January 28th 2025.
People often praise websites like Temu and AliExpress for their low prices, but sometimes these seemingly great deals can turn into a nightmare. Just ask Sylvester Franklin, a man from Georgia who recently had a bad experience with the Chinese-based website AliExpress. Instead of receiving the item he had ordered and paid for, he was shocked to find a picture of it instead.
According to a report by WTOC, Franklin had purchased a drill from AliExpress, but instead received a photograph of the item. And that's not all - even the other items he ordered were not the right ones. "I paid $22.47 for a pressure washer, and this is what I get," Franklin lamented, holding up the picture of the drill. "It's a screw."
Despite this happening back in November, Franklin still has not received the drill or a refund for his purchase. He estimates that he is owed around $40, but his attempts to get a chargeback from his bank have been unsuccessful. "This is not good. This is real bad," Franklin expressed his frustration. "I don't like to get scammed because if you spend your money, you want to get what you paid for."
Curious about this incident, WTOC decided to take a closer look at AliExpress, which is owned by the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. Their findings were not very reassuring - in 2021, the Office of the United States Trade Representative listed AliExpress as one of the Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy. Additionally, the company has received a D- rating from the Better Business Bureau. Last year, the State of Georgia's Consumer Protection Division received three complaints against AliExpress.
One of the complaints stated that the person had never received the item they had purchased. Another person was out over $400 after not receiving the item and was given a fake tracking number. All three complainants reported that they had tried to get a refund from AliExpress, but were unsuccessful until they brought their complaints to the CPD.
It's not just Franklin who has fallen victim to this kind of scam. It seems that there are many others who have had similar experiences with AliExpress. This is a concerning trend, especially considering the company's questionable track record and the fact that it has been blacklisted for its involvement in counterfeiting and piracy.
This incident serves as a reminder to always be cautious when making purchases online. It's important to do research on the company and read reviews before making a purchase, especially from websites that offer incredibly low prices. And if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Let's hope that Franklin and others like him are able to get their money back and that steps are taken to prevent these kinds of scams in the future.
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