Consumer columnist and West Hartford resident Harlan Levy has more than 20 years of experience writing stories about everyday experiences that anyone could encounter.
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These children’s clothes sold by Temu were recalled on July 11 for a burn hazard. Image courtesy of Harlan Levy
By Harlan Levy
You may have heard about Temu, the extreme bargain e-commerce site, the 2-year-old offshoot of Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo. It offers shockingly cheap prices for a very wide variety of products like wireless Lenovo earbuds ($8.98), computer keyboards ($15), clothes ($1.69 for five pairs of socks, for example), running shoes ($17.48), toy hamsters ($6.99), and countless other items at up to 90% off retail prices.
How does Temu do it?
My wife doesn’t care, ordering scads of items that cost almost nothing.
Of course, after doing some research, I must report that Temu doesn’t have a good record with lots of recalled products.
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These children’s clothes sold by Temu were recalled on July 11 for a burn hazard. Image courtesy of Harlan Levy
For instance, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on July 11 recalled for a burn risk more than 45,000 sets of children’s pajamas sold on Temu’s website by Fashion Online, in sizes for 1-year-olds to 8-year-olds, between October 2022 and May 2024, for about $23.
Also on July 11, citing a burn risk, the CPSC recalled about 4,360 Lovely Angel nightgowns sold from June 2023 to May 2024 for about $10, and about 18,620 of Temu’s Juvenno Kids sets sold from October 2022 through May 2024 for about $9.
According to customer reviews listed with the BBB (Better Business Bureau), Temu also has a reputation for undelivered packages, incorrect orders, unauthorized charges, and unresponsive customer service. As of Monday, July 22, Temu has a customer review average of 2.45 stars and a BBB rating of B-, the BBB said. Also, Temu is not a BBB Accredited Business.
“Temu has had 2,487 complaints closed in the last [two] years,” BBB Public Relations Director Melanie McGovern told me on Tuesday. Is that a lot? I asked. “For a new business? Yes,” was the response.
![](https://we-ha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_3557-355x768.png)
These children’s clothes sold by Temu were recalled on July 11 for a burn hazard. Image courtesy of Harlan Levy
Here are some of the reviews on the BBB website:
- 7/17/24 Customer not identified: “Temu is a scam. Their 100% free returns [policy] is not what it appears to be. I spent $70 to get discounts, and instead of putting orders together like always, they charged me separately so I didn’t get a discount like it said.”
- 7/16/24 Customer not identified: “If I could give this company 0 stars, I would. One of my family members got their credit card money stolen from Temu (about $30 dollars). DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION.”
- 7/16/24 from Steven G: 1 star. “Very ridiculous. I ordered 5 planters all in one order, got 5 separate deliveries and it took a month to get them all, and all 5 planters were damaged. I contacted Temu and wanted a partial refund. They said no, case closed. They want all 5 units packed up and returned all at once. Also, not like Amazon: When you return to Amazon immediately you get a refund. Not Temu: 7-14 days after they get the request. So figure 45 days, since it took a month to get my request. My wife wanted to get fall flowers planted so they were ready by fall. Temu says, “Oh well.”
- 7/15/24 from Belinda W: “1 star. There is extremely poor customer service, and they do not make things right. One of my packages was torn open when I received it, and I am waiting on another package. They sent me an email saying it was delivered at 12:25 pm, yet it has almost been 30 days and still no package.”
- 7/14/24 from. Amatul M: “1 star. Temu does a bait and switch where they offered me a new customer offer of 6 free items if I spent at least $50 on their site. I received just the items I bought, no free items, and when I contacted Temu they rejected my complaint stating the warehouse said they sent all the items. I also bought 2 pairs of shoes in size 42, and I received them in size 45 instead. Temu refused the refund, because the warehouse stated they sent the right shoes even though I sent photos with packaging and labels proving it was the wrong size.
NOTE: I contacted Temu for a response and am still awaiting a reply.
Now you’re warned.
NOTE: If you have a consumer problem, contact me at [email protected] (“Consumer” in subject line), and, with the power of the press, maybe I can help.
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