Neiman Marcus settles fur complaint by FTC

HOUSTON – A high-end retailer is settling charges that it sold real fur coats and shoes to customers who thought they had bought faux fur products.

The Federal Trade Commission accused Neiman Marcus of advertising and selling coats and shoes with real animal fur to customers who thought they were buying faux fur instead. The FTC complaint also alleged the retailer failed to disclose what country the fur came from on three different style coats.

The government's complaint included online ads from Neiman Marcus and it claimed the company violated the Fur Products Labeling Act. The company agreed to settle the charges, without admitting any wrongdoing.

The settlement orders Neiman Marcus to refrain from falsely advertising that a product contains fake fur or mislabeling the fur and its contents.

In a statement, a company representative wrote, "The Neiman Marcus Group (NMG) is dedicated to providing complete and accurate information to our customers. To this end, we maintain a robust program to comply with all laws and regulations intended to protect consumers, which is as good as or better than any program in the industry.

"Under the agreement we have signed with the Federal Trade Commission, NMG has committed to identify correctly and promote accurately the fur and faux fur products offered in our catalogs and on our websites. Neiman Marcus will continue to work closely with our vendors and the FTC to provide the transparent and accurate product information that our customers expect and deserve."

Two other clothing retailers, Drjays.com and Revolve Clothing, were also named in separate complaints.