Buyer Beware! Counterfeit Blue Force Gear Slings
Luke Cuenco 03.11.21
Slings are an all-important tool and companion for any type of rifle regardless of their application; however, hunters in particular are in need of good, high-quality slings for their long treks out in the field. Recently, counterfeit Blue Force Gear slings have been showing up in the online market places and the guys over at BFG wanted to notify their loyal customers to be on the lookout for knockoff versions of their slings.
Buyer Beware! Counterfeit Blue Force Gear Slings
“Savannah, GA – 24 February 2021 – CAVEAT EMPTOR! They say “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, stealing our designs with counterfeit copies isn’t flattery. It’s a crime. In the past several weeks, Blue Force Gear® customer service has received a number of calls from individuals regarding issues with weapons slings that they purchased online. These slings were purchased primarily through Amazon. A review of the slings has revealed that every single one of them are cheap counterfeit copies of the patented BFG Vickers Combat Applications SlingTM (VCAS). These slings were labeled and marketed as being authentic BFG products to include copies of our labels and packaging.
More important to BFG than the legal issues with patent and trademark infringement, or the lost revenue to our American based company, are the disturbing reports of the products failing customers. BFG, and each of its employees, is proud that our products are utilized daily by military, first responders and prepared citizens worldwide. The idea that a mission could fail or that someone could be injured because of an inferior counterfeit product causes us great concern.
While the counterfeit slings LOOK like our product, a careful examination reveals vastly inferior quality of webbing, hardware, construction methods and other issues. We are choosing to not be more specific regarding the glaring issues with these slings as we don’t want to assist these thieves in their continuing criminal enterprise to steal our intellectual property and mislead our loyal and deserving customers.
BFG wants you to be aware that there are counterfeit products being marketed and that the best way to avoid them is to always buy from an authorized BFG reseller or direct from Blue Force Gear through our website or company store. If you have questions regarding the identity of authorized resellers or concerns regarding a product, please contact our customer service representatives for guidance or go to https://www.blueforcegear.com/verified-bfg to report a suspected fake product.“
Cliff Notes Version:
- Buy from an authorized BFG dealer or directly from the BFG website
- Counterfeits will have inferior webbing and hardware
- If you suspect you have a counterfeit item visit the BFG website to report the suspected fake product
- Check for Genuine BFG packaging
Slings are both a pricey and important investment for any firearms owner and paying the price to purchase a quality product only to receive a counterfeit item is one of the most disappointing things for a customer. This is why you should avoid purchasing items like this from places like Amazon unless the company itself has specifically linked you to their store page on that site. Hopefully, not too many of these counterfeit slings have made it into the hands of unsuspecting customers.
