Review Aliexpress.com - Feedback Thread
- Thread starter raksrules
- Start date
I would keep it as short as possible, but this was my Worst experience!
-So I bought a phone from HK UNIQUE COMPANY, one of the oldest seller on Aliexpress
-He Shipped the Phone, I received it and all was smooth till i received it
-The phone i received was having a problem, The Back and Home button( Physical Buttons ) both were not working..
-I contacted the seller i said him the problem, Made a video took some photos and sent him..
-The main problem was that i was not able have a good conversation with him, as that ****ing moron seller, used to copy and paste some messages again and again...
Eg:
I said him that i have so and so problem with the phone..
He said Ok he will help me..
Then after 3 to 4 messages he started copy pasting long messages..
Then i had to explain him again the whole condition and then again after a day or so he starts copy pasting..
AND this goes again and again and ****ing again...
-So atlast after 15 days or so we came to conclusion, He said i may repair it locally and he will give me repair cost...( This wud be done in 2 days but as i said above it took me so long to explain him everytime again )
-Now i went to my phone repairer, he opened the phone and showed me up the motherboard of the phone,
The motherboard was full of Jumpers and Repaired in worst conditions( I know it is refurbished, but this stuff was moronic, Pics attached)
The repairer said me i will have to change the motherboard( But this phones motherboard was not sold in india, and even if i bought it from aliexpress it costed around same price of that of the phone )
- So i again contacted seller, and after copy pasting phase, it took 10 days to come to a conclusion that i should open a dispute to send the goods back for a full refund..
- So i opened the dispute..
- Then he messaged me that i will have to only send it by postal service..( i was like ok no problem )
- Now i was unaware of that , the postal service( indiapost ) do not accept electronics...
- So contacted him back and again after copy pasted phase it took 5 days for him to say me that....
His words were as follows..
" If you ship it by courier, then we may have to pay custom fees in our country and if it happens so then you will have to pay that charges"
- Now i was surprised, like wtf should i do now..
- I tried convincing him, but all in vain...
- Till now the dispute time was over to enter the tracking details, and the dispute was finished in sellers proposal..
- I tried contacting Aliexpress customer support, but still they have not resolved the problem..
- Bitter stuff abut this order, was conversation, he has some type of messages written in advance which suites different conditions..
So he copy paste's the stuff according to condition( See pic attached )
That was the worst experience i ever had on aliexpress..
kidrow
Herald
@DeusEx Thanks for the detailed reply. Hopefully, aliexpress can resolve the issue somehow.
The takeaway is to probably just file a claim with aliexpress, irrespective of the state/stage of communication with the seller, if the time period for the same is about to expire.
Also, the language barrier is a real pain when it comes to aliexpress. There are often times where the description is ambiguous on account of poor English skills. & while it may be a genuine problem in many cases, it may also be misused to feign ignorance or as delaying tactics.
I empathize with you. Just reading those transcripts made my blood pressure go up..... & I'm not even in your shoes!!
I've taken the plunge & ordered 3 items from aliexpress recently. Let's see how that goes. Fingers crossed!
The takeaway is to probably just file a claim with aliexpress, irrespective of the state/stage of communication with the seller, if the time period for the same is about to expire.
Also, the language barrier is a real pain when it comes to aliexpress. There are often times where the description is ambiguous on account of poor English skills. & while it may be a genuine problem in many cases, it may also be misused to feign ignorance or as delaying tactics.
I empathize with you. Just reading those transcripts made my blood pressure go up..... & I'm not even in your shoes!!
I've taken the plunge & ordered 3 items from aliexpress recently. Let's see how that goes. Fingers crossed!
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How much is the custom for clothing? @kidrow did you use a freightforwarder? Because the sellers are telling me that i will have to take care of everything else related to customs and forwarder. In one message they say that they've shipped the same item to another Indian and in another message they say that have no clue about customs and final shipping charge etc. In their "shipping" details they also claim that they do "worldwide" with something like "$2" shipping charge, why then are they telling me to find a courier to deliver the item??
Honestly many of them are a pain to talk to. I can't understand what they are saying.
Honestly many of them are a pain to talk to. I can't understand what they are saying.
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Anyody ever used wire transfer or western union over aliexpress?
I plan to buy razer hammerhead PRO
Costs 5-6k here
Rs700 there
I plan to buy razer hammerhead PRO
Costs 5-6k here
Rs700 there
kidrow
Herald
@iPwnz - No, I haven't used a freight forwarder. Out of the 3 items, I've received 2. One is an Ausdom M06 Bluetooth Full Size Headphones worth $40, & the other a $3-$5 (can't remember) hdmi to rca converter. Both were ordered on 11/11. The former arrived about 30 days later (Netherlands/Swedish post) , the latter about 38-40 days later (China Regd. Post). Did not have to shell out any customs duty. (I'm in Mumbai). No issues with either. The 3rd item is a $3 Bluetooth joystick, for which I've had to extend the time. HTH.
kidrow
Herald
It's luck. Just about everything should be charged duty. http://www.labnol.org/india/custom-import-duties/19306/ . But iinm, the sheer volume of goods imported means that certain packages escape duty. Also, there was a stipulation earlier that goods marked as gifts & under Rs. 2000 can be imported free of duty. But iinm, that stipulation no longer stands. To add to the confusion, the duty actually charged is on what the authority assesses the value to be, not necessarily the invoice amount. So the quantum may very well be different from what you may expect it to be.
