Duty Free Depot review: counterfeit cigarettes 17

DutyFreeDepot.com sells Counterfeit China-made cigarettes!

This company advertises as a "duty free shop" offering authentic international cigarette brands at bottom dollar prices. DON'T BE FOOLED! The cigarettes you will receive will be illegal counterfeits smuggled out of China. These fake cigarettes are illegal and extremely dangerous to your health. Scientists who have analyzed Chinese cigarette knockoffs have found elevated levels of toxic heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium and lead, as well as human feces, saw dust, mold, insect eggs and rat droppings. These crooks operate out of Israel and are therefore beyond the reach of any international law enforcement agency.

I received 2 cartons of Marlbo Reds from these unscrupulous crooks that were sold as "made in Switzerland" and "made in Philippines" but whose appearance was identical to several photos of counterfeit cigarettes posted on the websites of Chinese cigarette counterfeiters like Liwong.com. Not only that, but the labeling on both the carton and individual cigarette packs showed OBVIOUS pixelation, which demonstrates that were, in fact, printed using a scanned computer image. It goes without saying that the official manufacturers do NOT do this!

I later realized after doing some research that ALL of the products they sell are indeed COUNTERFEIT. The quality of the reproduced cigarettes varies according to brand, but NONE of them are authentic! See for yourselves! Check out Liwong.com and compare them to the photos on their sites. Don't make the fatal mistake of believing these Israeli gangsters when they tell you that they only stock authentic products. It is an unequivocal LIE!

I have been defrauded to the tune of nearly $2000 dollars by this company! And the entire time they have exposed me to the toxic cocktail of chemicals and compounds present in their illegal Chinese cigarettes manufactured in underground complexes, with absolutely no concern or compunction for the health and welfare of those who end up unwittingly inhaling these lead and feces-laced Chinese toxic waste dumps masquerading as factory fresh European cigarettes.

And I have been devastated by the discovery!

If you buy anything from this company you are simply promoting poison cigarettes and international gangsterism.

I'm Michael, and I'm the executive marketing and customer relations manager of www.DutyFreeDepot.com. I would like to clear up a few topics. ALL of our products are real duty-free items that are sold in duty-free shops around the world. We work with the same suppliers and brands just like real duty-free shop in your local airport. ALL of our products are genuine and all the facts are stated on the item's page in our website. We work directly with cigarette suppliers in Switzerland and Western Europe and in any case, we do not deal with Chinese production whatsoever. The products are being legally purchased and sold according to strict manufacture's policies, no exceptions. What is claimed to be made in Western Europe, is made there and dozens of our satisfied customers can testify for that matter. Being one of the leading online retailers we can not avoid occasional shipping or billing glitches, therefore we established a professional customer support team that deals with any problem before and after your purchase. All the calls and emails are answered as soon as possible, and the company is not ignoring its customers. If you have any question or issue, you can always contact us directly at: [protected]. If your issue has not been resolved, you can contact me directly at: marketing[at]dutyfreedepot[dot]com, and I will do my best to resolve the problem.
Regarding the case of Mr. "slimjim611", I have checked our database, and could not retrieve any information regarding any purchase of $2000 during April - June, 2001. Unless you provide me additional info (order #, or a real name), that's the best I can do. Again, if you, or any other customer, feel unhappy with our service - please contact me, and we will do our best to solve the issue.
Michael.

Michael,

You're lying, and you know it.

I called twice and left a long message both times. No one from your company made even the slightest attempt to address the matter. You'd think they'd be eager to respond to a 3 year customer complaining of receiving counterfeit cigarettes. Unless, of course, they were already aware of the fact.

I assure anyone reading this complaint that I am indeed a former customer of dutyfreedepot.com, spanning from roughly late 2008 till June 2011, when I discovered that your "duty free" products are actually not genuine products at all, but reproductions--"knockoffs". You can reiterate the vehement claims of authenticity proclaimed at your website ad nauseam if you like; I've seen and compared the evidence myself, so no public-relations damage control double-talk will succeed in pulling the wool over my eyes: I've received "Philippine" and "Swiss" Marlboro Red cigarettes from your company that are identical to the photos exhibited at the websites of Chinese counterfeiters and wholesalers. I'm talking about poor tasting cigarettes with outward labeling and barcodes that show rough printing and digital pixelation--notorious hallmarks of counterfeited goods.

The reason I ended up spending thousands at dutyfreedepot over nearly 3 years is that I was simply unaware of the fact that the cigarettes you were selling were fakes! Some of the brands are obviously more professionally produced than others. The only reason I stumbled upon the awful truth was that I had decided to experiment with other brands you advertise--and this only due to the fact that the cigs I had been purchasing from you consistently (Gauloises Blondes Blue) seemed to be making me feel somewhat sick, besides developing a large sore on my tongue that I never had during over 10 years of smoking US Marlboro Reds both non-FSC and FSC (FSC went into effect in NY during 2004).

