Major update in ‘cookie scam’
Written by admin on October 2, 2024
The founder of the real Crumbl Cookies has issued an update after a group resold the popular cookies in what’s been referred to as a “cookie scam” at a pop up in Sydney, sparking outrage among those who queued up.
A group of people allegedly flew to the US and purchased a small fortune in Crumbl cookies, with the group earlier claiming they spent more than $13,000 importing and reselling the famous cookies, according to a TikTok posted to the crumblsydney channel.
Sydneysiders queued up for famous desserts at a pop-up store, where the cookies were sold for $17.50 each.
Some fans reacted with shock at the price and slammed the taste of the treats, however the importers told fans they “never claimed” to be an official Crumbl store.
“This was clearly stated in bio and our comments,” they said.
“Our goal was to bring the authentic Crumbl cookies to Australia by importing the cookies directly from the USA.”
The importers said the event was “never about profit” and claimed they had spent $4000 on flights and luggage, $6000 on cookies and packaging, $2000 in duties, taxes and customs broking and more than $1000 on staffing.
Crumbl, a US company founded in 2017, did not endorse the Sydney pop-up.
Founder Sawyer Hemsley has since delivered an exciting message to Aussies over social media.
“It appears we need to expedite our visit to Australia,” Mr Hemsley posted to social media.
“Please note, this pop-up is in no way affiliated with @Crumble Cookies.”
The post to Instagram also featured a poll titled “IYKYK (if you know you know)”, with options “I KNOW!”, “WHAAAAT?” and “DEEP DIVING NOW”.
All TikTok videos from the pop-up — referred to as a “cookie scam” by furious Sydneysiders — have been deleted as of Wednesday.
A customer of the pop-up spoke to Today on Wednesday, revealing he’d waited about half an hour in line behind a petrol station in “this little corner alleyway shop”.
“Looked dodgy, didn’t look too real,” the man told the program.
He spent about $40 on the cookies.
“Look, it didn’t taste good in the end as well. Felt a bit sick after,” he said.
“It was very sugary, very sweet.”
He also said he “should have just stayed at work” following the ordeal.
However, the importers earlier defended their actions and maintained they have not broken any laws.
On Tuesday morning, the importers addressed “the drama surrounding the event” and said they had sold “genuine Crumbl cookies”.
“We travelled to the US to purchase the cookies and imported them with our original packaging,” they stated.
“We did not bake them ourselves.”
The importers argued they had maintained the quality of the cookies during the journey.
“Crumbl cookies should be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days or refrigerated for up to seven days,” they stated.
“We kept them to these requirements.
“Some were warmed to enhance their texture, which is what Crumbl does as well.
“While most customers enjoyed the cookies, a couple of influencers felt they didn’t meet expectations.
“We apologise that they don’t live up to expectations; however, they are just cookies at the end of the day.”
They also said they had not broken any laws.
“Importing and reselling is called parallel imports. Parallel imports are legal,” they stated.
The video also shows an apparent Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry customs and compliance form detailing their cookie import.
In a statement, a NSW Fair Trading spokesman said businesses could “generally, set, raise and lower the prices they charge for goods”.
“A business can decide the price of goods and services and the price charged may be influenced by the costs they incur, profit margins or market conditions such as supply and demand,” the spokesman said.
“The Australian Consumer Law prohibits any business from actions that may be false or misleading.
“If a consumer believes a business has not met its obligations under the ACL, they are encouraged in the first instance to contact the business.
“If the issue remains unresolved, consumers can make a complaint with NSW Fair Trading.”
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