Has anyone bought from Temu?

[TheUnicorn]

I've had the same experience 'up that crazy river'.

you now have to look very hard to NOT sign up to amazon prime each time you purchase, puts me off using them. As does the fact that yesterday I was in my garden when a van pulled up, dropped a package at my neighbour's gate (100 ft from her door), yelled 'I've left a package' and buggered off, I thought he must have seen my neighbour in the garden, but when I picked it up and took it to her door a few minutes later she knew nothing about it.

 

[bilspe]

Never bought any cheap Chinese tools directly from China although am tempted when I hear generally good reviews from Banggood.
But then I think about the air miles, factory pollution, more profit for the rich etc etc.
For good value quality tools......Ebay, carboot sales, FB marketplace, local auction houses are always my first call......
+ money often goes to small uk business or one man operations
+ tools are usually vintage which means excellent quality (especially when it comes to steel)
+ there's some real bargains to be had if you're prepared to put in a little work

I get though that choice can be very limited on certain items

 

[Noel]

 

[stuart little]

Just watched the video, anyone know what the broken clear acrylic square with a 'butterfly' cut out was for? I know that it's destined for the bin now!

 

[Stigmorgan]

I'd be more concerned about the data farming software they hide on your devices than the standard of the items you buy.

 

[alan895]

I'd be more concerned about the data farming software they hide on your devices than the standard of the items you buy.

Me too - what is a bargain really worth if it comes at the cost of your data security. No thanks!

 

[MF1000]

Currently waiting on a delivery……paid via PayPal so I’ve more of a comeback etc

 

[artie]

I'd be more concerned about the data farming software they hide on your devices than the standard of the items you buy.

Is that with the app, or do they bug you just by visiting the site?

 

[Stigmorgan]

Is that with the app, or do they bug you just by visiting the site?

100% with the app but who knows what the website downloads onto your device as you search through it. I looked once and now I keep getting emails from someone saying they have taken over my phone and have been watching the websites I visit and if I don't send them £1000 In 2 days they will message everyone in my contacts with video they have taken of me with my own phone.

 

[artie]

I've bought from them a couple of times now from the site and paid with paypal, So far I haven't got any spam from them.
I don't put apps on my phone unless helpful to me.

I used to get those emails about watching my browsing history and going to expose me. They stopped eventually.

I also used to get emails touting penis enlargement pills. It really bothered me wondering what spyware they used to find out that I needed them.

 

[XTiffy]

The biggest data farmers on the internet are Google, Microsoft and Amazon. Bit late to shut the horse's door now.

 

[BearTricks]

There’s a guy on Youtube who bought a load of tools off Temu and reviewed them. It was a mixed bag. Some of the stuff was exactly the same as name brand but far cheaper, some was so badly made he refused to test it.

 

[Dabop]

100% with the app but who knows what the website downloads onto your device as you search through it. I looked once and now I keep getting emails from someone saying they have taken over my phone and have been watching the websites I visit and if I don't send them £1000 In 2 days they will message everyone in my contacts with video they have taken of me with my own phone.

That particular scam has been around for over a decade lol- long before Temu even existed...

They send those emails out by the millions- I got the first one back about 2017- when the only thing I had that went online was a old XP tower system- which didn't even HAVE a camera...

Scam alert! Don’t fall for this webcam extortion ploy (from 2018!!!)

The Temu app itself doesn't 'send stuff back' (nothing more than Amazon's does) but it certainly tends to be the marketplace of choice for those selling manufacturers seconds etc- so you will be getting exactly what you paid for...

Ebay is certainly no better, 90% of the new stuff sold on there is 'middlemen'- they buy from Aliexpress/Alibaba, double the price (or more) and sell it on Ebay lol- I know because I often see stuff on Ebay I recognise from Aliexpress for a LOT cheaper- but you have to buy it in 'bulk lots' of (depending on the items involved) by the dozens to the thousands at a time...
(I buy LEDs etc on Aliexpress- a bag of 1000 costs about the same as a bag of 100 on Ebay, or a bag of ten from DSE/Altronics etc...)

:-O

 

[XTiffy]

Dabop,
I Agree these problems have been around for an age. The difference is mainly how widespread and rather more sophisticated it has become. As always take care. I don't do any social media and I don't use my phone for banking (though we are being forced that way-carparks not taking cash, for instance).
I have used Temu half a dozen times without any real problems but not through the app.
I recently watched a YouTube video in safely clearing a computer for sale or giving away, I was amazed at how much is actually stored away in the registry without you being aware, unless you are a tech savvy individual. I go through that tiresome routine of filtering cookies but some are bound to slip through!

 

[Stigmorgan]

That particular scam has been around for over a decade lol- long before Temu even existed...

They send those emails out by the millions- I got the first one back about 2017- when the only thing I had that went online was a old XP tower system- which didn't even HAVE a camera...

Scam alert! Don’t fall for this webcam extortion ploy (from 2018!!!)

The Temu app itself doesn't 'send stuff back' (nothing more than Amazon's does) but it certainly tends to be the marketplace of choice for those selling manufacturers seconds etc- so you will be getting exactly what you paid for...

Ebay is certainly no better, 90% of the new stuff sold on there is 'middlemen'- they buy from Aliexpress/Alibaba, double the price (or more) and sell it on Ebay lol- I know because I often see stuff on Ebay I recognise from Aliexpress for a LOT cheaper- but you have to buy it in 'bulk lots' of (depending on the items involved) by the dozens to the thousands at a time...
(I buy LEDs etc on Aliexpress- a bag of 1000 costs about the same as a bag of 100 on Ebay, or a bag of ten from DSE/Altronics etc...)

