Cettire boss Dean Mintz, in a rare appearance, calls under fire retailer’s customer service ‘best in class’

Secretive Cettire founder Dean Mintz has appeared via video at an investor conference, defending his company’s returns policy and customer experience as ‘best in class’.

Under-fire Cettire chief executive Dean Mintz has described the returns process for his online luxury retail business as “best in class” despite mounting criticism regarding its customer service standards.

The response comes after complaints about it running at higher rates than bigger competitors.

Speaking via video link at a Bell Potter conference on Thursday — one of the first times the secretive Cettire founder has been seen publicly — Mintz fielded questions from a Bell Potter analyst about Cettire’s model and customer experience.

Mintz, a 38-year-old member of The List – Australia’s Richest 250, told the conference Cettire’s returns process “not only stacks up” with competitors but is “best in class”.

“It’s a fully automated process for our customers to initiate a return; to have an express courier pick the goods up from their location and ultimately result in a refund which happens automatically. So I believe our process not only stacks up but is best in class.”

Mintz’s comments came after a series of articles by The Australian this week outlining allegations, which Cettire have batted off, it has weaknesses in its supply chain and lax customer service standards.

Cettire does not hold inventory and stock ordered on its website is shipped to customers via third-party luxury good wholesalers it has relationships with.

The Australian’s articles detailed an investigation into the company’s complex supply network and customer service, while the competition regulator is probing complaints about its handling of disputes over refunds and defective goods.

Mintz on Thursday said the fact Cettire’s revenue had grown “40 times” over the past three years was proof the company had good customer service.

“We’ve been able to maintain strong repeat [customer] rights and high quality of customer service during rapid growth, which is, which is a time when some companies have some challenges,” he said.

“Why do we need a superior customer service offering? Because we are newer.

“When you’re a new entrant into the market, you have to offer and build a level of trust that others don’t have to.”

Cettire is an online marketplace which ships more than a million orders a year, spanning high-end brands such as Louis Vuitton, Prada and Valentino Mintz founded in 2017 and floated on the ASX in late 2020.

The company’s shares were down by as much as 3.7 per cent on Thursday and have fallen 15 per cent this week.

Cettire has only 70 employees, the majority of whom are technology engineers.

Mintz said on Thursday the company was “putting a lot of resources into building the customer experience and both on returns and the whole customer service experience.

“That includes manpower, but it also includes some deep technical initiatives that we have and some of them relate to Gen AI (generative artificial intelligence).”

Earlier this week, when presented with allegations from two customers about the origin and authenticity of their purchases, Cettire said: “There is not a single confirmed case of a non-genuine item being sold on Cettire’s platform.”

Complaints about Cettire lodged with the US Federal Trade Commission are twice that of two of its major competitors, information obtained from the American consumer protection agency by The Australian revealed.

Several complaints about Cettire with the FTC claimed customers had received damaged goods, and couple raised allegations of counterfeit luxury goods being supplied while others claimed they were dispatched empty boxes or had issues obtaining refunds.

“At the end of the day, they (customers) are having a good experience. It just boils down to that. If you think about it, we have one of the largest selections of global luxury online, and we’re able to offer fulfilment capabilities that are exceptional,” Mintz said on Thursday about Cettire’s repeat customers.