'Disillusioned' with Temu floor

After an initial period of excitement, many Vietnamese consumers began to express disappointment about prices, product quality, and delivery times... after experiencing shopping on China's Temu platform.

Chinese goods flood into Vietnam, delivery businesses are busy with orders - Photo: CONG TRUNG

Problems such as prices not being as cheap as expected, "fake" promotions, poor product quality and poor customer service... have eroded trust in Temu significant decrease.

Price not as advertised, quality disappointing

When he learned that Temu was open for sale and free shipping to Vietnam, Mr. NCT (Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City) went to the website to buy a pickleball bag with the hope of a cheap price. Before his eyes appeared a series of products with deep discounts from 69 - 90%.

After considering, Mr. T. chose to buy a bag with a listed price of 1.1 million VND, the price after discount was 538,000 VND. However, after trying to access Shopee to find out, Mr. T. was surprised to discover that this product only cost 450,000 VND.

Not only that, although his order was promised to be delivered within 4-7 days, he still hadn't received it by the 8th day. "At first, the price seemed cheap, but when comparing, I realized that Temu's price was more expensive than other platforms. The delivery time was also not as fast as advertised," Mr. T. was upset and said he would not buy from this platform again.

Not only Mr. T., Mr. Tran Trung (25 years old), a consumer who regularly shops on major e-commerce platforms, also said he was very disappointed when he discovered that Temu advertised falsely about the quality and price of goods.

Because according to Mr. Trung, the price of products after deep discounts on Temu is still higher than the selling price on Shopee, TikTok Shop or Lazada. For example, a combo of 7 pairs of socks on Temu is 60% off to 65,000 VND, but the same product on Shopee is only 62,000 VND.

Similarly, Ms. Pham Thi Trang (Go Vap District), a customer buying fashion accessories, said that the prices and shopping conditions on Temu are less attractive than other platforms. "With some active platforms, such as Shopee, on sale days, there are products priced at only 1,000 VND and free shipping. On Temu, you have to buy from 50,000 VND to get delivery," she shared.

Difficulty in returns and payments

Not only the price and quality of the product, many customers said they had encountered many difficulties in returning products after purchasing on the Temu platform. Because Temu does not allow cash on delivery (COD), users must pay by credit card or Apple/Google Pay immediately upon ordering.

This payment method is risky, especially when customers receive products that do not meet their requirements or are not as described. Although there is a return policy, because of the nature of a cross-border e-commerce platform, most sellers on Temu are from China, so returns or refunds often take a long time.

Quynh Vy, a customer in Phu Nhuan district, said she had to wait a long time but still had not received any support from Temu. Even when she contacted the shipping company, Vy only received the answer that her opinion would be noted. Many consumers warned that in case of a dispute, they would have difficulty because Temu does not have a legal representative in Vietnam.

Data from YouNet Media shows that up to 11% of social media discussions about Temu complain about the price, with many pointing out that "the prices on Temu are even higher than Shopee". Discussions about product quality and return procedures also account for a high proportion.

Talking to us, an e-commerce expert said that after initially being attracted by information about cheap products and fast delivery, many Vietnamese consumers felt inconvenience and risk when experiencing it in reality.

"Therefore, when shopping on Temu, consumers need to carefully check the price and quality of the product. Before clicking the "order" button, they should carefully compare with other platforms and consider whether the savings are really worth the risks involved," the expert warned.

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