Klarna and Aspirato

Am49

I am looking for some guidance please, last August I purchased an Aspirato vacuum cleaner through Klarna pay in 3. I was directed to this vacuum after reading (what I now know to be a fake) review online. It is described as a German made vacuum, covered by a 14 day return guarantee. I thought because it was associated with Klarna it would be a reputable company. After placing the order, I did a bit more research and came across the trust pilot reviews and immediately realised i’d be conned. I emailed the company directly within hours to cancel, however a few days later they advised it had been dispatched but I could return for a refund when I returned it. 

On receiving it, I immediately sent an email to ask for the return address (as advised by Aspirato) just to receive the same automated response offering different levels of discount for me to keep it, as I would have to return to China and would not receive any refund after shipping and customs had been paid. 

After a few weeks of the same reply email I contacted Klarna to raise a dispute, I sent pictures of the unopened item, and asked for assistance to return, however 4 separate disputes all came back in favour of Aspirato. I feel like I’m going round in circles, I have an unsafe vacuum, that I would just like to
return to what has proven to be a fake company. The Aspirato UK website has been removed, and I’ve paid the full £180. I put in a formal complaint to Klarna on the 15th of January and included pictures of all my
evidence and asked for a full explanation as to why they have always rejected my appeal. I’m expecting them finding in favour of Aspirato and give no explanation, but where do i go from here, have I any rights as a consumer by using the pay in 3, or should I just accept I’ve been duped and loose the £180? 

Thank you

Keep_pedalling

The website is still up - https://aspirato.uk/

What makes you think it is unsafe to use? 

sheramber

Interesting 

Notices

1. If customer needs to return the product, the product should be packed into the original box. If the original box is lost, the customer needs to pay additional 15 GBP.

born_again

SECTION 18 - GOVERNING LAW 
These Terms of Service and any separate agreements whereby we provide you Services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of UK.

Tracking co is based in China.. 
https://www.17track.net/en/about/licensing

RefluentBeans

Seems like a very dropshipping like business. The company has no registered company number. For what’s it worth - dropshipped products aren’t inherently bad, but are just overpriced. Looking on Alibaba a product that looks very similar is selling for £18-£25 (excl shipping, taxes etc). I’d imagine your product would also fall into that sort of price range and thus will feel closer to a £50 vacuum than a £200 vacuum. 

In regards to what you can do - potentially file chargebacks. I’m entirely sure how that works with Klarna. Given the company has little social media presence, it wouldn’t surprise me if it gets wound down pretty quickly and sprung back up in a different skin. Unfortunately, Pay in 3 is currently not classed as credit and thus it is not protected under Section 75. 

If Klarna don’t take action, then the standard course of action is to go through the courts. But like I said, given the relative ease of setting up a drop shipping business, there’s no guarantee there’s actually money in the business, and they may just fold. Plus unless you get an address, it’s going to be hard to actually file a complaint. 

Overall the website looks good on the surface but it makes reference to a mix of US consumer protections (where charges are in USD) and UK consumer protections. I doubt these people actually reside in the UK, and likely have someone in the UK who just processes outward shipments (if they even have that). Even if you manage to file a suit, because drop shippers don’t hold inventory, the businesses tend to be very light on actual assets, so you’d struggle to get the money way back I think. Hopefully Klarna pull through. 

You can always take them up on any refund they offer for you to keep the product and take it as a (hopefully not too expensive) learning experience to check Trustpilot reviews/do due diligence before buying something. Hopefully you manage to get some money back through Klarna. 

Am49

Thank you for your replies. 

Sorry, it might just be the website attached to the Trust Pilot reviews : 

Thanks for visiting Trustpilot. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to leave a review here anymore because the company’s website has closed. 

I worry that reading the reviews the vacuum is not well made, and often missing parts, or battery life is extremely short, that it hasn’t been tested to the standards we would expect from a company trading in the UK. I wouldn’t want to take the risk. 

I appreciate the time taken to reply. I do think I will have to accept this as an expensive mistake, I doubt even the discount would apply if I took them up on it. From trust pilot I can see it’s not only me affected by the scam. 

born_again

See how much discount you can get out of them, then use vacuum. Maybe better than you think.

chapelhouse123

I have the exact same story, as AM49, I feel so mad with myself for landing on the review and trusting it. This is the reviewers email (Removed by Forum Team). I felt so mad I emailed him, but it’s a duff address. We were misled we have a right to a return and refund. They have now stopped emitting me back, I guess they are waiting for the 14 days to pass