An Aussie shopper has called out Temu, claiming the low-cost marketplace's discount offers conned her into paying more than she wanted.
An Australian shopper has slammed Temu, accusing the low-cost marketplace of using "scammy" tactics to trick her into spending more than she wanted.
The Perth woman said her first time using the website to order a bunch of random things quickly turned into a nightmare - because she kept being offered discounts.
Temu has a "gamified" shopping experience, with users being hit with flashy claims of big discounts. A spokesperson for the marketplace told Yahoo Finance these offers take "inspiration from familiar activities often found at funfairs or shopping malls" and they believe it improves the "overall enjoyment of the shopping experience".
But this shopper said she would have saved a lot of money had she not been convinced to keep adding things to her basket.
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Shopper claims discounts 'aren't what they seem'
She was surprised by how many times she was offered a discount on what was in her shopping cart.
"I get a pop-up saying, 'If you spin this wheel, you're gonna get a discount'," she said on TikTok. "I ain't missing out on no discounts, I'll tell you that.
"So of course I spun the f**king wheel, and there it goes. I got a discount. I was like, these guys are f**king cool. This is so cool. I am saving money here."
Another spin-the-wheel opportunity came up and the shopper thought she must have been the "luckiest person in the world" for getting so many discounts at once.
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She was then given the chance to knock $130 off if she added four items in 60 seconds. While she wasn't able to get it in time, she claimed she got a 10-minute extension to secure the price markdown.
The shopper filled her basket with four items, a small picture frame, a shower squidgy, a t-shirt and a small trinket, thinking it would bring her total price to just $30.
"I go and I check out, and I click that button, and then that's where the robbery occurs," she said.
"Temu, you literally scammed me to my face. Turns out that I wasn't paying that price for all of my products. I was paying that price for the last four products."
She said it cost her $60 just for those items, but in total, she spent $160 for both shopping baskets and shipping. She felt she wouldn't have added more products to her shopping list if she didn't think it would cut down her total bill.
"Don't ever feel like you're a winner when you're scrolling on Temu because you really aren't," she said. "These discounts aren't what they seem. And I hope you do better than me."
Temu's tactics put under the microscope
Consumer group CHOICE investigated Temu earlier this year to suss out the marketplace's discount tactics.
It noted that while the gamified shopping experience usually guaranteed the discounts that were claimed, you usually had to spend a minimum amount or promote Temu to your friends on social media before you could unlock a prize.
The group said Temu creates a "sense of urgency" when shopping by sending multiple alerts and countdown timers to convince people to buy quickly.
Temu was also criticised for having questionable discounts, a difficult checkout experience and "unfair" tactics during the shopping experience.
"Known as 'scarcity cues', these practices are common website 'dark patterns' – deceptive tactics designed to make you spend more than you intend. We're advocating for changes to the law to crack down on these practices," CHOICE said.
Onus is on the shopper for what they're buying
A spokesperson for Temu told Yahoo Finance that they aim to make the shopping process as "accessible, affordable, and enjoyable" as possible.
"For instance, our time-limited deals mirror the concept of flash sales in physical stores," they said.
"Similarly, our prize wheels and lucky draws take cues from shopping mall promotions, and our interactive games are akin to funfair attractions. The coupon giveaways are common in customer loyalty programs.
"The idea is to translate these offline experiences into the digital realm, offering a sense of familiarity and fun in online shopping."
Other Temu shoppers also claimed the woman who complained about being conned into spending more than she wanted needed to take responsibility.
"You weren't paying attention. Temu are the best. Just get a price adjustment,"
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