I write regarding a product I ordered from Alibaba Group, which has as its websites, www.alibaba.com and www.aliexpress.com. On Friday September 27, I placed an order for a Power Supply Board MPF7718 for Hitachi Plasma TV Model P50H401 at the cost of $95.99. My Order Number is 60217432092023. Before making the order, I confirmed from an Alibaba representative named Ryan Hu that the item would reach my Boston, MA delivery address by October 3. To guarantee that it would be delivered on that date, I paid for DHL Express shipment at the cost of $50.83. I made all payments with my Visa card. By Monday I tried to track the item using the Tracking number that I was given: 1746971122. However, with this number I could not track the item on the DHL website. I contacted Alibaba and was informed that it had been shipped and that I should contact DHL again. I did just that and finally received the following information from DHL [email protected]:
"I apologize, our records indicate that the shipping label has been created; however, your shipment has not been physically handed over to DHL. I recommend contacting your sender to confirm the shipment's exit date."
Essentially, the item was never shipped even though a shipping label was created. I was thoroughly disgusted by this fraudulence, especially since the item needed to be picked up by October 3 in Boston. Even as I send this report, the item has still not been shipped. Based on Alibaba's deception and failure to meet its promise in spite of the high amount I paid for shipping, I have lost all trust in this company and do not wish to do further business with them. I am therefore demanding an immediate refund of my $148.82 in order to avert further legal action.
My advice to any consumer out there is to avoid Alibaba like the plague. Unfortunately I didn't do enough prior research or I would have discovered that this business is ranked F by the Better Business Bureau and faces several complaints and accusations of fraud.
Franz
Anchorage,#2Consumer Comment
Sat, July 21, 2018
I was ripped off by Radium. Then I was ripped off by Nova NewFace. So, yes, Alibaba is a platform BUT Alibaba keeps sellers on the platform even when they KNOW that the sellers are ripping off customers. How do I know? Because I was just ripped off $3,600. I tried to report this to Alibaba for 7 months but the dispute would not send, the document attachment function wouldn't work and when I did finally get it to send, they said it was too late. SCAM! Alibaba does have many fraudulent sellers and when you complain or try to file a dispute they will prevent your dispute from submitting until it is too late. I was also ripped off by 7 sellers out of 12 orders on AliExpress and I reported those. AliExpress refunded just one of the fraudulent sales. The fraud was so blatant like selling "2PCS" and then when you only get one, the company says "that is our product number." OBVIOUSLY, they are selling an item to people getting them think that the product comes in a set of two but then they only send you one.
Philip
San Antonio,#3Author of original report
Sat, November 22, 2014
While I appreciate Molly Morgan and Mark Story’s responses, they are coming several months after I filed a complaint against Alibaba. Why didn’t they respond earlier?? They have attempted to exonerate Alibaba by claiming: “Please understand that Alibaba.com is a platform that connects buyers and sellers; we are not the supplier of the goods you purchased.” The fact that they use the exact same words is an indication that their messages have been orchestrated and fail to address the issue here. Their efforts at excusing the company from taking responsibility for ripping customers off is also pathetic at best, and just another strategy aimed at justifying their fraudulence. While Alibaba may not be the supplier of the goods, it must be held responsible for serving as a channel through which goods are bought and delivered. Should the company not carry out background check on the merchants that it goes into business with and ensure that they are reliable? And doesn’t Alibaba receive remuneration from these merchants?
Morgan and Story are also unfamiliar with the details of this case; otherwise, they would know that I have actually contacted Alibaba several times through the contact information they provide. However, Alibaba has not responded to me in several months.
Having said that, I need to update consumers and readers on the status of this matter. I was able to secure a refund of what I paid for shipping of the Power Supply Board MPF7718 PCPF0164, which is $50.83. But the item turned out to be faulty and was shipped back to Alibaba. I subsequently sent a second complaint to Alibaba in January of this year, demanding a refund of $95.99, the amount I paid for the item. On the Alibaba website my case has been listed as "Under Discussion" since January. Otherwise, I have heard nothing from Alibaba.
I have also reported this matter to the Better Business Bureau, which has provided me with this feedback:
Complaint ID#: 347771
Business Name: ALIBABA
BBB has made several attempts to contact the business regarding the above referenced complaint. We regret to inform you that we have not received a response from the company.
BBB develops and maintains Reliability Reports on companies in our service area. This information is available to the public and is frequently used by potential customers. In the case of your complaint, the company's failure to promptly give attention to the matter will be reflected in the report we give to consumers about them.
If the company has contacted you in the interim, please notify BBB immediately.
Sincerely,
Ledy Rodarte
Consumer Services
BBB Complaint Department
Because of the bad experience I have had with Alibaba, I am not asking for another power board to be sent to me. I am demanding a refund of $95.99. It is still my hope that we can resolve this matter peacefully or else I intend to take legal action against Alibaba.
carl
Texas,#4REBUTTAL Owner of company
Fri, November 21, 2014
happy i got to reading rip off report for i was about to order somethings but not now or ever
Philip
San Antonio,#5Author of original report
Tue, November 05, 2013
I did contact Alibaba and after going back and forth Alibaba finally agreed to refund my shipping fee of $50.83.
Molly
London,#6UPDATE Employee
Mon, November 04, 2013
Hello,
I am sorry that you have had a problem with a supplier on Alibaba.com. Please understand that Alibaba.com is a platform that connects buyers and sellers; we are not the supplier of the goods you purchased.
With that said, I’d still like to help.
Alibaba.com has a customer service team to assist you. There are a couple of different ways to get in touch with them. One is to fill out our online form. It’s here: login.alibaba.com
Or you can send an email with the particulars of your situation to [email protected].
We can’t resolve 100% of customer issues, but I promise that we will try.
Sincerely,
Molly Morgan
Alibaba Group
Alibaba_Rep
Causeway Bay,#7UPDATE Employee
Fri, October 04, 2013
Dear XXX,
I am sorry that you have had a problem with a supplier on AliExpress. Please understand that AliExpress is a platform that connects buyers and sellers; we are not the supplier of the goods you purchased.
With that said, I’d still like to help.
AliExpress.com has a customer service team to assist you. There are a couple of different ways to get in touch with them. One is to fill out our online form. It’s here: https://login.aliexpress.com/buyer.htm?return_url=http://channel.alibaba.com/complaint/home.htm (you’ll need to log in) or send an email with the particulars of your situation to [email protected].
We can’t resolve 100% of customer issues, but I promise that we will try.
Sincerely,
Mark Story
Director, International Corporate Affairs
Alibaba Group