mailing list earlier and I know there are those out there who use Cavechat exclusively for there information.


http://www.karstworlds.com/2011/02/attention-petzl-warns-for-fake-chinese.html


Friday, February 11, 2011
Attention: Petzl warns for fake Chinese reproductions
French version below! (Version française voir plus bas!)

Attention: Petzl warns for fake Chinese reproductions


Following mail was sent this week to Petzl dealers, an official statement on the Petzl website will follow soon. This is not a scam.

Dear Customer,
We have recently discovered in China illegal copies of our followings products:


These counterfeit products show serious defects which affect their performance and strength

* There is a very high risk that these illegal copies will open or otherwise fail at very low loads under normal use.
* These illegal copies do not meet the requirements of CE or UIAA standards.
* These illegal copies do not meet Petzl safety and quality requirements.

For example :


These illegal copies look exactly like the Petzl originals. Their outward appearance has been expertly reproduced which makes them very difficult to identify.

The following have been reproduced identically:

* Design
* Color
* All product markings
* Batch number
* Instructions for use (even the most minor details)
* Packaging is identical to the old brown cardboard box packaging
* All markings on the packaging

Only an in-depth analysis allows us to identify these illegal copies.

To date, only a few counterfeits have been found on the market and we are actively working to stop the production and the introduction to the market of these dangerous products, which put our clients’ lives at risk.

With regard to the risks involved in using these illegal copies, our duty is to inform our customers. By the middle of February, we are going to post a user warning on our Website.

Please help us to stop these counterfeits from reaching the market:

* Only buy Petzl products from your official distributor: Alpitec –Petzl Benelux.
* Avoid any other source, and if you have any doubts on the authenticity of Petzl products, please contact us.

We remind you that selling PPE (personal protective Equipment) may hold the seller liable.
Your vigilance and your professionalism together with our action plan will allow us to cut off
this source before it becomes too extensive and floods our markets with illegal copies, which
put our clients’ lives at risk.

Thank you in advance for your help in this matter.
Alpitec – Petzl Benelux

[sherppa]

Anybody knows if it is true? I just recieved this message. Then, I visit the Petzl website and did not found anything about it.
http://www.karstworlds.com/2011/02/atte ... inese.html

[NZcaver]

Interesting. I've never heard of "karstworlds.com" but the notification appears to be official. Here are the pictures.

[self-deleted_user]

So...how are we supposed to know if they are counterfeit other than testing until they break (or don't) at required force? I mean, I just got a croll and attache from OR1 end of December. My ascender is not that style so that's all good.

[MUD]

I would think Petzl would release this info before anyone else. Like NZ, I've never heard of this karstworlds site. This could put a dent in their sales.

[NZcaver]

If you bought it from an authorized dealer like OR1 you should be fine.

I can't seem to find reference to this alert anywhere else on the web except for this karstworlds blog. Very odd. It may not be legitimate but I'll try asking a dealer or two.

[Phil Winkler]

The fact that karstworlds was recently created is odd.

Whois Server Version 2.0

Domain names in the .com and .net domains can now be registered
with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net
for detailed information.

Domain Name: KARSTWORLDS.COM
Registrar: GODADDY.COM, INC.
Whois Server: whois.godaddy.com
Referral URL: http://registrar.godaddy.com
Name Server: NS63.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
Name Server: NS64.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
Status: clientDeleteProhibited
Status: clientRenewProhibited
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Status: clientUpdateProhibited
Updated Date: 26-dec-2010
Creation Date: 26-dec-2010
Expiration Date: 26-dec-2011

[Scott McCrea]

This is a bit strange. The signature "Alpitec – Petzl Benelux" doesn't offer much from Google. The Alpitec.be website is virtually bare. The name "Petzl Benelux" doesn't bring much either. The address on Alpitec.be leads to an industrial area of Belgium. The guy that runs the Karstworld website, "Tom Dedroog", seems to be a caver from Belgium. He has a facebook page. I posted a comment on the article for more info. We'll see...

[paul]

There's no mention of counterfeit gear on the Lyon Outdoor website either. They are the UK distributor for Petzl gear.

[Carl Amundson]

Don't tell me, we have a counterfeit alert for counterfeit Petzl gear??

[Chads93GT]

Probably someone that petzl pissed off so they be gettin some payback yo!

[Carl Amundson]

Probably someone that petzl pissed off so they be gettin some payback yo!

Yeah, but the alert is on older model gear.
Maybe someone has a problem with gear being sold on ebay, (don't know, just a guess).

[Andy]

Benelux is short for Belgium, Netherlands & Luxembourg. A common term in Europe.

[OpenTrackRacer]

So you're saying that I should loan other people the Petzl gear I purchased of eBay rather than using it myself?



Mike

[David Grimes]

I have a feeling this is completely fake. The newly registered address plus the fact that the only info on this comes from that one website. Whatever the reason for the guys post on his website I am sure he has achieved his goal since these rumors are now all over the internet and have even been circulated through many grotto contact lists.