When I want something cheap, I usually hit Aliexpress (website). As I was looking at the Aliexpress app page on the Google Play Store to check its privacy details, TEMU came up as a recommended app.
Now, my wife has used TEMU in the past, but since she often can’t find her way around things, I downplayed her negative experience as “user error”. That said, I went to the TEMU website and started looking around.
I found something that was a reasonable price, but then get this message saying I could get this item free through the app… sigh. OK. I sign up with my usual fake/random credentials and add this “free” item to my cart.
A spinning prize wheel comes up. Hey, I can get THREE free items now! Sweet. I spend the next 3 hours looking for stuff I can actually use, doom-scrolling through everything from women’s underwear to t-shirts with assault rifle print. Literally something for everyone. LOL
Then I select my third “free” item, and another spinning prize wheel comes up. “100% off the next $35”. Ok.
I didn’t need more stuff, but hey, 100% off sounds like more free stuff!
I spend another hour looking, keeping an eye on the amount “saved” (apparently $600+, for stuff that is sold on Aliexpress for maybe $25).
When I finally get to check out, I get another spinning prize wheel. “100% off $100”!! Goddamn, I’m on a roll here. How do these guys make any money?!!
More time looking… I must have spent well over 4 hours on their app. Time to check out.
$67? Huh? What about 100% off and all that nonsense? Enter your phone number*
- You must agree to get promotional texts, or you can’t check out… hmm, maybe my wife wasn’t wrong.
In any case, there was no way to actually get anything “free”. I deleted the app, deleted my account, and will never touch this scam ever again.
Do people actually end up getting anything from Temu? I thought AliExpress was bad, but the experience is 1000x better.
TEMU is pretty widely talked about as being a scam. Sorry you weren’t in the know.
Why the hell is it so popular??? I don’t get it. Do people like these never-ending promotional games without actually being able to buy something easily?
Temu uses illegal marketing tactics. The illegal marketing tactic they used on you was the Bait and Switch. These tactics are illegal because they are effective. Many people with weaker wills would just say “fuck it” and check out anyway, rather than deleting the app. These people prop up Temu and give them the funds to continue running their illegal business the way they do.
I’m just wondering why the FTC hasn’t fined the app out of operating in the US yet
Yeah, that pretty much explains it. Sad state of affairs when you have too many people willing to support such an unethical business model. I can imagine that anyone with a gambling addition could spend thousands of dollars quite easily on their platform.
I’ve ordered some household items (door stoppers, tools etc.). The prices were somewhat cheaper than AE, the quality was fine (some things were better than expected. Some very cheap items were… Let’s say they were priced according to their quality. Thought other very cheap items turned out good, so it’s a gamble) and shipping was OK. Never tried the app for privacy reasons, but the site seems ok-ish (it’s a bit janky, but I suspect it’s due in part to some privacy addon I use. In short:
- Don’t use the app.
- Don’t buy very cheap stuff unless you’re willing to chance it.
- The “prizes” either appear only in the app or can be disabled via ad blockers and/or privacy addons.