The carton of Marlboro Reds I received recently from Dutyfreedepot stamped "made under authority Neuchatel Switzerland" are NOT Swiss-made cigarettes, as they are advertising! The packaging is sloppy and the images are CLEARLY computer generated. Of course I contacted DutyfreeDepot--twice, by phone, with NO RESPONSE! If you check Liwong.com (which is the website of a counterfeit cig manufacturer in Hong Kong), you will see that many of the cigarettes DutyFreeDepot is currently shipping are identical to the contraband cigarettes pictured in their product profiles.

Since when do Marlboros from Switzerland have the words "DUTY FREE SOUTH ASIA" printed across their cellophane pull-tabs?

The problem with this is not that the cigarettes are not approved by the U.S. Govt, but rather that they are of extremely variable quality and questionable safety. If you google this subject you'll find reputable sources confirming the presence of excess Tar and other contaminants, included mould, rat droppings, feces, as well as toxic concentrations of arsenic and other heavy metals. I've actually been experiencing health issues that I strongly suspect are related to having smoked these counterfeit cigs over a nearly 3 year period that I NEVER experienced with even the regular FSC that's been for sale in NY since 2004.

You're poisoning your customers simply to make a profit!

Do you and your international gangster cronies even have a conscience?

Photo of "Philippine Marlboro Lights" advertised and sold by Dutyfreedepot.com at their website, from the website of a Chinese counterfeiter:

http://liwong.com/index.php?_m=mod_product&_a=view&p_id=131

Judge for yourselves!

Michael,

You're lying, and you know it.

I called twice and left a long message both times. No one from your company made even the slightest attempt to address the matter. You'd think they'd be eager to respond to a 3 year customer complaining of receiving counterfeit cigarettes. Unless, of course, they were already aware of the fact.

I assure anyone reading this complaint that I am indeed a former customer of dutyfreedepot.com, spanning from roughly late 2008 till June 2011, when I discovered that your "duty free" products are actually not genuine products at all, but reproductions--"knockoffs". You can reiterate the vehement claims of authenticity proclaimed at your website ad nauseam if you like; I've seen and compared the evidence myself, so no public-relations damage control double-talk will succeed in pulling the wool over my eyes: I've received "Philippine" and "Swiss" Marlboro Red cigarettes from your company that are identical to the photos exhibited at the websites of Chinese counterfeiters and wholesalers. I'm talking about poor tasting cigarettes with outward labeling and barcodes that show rough printing and digital pixelation--notorious hallmarks of counterfeited goods.

The reason I ended up spending thousands at dutyfreedepot over nearly 3 years is that I was simply unaware of the fact that the cigarettes you were selling were fakes! Some of the brands are obviously more professionally produced than others. The only reason I stumbled upon the awful truth was that I had decided to experiment with other brands you advertise--and this only due to the fact that the cigs I had been purchasing from you consistently (Gauloises Blondes Blue) seemed to be making me feel somewhat sick, besides developing a large sore on my tongue that I never had during over 10 years of smoking US Marlboro Reds both non-FSC and FSC (FSC went into effect in NY during 2004).

The carton of Marlboro Reds I received recently from Dutyfreedepot stamped "made under authority Neuchatel Switzerland" are NOT Swiss-made cigarettes, as they are advertising! The packaging is sloppy and the images are CLEARLY computer generated. Of course I contacted DutyfreeDepot--twice, by phone, with NO RESPONSE! If you check Liwong.com (which is the website of a counterfeit cig manufacturer in Hong Kong), you will see that many of the cigarettes DutyFreeDepot is currently shipping are identical to the contraband cigarettes pictured in their product profiles.

Since when do Marlboros from Switzerland have the words "DUTY FREE SOUTH ASIA" printed across their cellophane pull-tabs?

The problem with this is not that the cigarettes are not approved by the U.S. Govt, but rather that they are of extremely variable quality and questionable safety. If you google this subject you'll find reputable sources confirming the presence of excess Tar and other contaminants, included mould, rat droppings, feces, as well as toxic concentrations of arsenic and other heavy metals. I've actually been experiencing health issues that I strongly suspect are related to having smoked these counterfeit cigs over a nearly 3 year period that I NEVER experienced with even the regular FSC that's been for sale in NY since 2004.

You're poisoning your customers simply to make a profit!

Do you and your international gangster cronies even have a conscience?

Photo of "Philippine Marlboro Lights" advertised and sold by Dutyfreedepot.com at their website, from the website of a Chinese counterfeiter:

http://liwong.com/index.php?_m=mod_product&_a=view&p_id=131

Judge for yourselves!

Michael,

You're lying, and you know it.