All in all, whether duty gets charged or not is random. My cousin, who is a DIYer, has always had to pay duty for even low value items imported from aliexpress. He stays in Mumbai as well. Meanwhile, I've been lucky to have escaped duty so far. The one time that I did get charged was on a used book. It was a nominal Rs. 30, but I've also ordered many other, more expensive books & never been charged. There was also a discussion on TE somewhere, about how the same Android stick was ordered by 3-4 members & 1 was unlucky to be charged, while the others weren't.
As for the sellers on aliexpress, I think what they are trying to say is that they will ship the items to India, but if duty does get charged then it's the responsibilty of the buyer to pay the same. They do not provide services akin to freight forwarders who clear all formalities, including customs payment. Since you have asked them specifically about customs clearance, I think they are advising you to employ a freight forwarder to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
Disclaimer - All of the info above is gleaned from what I've come across on the web & TE. It may not be a 100% accurate. Also note that I've very limited experience in these matters. There are a lot more experienced members on TE & it'd be best to approach them if you are still confused.
All in all, whether duty gets charged or not is random. My cousin, who is a DIYer, has always had to pay duty for even low value items imported from aliexpress. He stays in Mumbai as well. Meanwhile, I've been lucky to have escaped duty so far. The one time that I did get charged was on a used book. It was a nominal Rs. 30, but I've also ordered many other, more expensive books & never been charged. There was also a discussion on TE somewhere, about how the same Android stick was ordered by 3-4 members & 1 was unlucky to be charged, while the others weren't.
As for the sellers on aliexpress, I think what they are trying to say is that they will ship the items to India, but if duty does get charged then it's the responsibilty of the buyer to pay the same. They do not provide services akin to freight forwarders who clear all formalities, including customs payment. Since you have asked them specifically about customs clearance, I think they are advising you to employ a freight forwarder to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
Disclaimer - All of the info above is gleaned from what I've come across on the web & TE. It may not be a 100% accurate. Also note that I've very limited experience in these matters. There are a lot more experienced members on TE & it'd be best to approach them if you are still confused.
Ordered a cheap bar phone plus a bluetooth headphone fews days ago at AE .. arnd 50$ total. Today got a mail that my orders have been closed for security reason. When I contacted customer care, they said it is to safeguard buyer's money. So I need to submit some documents (Bank statement or passport copy or credit card photo .... WHY??) .
Not going to do that. But since I used debit card, so money is debited. AE says money is on hold with bank and will be reverted within 7-10 days. Will check with bank tomorrow. Just wanted to share, in case anyone has any ideas.
Google says this is common and people have not received refund ... in some cases even after 7months.
Not going to do that. But since I used debit card, so money is debited. AE says money is on hold with bank and will be reverted within 7-10 days. Will check with bank tomorrow. Just wanted to share, in case anyone has any ideas.
Google says this is common and people have not received refund ... in some cases even after 7months.
Thanks John. What supporting documents did you share? Of course no shady stuff at my end. But then, I've never seen any portal asking for such details - be it Amazon, Ebay etc
CC shared a link to create a profile , which implied mandatory creation of Alipay account.
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Bought a dual camera DVR and received a single camera DVR ( looks the same as pictures uploaded by seller on the description )
Aliexpress says since it looks the same as the picture the dispute is invalid ( DESCRIBED AS DUAL CAMERA / DOUBLE CAMERA ). No amount of reasoning / explanation that the description was completely wrong makes any difference. Aliexpress is good for cheap items but if it's an expensive item chances of cheating by sellers is high. Imagine you buy a phone described as SD810 / 4 GB ram but receive something else which looks the same but has SD410 / 1 GB ram. Never buying from aliexpress again. Buyer protection is a farce
Aliexpress says since it looks the same as the picture the dispute is invalid ( DESCRIBED AS DUAL CAMERA / DOUBLE CAMERA ). No amount of reasoning / explanation that the description was completely wrong makes any difference. Aliexpress is good for cheap items but if it's an expensive item chances of cheating by sellers is high. Imagine you buy a phone described as SD810 / 4 GB ram but receive something else which looks the same but has SD410 / 1 GB ram. Never buying from aliexpress again. Buyer protection is a farce
kidrow
Herald
IINM, the documents that they are referring to are what they have asked the seller to provide, not the buyer. They suspect that the seller is engaged in fraudulent activity, & so have asked the seller to furnish certain documents as proof. The transaction has been kept on hold until such documents are provided. After a certain time period, if the seller has not done so, the money will automatically be refunded to the buyer.
kidrow
Herald
I have no idea why that is necessary, tbh. Maybe it's just a way to get people to sign up for alipay (which I had done & completely forgotten about, btw), since that's what has been implied.
It may also be a case of how Chinese websites/laws work. For instance, Xiaomi requires members wanting to list themes in the Mi theme store to submit an ID proof as well, while creating an account. I remember doing that (submitted driver's license) for a contest. Whether there's any ulterior motive, is anybody's guess.
Sorry I can't help much since I haven't encountered anything like this. My situation was the complete opposite. I just thought there's been some miscommunication, but clearly, that is not the case.
If you do end up submitting debit card photo as proof, make sure to at least hide details that aren't necessary/required.
Also, are they asking for proof so the order can be completed? Or is it for the refund? Please confirm that if it's not already clear. If it's the former, then it makes sense to simply cancel the order, of course. If it's the latter, then your risk assessment skills will be put to the test.
Sincerely hope things work out well. Cheers!
Sorry to hear that,
. Thanks for sharing your experience, though.