A practice that is usually reserved for the counterfeiters, Nike China has admitted to defrauding citizens of China through false advertising. As reported by China Daily and Sports One Source, Nike has been selling the China version of the Zoom Hyperdunk 2011 with half of the air cushions at an increased price of $78 over the U.S. version.
The U.S. Zoom Hyperdunk 2011 has two air cushions where as the China version has one air cushion. This would not be an issue except that the advertisement used for the Chinese market claims that the China version has the two air cushion just like its American counterpart.
As reported in China Daily by Chen Yingqun (chinadaily.com.cn):
Wang Hai, who campaigns against counterfeit goods, bought a pair of Nike Zoom Hyperdunk 2011 shoes recently in Beijing. He found they had only one air cushion in each shoe while shoes of the same style sold in the US had two. The price in China is 1,299 yuan ($203), about 500 yuan higher than the US market.
Wang filed a complaint with the Beijing administration for industry and commerce. He said he might sue Nike, asking it to recall the shoes and offer compensation.
Wang also provided pictures which he said prove that Nike deleted descriptions of the air cushions from its Chinese website after knowing the complaint.
The shoe has only been on sale in China since July and after admitting the false advertising, Nike swiftly announced their solution. For China customers who had purchased the Zoom Hyperdunk 2011 prior to September 9, 2011, they can return the shoes, with the original receipt, to the store where they were purchased for a full refund.
Though this is not an issue for buyers in the U.S., it certainly is interesting to observe how a company who campaigns against fraud also engages in fraud.