I called twice and left a long message both times. No one from your company made even the slightest attempt to address the matter. You'd think they'd be eager to respond to a 3 year customer complaining of receiving counterfeit cigarettes; unless, of course, they were already aware of the fact.

I assure anyone reading this complaint that I am indeed a former customer of dutyfreedepot.com, spanning from roughly late 2008 till June 2011, when I discovered that your "duty free" products are actually not genuine products at all, but reproductions--"knockoffs". You can reiterate the vehement claims of authenticity proclaimed at your website ad nauseam if you like; I've seen and compared the evidence myself, so no public-relations damage control double-talk will succeed in pulling the wool over my eyes: I've received "Philippine" and "Swiss" Marlboro Red cigarettes from your company that are identical to the photos exhibited at the websites of Chinese counterfeiters and wholesalers. I'm talking about poor tasting cigarettes with outward labeling and barcodes that show rough printing and digital pixelation--notorious hallmarks of counterfeited goods.

The reason I ended up spending thousands at dutyfreedepot over nearly 3 years is that I was simply unaware of the fact that the cigarettes you were selling were fakes! Some of the brands are obviously more professionally produced than others. The only reason I stumbled upon the awful truth was that I had decided to experiment with other brands you advertise--and this only due to the fact that the cigs I had been purchasing from you consistently (Gauloises Blondes Blue) seemed to be making me feel somewhat sick, besides developing a large sore on my tongue that I never had during over 10 years of smoking US Marlboro Reds both non-FSC and FSC (FSC went into effect in NY during 2004).

The carton of Marlboro Reds I received recently from Dutyfreedepot stamped "made under authority Neuchatel Switzerland" are NOT Swiss-made cigarettes, as they are advertising! The packaging is sloppy and the images are CLEARLY computer generated. Of course I contacted DutyfreeDepot--twice, by phone, with NO RESPONSE! If you check Liwong.com (which is the website of a counterfeit cig manufacturer in Hong Kong), you will see that many of the cigarettes DutyFreeDepot is currently shipping are identical to the contraband cigarettes pictured in their product profiles.

Since when do Marlboros from Switzerland have the words "DUTY FREE SOUTH ASIA" printed across their cellophane pull-tabs?

The problem with this is not that the cigarettes are not approved by the U.S. Govt, but rather that they are of extremely variable quality and questionable safety. If you google this subject you'll find reputable sources confirming the presence of excess Tar and other contaminants, included mould, rat droppings, feces, as well as toxic concentrations of arsenic and other heavy metals. I've actually been experiencing health issues that I strongly suspect are related to having smoked these counterfeit cigs over a nearly 3 year period that I NEVER experienced with even the regular FSC that's been for sale in NY since 2004.

You're poisoning your customers simply to make a profit!

Do you and your international gangster cronies even have a conscience?

Photo of "Philippine Marlboro Lights" advertised and sold by Dutyfreedepot.com at their website, from the website of a Chinese counterfeiter:

http://liwong.com/index.php?_m=mod_product&_a=view&p_id=131

Judge for yourselves!

Jim,
First of all, I'm sorry for any inconvenience you have had with www.dutyfreedepot.com, you business is important for our company, and to me personally. I have checked your claims again and called the warehouse to examine the origin of Marlboro Reds, and I can assure you that they are labeled "Swiss Made". Same goes for Gauloises cogarettes, that we have just received a fresh stock straight from France. As a global company, we have a few warehouses across the globe, including one in Asia, that sells Philippine smokes, mainly to our customers in Asia. All the products that are not made in Western Europe or Switzerland are clearly marked so. The very most of our products are indeed from W. Europe and are NOT from Eastern Europe or Ukraine unlike many other competitive websites that sell cheaper, low-quality cigarettes. As I wrote earlier, www.dutyfreedepot.com is dealing with thousands of orders every day, that are shipped from different locations, so I suspect that your order was misplaced and sent from the wrong warehouse. All of your claims about Chinese counterfeit cigarettes are not accurate simply because we do not deal with those kind of products at all, and it is against our policy and contracts to do so. If you were buying at our store for 3 years, I encourage you to contact our support agents and ask your case to be reopened. Over 98% of the claims to our support team are answered within 24 hours. If you wish, you can contact me directly at marketing[at]dutyfreedepot[dot]com, and I will be glad to check your claims personally.
You must understand, Jim, that mistakes are happening and probably will continue to happen naturally. For that specific cause we have established a support team that deals with glitches of any kind. We have dozens of satisfied customers that are with us for many years, and I have many positive testimonials at hand. I hope to hear from you, and I'm sure that together we can fix your general attitude towards us, if you wish.
Michael

