Temu troubles, beware of returns

born_again

Meggy1 said:

Temu looks like a great shopping site with low prices. I got hooked. As a new customer I ordered 5 items and was very impressed with the site. Free returns and protection. Yay. Not too impressed with the quality though. When I needed to return 3 items I had to create a return request on each one and then figure how to join them into two return parcels due to bulk. This was complex but I got it right because the confirmation listed out two returns and sent me QR codes for Evri labels. Off they went. I was refunded. Last week they withdrew the refunds on 2 items by charging me again and debiting my card. I was mad so contacted customer service. They said they hadn't received the items. On my account it shows the return had been reviewed. When queried they said items not as expected. What? I only returned 3. If one was ok how could the other 2 be anything other than what I sent. So basically they have withdrawn a refund and now I have paid for those items again. Where they are is a mystery. My thoughts are that if people in the warehouse are verifying and reviewing returns the mistake (or maybe the theft) is right there. I now don't trust them after being so impressed initially. The row goes on as they have asked me to wait 48 hours. Perhaps that was to get rid of me.

Quoted for posterity 

Chargebacks will make no difference as to where company is based.

Would be nice to know where OP actually returned items to, UK or China?

In reality, as we have seen before. Each item needs sending back in it's own package. May cost more, but at least each has it's own tracking.

So is it the 2 items in the one package that are being re debited? Could they have been damaged in the post?

boobyd

My daughter used them against all advice.
What she received as a Childs 6 year age top was more akin to  boob Tube made from similar product you used to get from Brentford nylon bedding(yep old enough)
Told her not to bother to send back just binit.
The major issue was the constant email/notifications .

Pollycat

pinkshoes said:

This would be the company under investigation for probably use of forced child labour...

Why do people support these companies?!? It would be impossible to manufacture at those prices without using slave labour.

They're a Chinese company so no UK consumer rights. You bought cheap tat, you got sent cheap tat.

and the same company that is (allegedly) selling illegal weapons and age-restricted items without checks...

Children able to buy illegal weapons on Temu app, Which? says | ITV News

teresa54

Looks like there's a lot of companies registered at that address, probably a plague on a wall type of place  

'Plague' is pretty apt... 

I checked such an address, listed in a pop-up on an ad for an item on Temu. It was bankrupt. 

However, I've so far been lucky and got some real bargains of good quality goods I'm really pleased with. Dresses I've bought from eBay so knew the quality, got same dress [so good I'll wear each summer, and in different colours] for less than half the price. Lots of little gadgets for allotment garden, some plastic [yes, feel bad, not doing it again] like bird feeders which I disguised with verdigris paint effect [non-toxic]. 

I've identified some cunning ploys that Temu use.

1 I usually check prices of the same item, using the lowest price option, which is hidden by a pop-up about Temu's explanation for low prices! Two or three times of trying, they do the same. Thought it was just annoying at first, but I see now it's a definite ruse - because very often the lowest price is identical to the item of interest. They don't show that in the ads that come up on a general first search of an item, or they're arduous to find, requiring several scrolls and searches. 

2 Similarly looking at reviews. There is a drop-down menu including one option to select lowest ratings. It doesn't show at first glance, at least not on my laptop. It only shows recommended and some other option - you have to scroll the page down to see it. Sometimes there are legions of complaints. Same as Amazon, I always check the lowest reviews first, and if there's a clamour of them I scarper. 

So I'm rarely caught. I have put in a return for a few things not complete, faulty or just poor quality a few times, and each time been refunded immediately and not had to return it, but I've bought loads and returned only a few, all under £10, so I imagine they are factors. 

Having said all that, I'm dialling down my use of Temu. Too much plastic, little or no regard for the environment, many items one use only if that. Many reviewers don't know how to get their money back and give up, same on Amazon [it's possible to get returns even after the 30 day cutoff if you manage to call customer service, via call back - usually immediate]. Never been refused the few times I've used it, so my losses are minimum. Still, sometimes I feel like giving up online shopping altogether - mostly when I've actually had to pack up and return stuff. 

I feel really sorry for those who lose out - I guess sellers count on that. Few people are tenacious enough to fathom or contemplate the sometimes endless hoops required to achieve retribution.

 

Pollycat

Some may find the above comment useful but be aware:
this thread was started in November 2023 and the OP has not logged on to MSE since December 2023.