Authenticated by Aureon Limited
Terms of Lifetime Financial
Guarantee
Important notice: Authenticated by Aureon limited is an independent authentication service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Hermès.
1. Definitions
1.1 “company” means Authenticated by Aureon limited (together with its Successors and assigns), a company incorporated in England and Wales.
1.2 “bag” means the Hermès handbag to which a certificate relates.
1.3 “certificate” means the certificate of authenticity issued by the company, whether in physical or digital format, referencing these terms.
1.4 “customer” means the individual or entity in whose name the certificate is issued.
1.5 “intermediary” means any third party (including retailers, resellers, stylists, agents or platforms) that purchased the bag from the company before supplying it to the customer.
1.6 “price” means:
(a) where the customer purchased the bag directly from the company: the amount actually received by the company for that bag (exclusive of shipping, taxes, duties, insurance or ancillary charges);
(b) where the bag was purchased via an intermediary: the amount actually received by the company from the intermediary for the bag (exclusive of any amounts paid by the customer to the intermediary).
1.7 “authentic” means that, in the expert opinion of the company at the time of assessment, the bag was a genuine product manufactured by hermès, Paris.
1.8 “lifetime” means the duration of the customer’s ownership of the bag. The guarantee terminates immediately upon any transfer, sale, gift or disposal of the bag or certificate.
2. Scope of guarantee
2.1 the guarantee applies only to bags for which the company has issued a certificate.
2.2 the guarantee is a contractual financial guarantee and does not constitute insurance or a regulated financial service.
2.3 subject to these terms, the guarantee entitles the customer to a refund of the price if the bag is proven not to be authentic.
2.4 the guarantee is personal to the customer and non transferable unless the company has expressly reissued the certificate following a transfer of ownership.
2.5 no third party (including subsequent owners or purchasers) may rely on the certificate or make a claim under the guarantee.
3. Evidence required to trigger the guarantee
3.1 the guarantee may only be invoked where the customer obtains written confirmation from Hermès that the bag is not a genuine Hermès product.
3.2 Hermès confirmation must:
(a) be issued on Hermès letterhead or from an official Hermès email domain;
(b) identify the bag by reference to verifiable characteristics;
(c) explicitly state that the bag is not authentic.
3.3 opinions, reports or findings issued by any other authentication service, expert, platform or ai based tool are not accepted.
3a. Bags submitted to Hermès for inspection
3a.1 The customer must ensure that any bag submitted to Hermès is returned to them and is not retained, destroyed or withheld.
3a.2 If Hermès requires a signed declaration offering destruction or return, the customer must select the return option and complete all documents required for release.
3a.3 purpose of physical return Physical return is required to:
(a) confirm the bag is the same bag originally certified;
(b) verify continuity of identifying features;
(c) ensure no substitution, partial replacement or tampering has occurred;
(d) confirm no restoration, recolouring, re stitching or modification has taken place;
(e) compare the bag with the company’s original assessment records.
3a.4 If Hermès destroys, retains or refuses to release the bag, the company cannot complete required verification and the guarantee shall be void.
3a.5 The company shall have no liability where the customer:
(a) allows or elects for Hermès to destroy the bag;
(b) fails to complete required return documentation;
(c) fails to retrieve the bag within hermès’ deadlines;
(d) is unable to recover the bag from Hermès or any authority.
3a.6 Photographs, scans, videos, descriptions or Hermès documentation alone are insufficient. The bag must be physically returned.
3a.7 Where a bag passed through an intermediary or multiple owners, the company must be able to verify the bag’s identity. Inability to do so voids the guarantee.
3a.8 Hermès warnings regarding counterfeit goods, or any reputational, legal or regulatory consequences arising from such warnings, are solely the customer’s responsibility.
4. Claim procedure
4.1 The customer must provide:
(a) Hermès written confirmation;
(b) the certificate;
(c) proof of purchase;
(d) any additional documentation requested.
4.2 the customer must then return the bag to the company (at the company’s cost).
4.3 the company may verify documentation directly with Hermès or any intermediary.
4.4 a claim will only be approved where the bag received is confirmed to be the same bag originally certified and all terms have been met.
5. Amount payable under the guarantee
5.1 for direct purchases: the refund shall not exceed the price actually received by the company.
5.2 for intermediary purchases: the refund is strictly limited to the amount received by the company from the intermediary.
5.3 the company is not liable for:
(a) intermediary mark-ups or premiums;
(b) commissions, fees or charges;
(c) differences between the price and sums paid by the customer to any intermediary;
(d) shipping, taxes, duties or insurance.
5.4 refunds are made only to the customer, in the original currency, by a method reasonably determined by the company.
5.5 upon refund, title to the bag and certificate transfers to the company.
6. Exclusions and termination
6.1 the guarantee is void if, after certification, the bag is:
(a) restored, refurbished, re stitched, re-edged, re lined or recoloured;
(b) modified or has components replaced;
(c) substituted or tampered with;
(d) unavailable for inspection.
6.2 normal wear, ageing or cosmetic deterioration does not invalidate a claim, provided identifying features remain verifiable.
6.3 the guarantee is void if Hermès destroys or refuses to return the bag.
7. Nature of opinion & independence
7.1 the certificate reflects the company’s expert opinion at the time of assessment.
7.2 authentication involves expert judgment; no opinion is infallible.
7.3 legal independence statement (retained): The company is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to hermès.
7.4 the certificate is not a valuation, appraisal, investment recommendation or statement of condition.
7.5 no third party may rely on the certificate.
7.6 the company shall have no liability for reputational, regulatory or legal consequences arising from any action taken by Hermès or any authority in relation to counterfeit goods.
8. Limitation of liability
8.1 nothing in these terms limits liability for death, personal injury caused by negligence, or fraud.
(a) fraud/misuse carve-out. For the avoidance of doubt, the company shall have no liability in respect of any fraud, misuse, manipulation, duplication or alteration of a certificate carried out by any third party.
8.2 subject to clause 8.1, the company’s total liability shall in all circumstances be limited to the price.
8.3 the customer acknowledges that the company is a limited liability entity. No director, officer, employee, agent or contractor shall have personal liability in connection with the certificate or guarantee.
8.4 the company shall not be liable for any indirect, consequential, special, punitive or exemplary damages, including loss of goodwill, opportunity, profit, business or market value.
9. Certificate revocation
The company may revoke or invalidate a certificate where:
(a) new information emerges;
(b) fraud or tampering is suspected;
(c) misuse occurs;
(d) the bag is altered;
(e) these terms are breached.
10. Certificate use restrictions
10.1 the certificate may only be used to confirm that, at the time of assessment, the company formed its expert opinion that the bag was authentic.
10.2 the customer may not:
(a) reproduce, copy, modify or alter the certificate;
(b) create or circulate unauthorised copies;
(c) use the certificate with any item other than the bag;
(d) rely on the certificate for valuation, lending, collateral, investment, insurance or resale pricing unless the company has provided a separate written valuation service;
(e) use the certificate in any way that misleads or implies affiliation with hermès;
(f) permit any third party to rely on the certificate;
(g) use the certificate in any promotional, commercial or marketing context without written consent.
10.3 any breach of this clause immediately invalidates the certificate and the guarantee.
10.4 the company may revoke any certificate used in breach of these restrictions.
11. Amendments
The company may amend these terms. The version in force at the date of issue of the certificate applies unless the customer agrees otherwise.
12. Governing law & jurisdiction
These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.