The vehement denials posted by this company representative ring quite hollow to me, considering the fact that I've had the occasion to examine a wide variety of the tobacco products you sell over a long period of time. The labeling and packaging are identical to those pictured at counterfeit wholesaler websites based in China. To anyone here who might doubt my claim, just compare the products you are receiving with the images of Chinese wholesalers online selling the same brands in bulk, marked "Made in France, Made in Germany, Made in U.K., " and ALL of them shipping out of CHINA. It strains credulity to suggest that these tobacco products are imported into China from the West and then resold to the West. Obviously, they are CHINESE reproductions. I have personally received a carton of Marlboro Reds marked "Made in Switzerland" which also had the words "Duty Free South Asia" printed along the length of the plastic wrapping's pull-open tab. The packaging of these cigarettes was identical to that pictured at www.LIWONG.com, the website of a prominent Chinese cigarette counterfeiter/wholesaler. The quality and packaging of these cigarettes was positively not consistent with that of any major cigarette manufacturer in existence. Phillip Morris does NOT use printed images generated from digitized files in the production of their products. The printing on both the carton and individual packs showed obvious pixelation. This is a hallmark of falsely branded goods.

So NO, protesting that your cigarettes are marked "Made in Switzerland" does not exactly settle the matter.

I was indeed a customer for nearly 3 years and I would never buy from Dutyfreedepot.com again, based on this experience.

TO ALL SMOKERS OUT THERE: If you buy from these people you are exposing yourself to the possibility of smoking chemically contaminated cigarettes!

Those who smoke don't deserve to be exploited like this! If you're thinking that 18-25 USD for a 10 pack carton of imported German, French and British cigarettes at a time when the EURO is killing the Dollar is too good to be true, then you're on the right track!

Spread the word and help put these people out of business for good!

Hello i sell original cigarette if you want ask by email
madmen1994@hotmail.com

They say they are not USA people. I have ordered from them a lot and service has been fine ! READ !

As a former customer, I can confirm that the cigarettes sold by Duty Free Depot and its affiliates are absolutely Chinese and Eastern European counterfeits. This shady company has been exposed all over the web. Google the phrase "Duty Free Depot counterfeit cigarettes China" for detailed accounts by customers.

Agree about the counterfeit, ordered 2 x Winston classic made in switzerland, took a month receiving in Canada, order been seized at the customs, all legal taxes been charged, paid for it, thinking it was the last time, and surprise, these cigarettes are not even real winstons, they taste, smell bad, definitely not genuine winstons.

So in all, around 120$ for a carton of Winston, 100% counterfeit, NEVER NEVER AGAIN buying cigarettes over the internet, thanks dutyfreedepot!"

I ordered cigarettes from them and today have received a letter from Border Agency saying they have seized 400 cigarettes addressed to me. They were seized under section 139.

These cigarettes are real [censored]. They are duty free cigarettes made to EU regulations with lower tar and nicotine. Most of the online cigarette stores are legit. The reason the companies can get away with sending us tax free goods from Israel is because of the positive trade relationship with the U.S. Of course the camels or marbs produced under EU regulations in other countries are going to ducking taste different. They have half the tar and nic. Get it together guys.. Someone is trying to give this website and other websites like it a bad name so you buy american made cigs and pay in that tax money!

Ignore Jon1990, he's clearly one of the many shills operating in behalf of the criminal enterprise being run out of Israel, otherwise known as "Duty Free Depot". The cigarettes are definitely fake. I know because I ordered a few cartons and con confirm the crudely counterfeited labeling and horrific taste and smell of these products. These aren't "EU" cigarettes (I've had plenty of those), they are pure, unadulterated fakes, filled with all sorts of toxins and extraneous chemicals you'd never find in any EU or American mass produced cigarette. The people involved with this operation are connected with organized crime in Israel and couldn't give a lick about the health consequences for the unwitting smokers who consume them. If you value your health AT ALL, then I highly recommend you DO NOT under any circumstances order cigarettes from places like Duty Free Depot. Perhaps there are some legitimate sources of discount imported cigarettes, but this is clearly NOT one of them! A big caveat emptor folks!

If you are so concerned about your health, then for Pete's sake, STOP SMOKING!

You people carrying on about dangerous chemicals in "Chinese" cigarettes and your health are hilarious. They are cigarettes ffs! American made cigarettes are also full of hundreds of harmful chemicals.

My experience with Duty Free Depot has been nothing but professional, and now I am unable to buy the cigarettes I love, Vogue Bleu, and I am very unhappy about this. I agree with those who have positive reviews and also say that there is a warning label on all cigarettes - imported or not - that's a fact. If you do not agree and take your chances on E-Cigarettes exploding on you. I do not smoke on regular basis, but when I do enjoy a brand I found on vacation in a French territory. Now that dutyfreedepot.com is unable to provide me my "treat" to myself, I am saddened that one or two customers have ruined that for other satisfied patrons.