Warning: Chinese web sites masquerading as UK - Barefoot shoes craze

Aptools2016 · 22 April at 7:51PM

Barefoot shoes and other Chinese offers.

Beware of Chinese web sites masquerading as UK.

My Facebook feed is currently full of ads for what seems to be a craze over the benefits of "barefoot" shoes. My wife took up one of these offers, paying £49 for a pair, from a .co .uk web site called PureStep. I've seen about 10 or 12 other names, all to the same formula.

When they arrived, they were the wrong fitting for the correct size ordered - "like boats", although the quality seemed quite reasonable. She queried their sizing by email and was offered a smaller pair (UK size 2, for her size 4 feet). She had to pay a further £9 for "shipping", rather than having to return the original pair, which she did. On receipt these were the right length but very narrow. During these exchanges it became clear the seller was from China. She emailed again to request a refund and was refused on the basis that she had been sent an exchange, "in accordance with their Ts&Cs".

This echoes my own experience buying a nice-looking T-shirt from another co .uk, for £18. (My wife had forgotten about this!) On receipt the quality was very poor and I requested a refund, via a very circuitous "ticket" system where it was clear they were trying everything other than a refund - including 3 escalating offers of a refund of 5%, 10% then 15% of the value for not having to return the item. Most obviously, they wanted the item returned by tracked courier (over £20) to ... a Chinese address. I sent it Post Office surface mail, untracked but insured for its value. I then replied in similar contractual vein to their conditions, requesting proof of receipt, or a photo if received damaged, or a confirmation that they had not received it (knowing that the latter 2 gave me the evidence for an insurance claim.) The transit time was predicted to be 6 weeks. I checked with them at 8 weeks and .... they refunded my money!

I subsequently bought another item from a site I genuinely thought was American (a .com), though I did do some checking up on them and they sounded to be a genuine medical devices company (they are). This was nearly £200 for a piece of medical monitoring kit. I started receiving text messages, from China, about an (unspecified) delivery and deleted the first two as they sounded like a delivery scam. On the third message I realised it was the monitor I had ordered. On receipt, the hardware quality was excellent, and a (fairly serious) problem with the software was eventually resolved by their help desk. I have subsequently found many other users of this device on on-line support groups, all pretty much happy.

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The main problem I have with these companies is that they masquerade as a UK or US company, and of course a refund, if needed, seems to be an unlikely outcome.

Obviously due diligence is required, but the web sites are very convincing, and I am glad the expensive monitor did not need to be returned. (I think this company is a cut above the shoes and T-shirt companies).

What can you do?

Apart from simply not buying, there is no sure way to check these companies out:

- a WhoIs on their domain name usually finds a generic hoster such as GoDaddy, with contact details withheld "for privacy", though sometimes the country of the registered person is given.
- a check at Companies House may be a little clearer in that (if there is actually a UK branch) it is often a single-person company with a Company Secretary and an agent's address. Cross check whether the names listed are involved with other companies. I know on the grapevine that Chinese companies are registering UK Ltd Co names by the hundred.
- use a website like Scam Detector and as well as judging the score, scroll right down for any personal experiences posted
- check them out on Trustpilot and also do a simple web search
- check their returns policy - usually accessible from a link at the foot of the page. Once you've read one, you've read them all, as they seem to be to the same formula! Read it carefully. Some sites give a link to their returns form with the required return address (a Chinese address). Others say you have to email them. Be suspicious.
- sometimes other details linked at the foot of the page such as "About Us" give a clue - the PureStep site gives a Hong Kong company address.

And if in doubt, simply don't buy.

I hope you have been forewarned; tell your friends. Chinese masqueraders seem to be thick on the ground at present.