:-O

Oh it's not the first time I've had these emails and this time they are very vague and obviously sent to many, I had one a few years ago that was addressed to me specifically and told me what my passwords etc were, that one was a little scary.

 

[Dabop]

Oh it's not the first time I've had these emails and this time they are very vague and obviously sent to many, I had one a few years ago that was addressed to me specifically and told me what my passwords etc were, that one was a little scary.

Also common- there have been MANY data breaches that have let peoples passwords etc get stolen and sold to scammers etc- F/B has had several that saw literally hundreds of millions of user account details leaked (one of the reasons I refuse to let them have details like drivers licences etc, I have walked away from accounts rather than let them have a photo of my drivers licence when they wanted me to 'prove who I am'- they had one breach in 2021 that was infamous with over 500 million users details stolen and being sold on the internet... including peoples full names, addresses, emails, phone numbers etc etc- and that data is still being onsold to this day- and it is far from being the only case...

2021 Facebook data breach

 

[Dabop]

Dabop,
I Agree these problems have been around for an age. The difference is mainly how widespread and rather more sophisticated it has become. As always take care. I don't do any social media and I don't use my phone for banking (though we are being forced that way-carparks not taking cash, for instance).
I have used Temu half a dozen times without any real problems but not through the app.
I recently watched a YouTube video in safely clearing a computer for sale or giving away, I was amazed at how much is actually stored away in the registry without you being aware, unless you are a tech savvy individual. I go through that tiresome routine of filtering cookies but some are bound to slip through!

It has always been an issue- one of my first 'bought' computers (as opposed to DIY) was an old 386DX I picked up at the government auctions (this was back in the early 1990's) and when I fired it up- it was rather shocking to find it had come from the local hospital- and it was still completely intact!!!

As in it had the HDD was still untouched- had access to the hospital/NSW Health database (the phone number and password were still in the modem files) plus literally hundreds of patient records!!!



Did the right thing and wiped it, and also notified them of what I had found- got to admit I was pleasantly surprised when a couple of days later, a guy turned up to wipe the HDD- they were going through the auction list and checking every single computer sold

 

[ey_tony]

It's all about expectation. If you expect high quality tools at arguably ridiculously low prices then you're very likely to be disappointed so best buy from a reputable seller, selling at full retail price. If you have a low expectation of something but it turns out to be OK then it's even better.
Occasionally I'll have a punt with the odd cheap tool, item etc when it's something I'd rarely if ever use again but need for perhaps one odd job. If it's good enough to allow me to get the job done then it's a success.
It doesn't matter where you buy from if it's online, there is always the chance of the product being fake, poor quality, faulty or incorrectly described. You have to look beyond the hype and marketing and look more at the product and seller and trust your instincts.

I'm very wary of product descriptions and equally wary of feedback left on such as Amazon and the likes, especially the one-star reviews.

People leave one star reviews because they ordered the the wrong size or colour, it didn't match the rest of the furniture or the product didn't do what they imagined it would do or the courier was late. Some of the reviews are perhaps an indication of the reviewers IQ and not the quality of the product.

Not so long ago on Amazon I read several scathing product reviews about a set of dedicated mortice chisels designed specifically for bench mortice machines which failed to produce "square holes" when users used them in their cordless or electric drills and no I'm not kidding!...it was an absolute ripoff according to them so I'm often more sceptical about the feedback than I am about the product.

At one time you could leave comments on such feedback to add some balance or point out where they were wrong and that it wasn't the product that was the problem but, that facility has now been removed. I strongly suspect because it said quite a lot about the people leaving that type of feedback and the harsh comments made about their reviews by other mentally competent purchasers.

 

[Dabop]

I've left one star reviews at times- the most recent was a company that was selling T95 Android 'media center' minicomputers- they were selling them with the options of US, EU or Australian/Chinese plugs on the power supply- shame the supplied power supplies were only rated 1A, where the units need 2A as a minimum- and when the heavily overloaded power supplies failed, they take out the minicomputer in many cases...
The resellers/company KNEW of this issue and simply advised- well buy a new power supply- um I shouldn't HAVE to- if they provided a properly rated one to begin with- and had no interest in fixing an issue caused entirely by them...
One star and a review warning of others that they will need to replace the inadequate PSU before using- which they complained about and tried to have my account terminated on Aliexpress...

Funnily enough- they are now out of business themselves (in less than a year!!!)- sadly they will probably just open up under a new name and continue trading...
:-(

 

[Paul Hannaby]

"Prices are low because the goods are cheap.
The pictures of what you see advertised may not be what you actually get.
Temu is a Communist China-based app and site.
As you shop, Temu monitors your activity on other apps, tracks your notifications and location and changes settings.
Temu gains full access to all your contacts, calendars and photo albums, plus all your social media accounts, chats and texts. In other words, literally everything on your phone. "

I read the above and checked my phone. The app doesn't have permissions to any of those things, in fact it has no permissions at all as they are unnecessary to the function of the app. The "analyst" is obviously an anti-communist American journalist gaining exposure from alarmist propaganda articles designed to pull the wool over the eyes of the uninitiated. Whether we like it or not, a huge amount of goods found on sale in the UK came from somewhere in China so all that's happening here is that they are cutting out the middle men who in my opinion are happily fleecing unsuspecting buyers!

I have used the Temu app and website a few times to order a variety of things. Only once did I receive something which didn't match the description and (unlike Amazon, ebay etc.) I found it very easy to contact a real person at Temu and get the problem resolved - They gave me an instant refund and told me to keep the items in question. They also put me in touch with the supplier of the product but they didn't seem interested in doing anything about the incorrectly advertised product so I didn't waste my time on them.

The items I ordered were delivered within a week or so so I assume they came from a dispatch centre within the UK.