A Da Vinci furniture store in downtown Beijing's Jianguomen area Monday Photo: Wang Zi/GT
Insisting all its products were Italian not Chinese, crisis-hit luxury furniture maker Da Vinci fired back on Sunday against national media reports alleging false marketing.
"What's been reported hasn't been proved true or not," Da Vinci posted on its official Weibo page. "Maybe competitors set us up.
"The administration for industry and commence just arrived to investigate and the company will have a news release, collect evidence to file for a lawsuit."
Shanghai Administration for Industry and Commence is investigating if the "imported Italian-made furniture" advertised was actually produced in Guangdong Province.
The Shanghai-based company claims to manufacture furniture in Guangdong Province, ship it to Italy and then import it back to Shanghai, according to China Central Television (CCTV).
"We'll hold a press conference on Wednesday and explain everything," a Da Vinci Shanghai marketing manager who insisted on anonymity told the Global Times Monday.
In the CCTV report, a Beijing customer spent nearly 2.8 million yuan ($700,000) buying 40 Da Vinci pieces including a 300,000 yuan sofa set and a 100,000 yuan single bed.
After the furniture arrived, the customer noted a pungent smell and alleged the bed smaller than that stipulated in the sales contract.
"Claiming itself an international brand made in Italy, the sales staff promised everything was made from pollution-free high-quality natural materials," the woman told the show.
The furniture in the CCTV show failed to meet national standards after it was taken for testing at the National Center for Quality Supervision and Inspection of Furniture and Indoor Environment.
Founded in 2000, Da Vinci has more than 10 stores in China and claims to be the sales agent for international brands including Versace, Armani and Lamborghini.
Shanghai inspectors Monday morning said they could prove furniture in the company's Qingpu warehouse was not solid wood.
The Shanghai administration had commissioned third-party tester Shanghai Construction Material Quality Supervision Inspection Station to assess whether the products met China's environmental standards.
Da Vinci had never made furniture from solid wood, said administration press officer Zhang Yusong, but its stores also didn't clearly indicate what materials were used.
If this official test result proved misleading advertising by Da Vinci, customers are entitled to compensation, Zhao Jiaoli, secretary-general of the Shanghai Consumer Protection Association, told the Global Times Monday.
Li Yanhui contributed to this story