Gransnet forums

Scams and fraud

What is TEMU, is it safe to buy from them?

(147 Posts)
ExDancer Mon 04-Nov-24 11:33:52

Adverts for temu keep intruding everywhere but I've been told its a Chinese firm, and advised not to use them.
I'm currently searching for a size 5x (!) sweater for a family member, it has to have a Vee neck, and I just can't find one anywhere unless I'm going to pay £100+ for it (and he's not THAT close a family member).
Every time I post a request for vee necked sweaters - up pops Temu!

SaxonGrace Tue 05-Nov-24 17:02:10

If you want to buy stuff from China made by slave labour minors then Temu is for you

MissInterpreted Tue 05-Nov-24 16:57:19

Jaxjacky

Want or need MissInterpreted?

Both, I guess. For instance, my local town doesn't have any clothes shops (apart from charity shops), so I guess you could call that either a 'need' or a 'want'.

Jaxjacky Tue 05-Nov-24 16:53:03

Want or need MissInterpreted?

MissInterpreted Tue 05-Nov-24 16:36:24

mokryna

And then towns have boarded up shop and are empty of people. Use it or you lose it.

What if your local town doesn't have shops selling the things you want?

mokryna Tue 05-Nov-24 16:33:55

And then towns have boarded up shop and are empty of people. Use it or you lose it.

Sharr22 Tue 05-Nov-24 16:27:41

I resisted Temu for ages and tbh, it's fairly addictive.
Didn't know about the workers conditions, just thought it was low prices due to volume of sales.
Won't be using again .

Tooyoungytobeagrandma Tue 05-Nov-24 16:24:51

Love Temi and Shein. Have had some fab clothing from them. Some things come up small but never had a problem with them.

Sweetpea60 Tue 05-Nov-24 16:20:41

Have used temu a few times never had any problems. Waiting g for an order at the moment.I would not order clothes with them because their sizes are a bit of. Have ordered shoes from them and jewellery no problem.

Nannytopsy Tue 05-Nov-24 15:46:43

Jacamo do large jumpers - just bought a 4x for DH in a cotton blend. Lovely and not expensive. Don’t buy the merino wool ones - the reviews say how much they shrink. How I wished I had read them before I washed it!

Greciangirl Tue 05-Nov-24 15:38:36

I once ordered a summer dress from them.
It turned up about three months later.

I assumed I had been scammed as no email address to contact them. I also alerted my credit card company.

Then just as all the paperwork was going through, the blooming dress turned up.

There was no returns label or invoice in the parcel and the dress was awful. Much too big anyway.
I ended up giving it to charity shop.

So no, don’t risk buying from them.

Nev2555 Tue 05-Nov-24 15:22:15

Hi, I bought 2 5x tee shirts for son in law last Christmas but the size was small and wouldn't fit him I've had loads of stuff off temu and apart from those tee shirts size was always ok, if you get off temu make sure to order bigger size and check what it's .made of, Amazon is good for larger sizes for some off there and size us perfect hope this helps . 😀

62Granny Tue 05-Nov-24 15:19:34

Have you looked on Ambrose Wilson they have men's jumpers in that size for around the £35.00 mark.

rowyn Tue 05-Nov-24 15:13:43

This isn't very helpful, but I'll put in my two pennorth!.

I know that I read a damning report about this firm about a couple of months ago, but can't remember where, though it's likely it was either on the internet or in my daily paper. I remember that it fixed in my mind a decision never to buy from them, and since then I've seen its name mentioned regarding items I'm interested in, but have not bothered to look, because of the impact the article had on me.

DeeAitch56 Tue 05-Nov-24 14:57:36

I have bought from Temu, but only cheap stationery / children’s craft type stuff which was fine for my grandchildren who are overseas, and a T-shirt which was rubbish and I have not downloaded their app only buying off the website. My husband has bought a couple of electrical bits which were rubbish and failed within days. I’ve seen too many negative reviews to buy anything more clothes wise. So I definitely would not recommend them for clothes

suelld Tue 05-Nov-24 14:53:46

petra

Temu as such do not produce any goods. They are a platform for other companies. Companies that you buy from on EBay or Amazon.
Not many people question where those cheap goods come from.

Very true… I buy from Temu often as very frequently the items I want on eBay or Amazon ( identical to those advertised elsewhere) are far cheaper on Temu, and no doubt bought there or from similar Chinese companies to resell.
However as others have said …be wary… the clothes advertised are often the originals from other designer sites, but when you look closely at the ACTUAL item offered it turns out to be a poor copy …that said ( after double checking what is actually offered) I have bought loads of jumpers from them which are comperable to Cotton Traders or Lands End and a quarter of the price. Beware electrical goods though …I bought a small ‘open by touch’ bin for my bathroom…batteries didn’t fit… filled in their returns form with pics and my money was immediately refunded and told to keep the item . I now have a free ‘ordinary non touch’ hand opening bin in my bathroom! This happened about twice since with unsuitable items all under £11 …all refunded and told to keep the item. So, apart from the ethical issue, if you do buy, just double check everything, product info etc, and don’t be taken in by the initial image. These are all items sold at massive increased costs elsewhere online…so why not go to the sources? I would be willing to bet a lot of your items in your wardrobe bought from other sources have ‘made in China’ on them?

Hedgehog2908 Tue 05-Nov-24 14:34:11

If you do order from Temu use PayPal to pay for your order. This means you are not handing over your credit card details to a Chinese company. Do not sign up notifications as you will be bombarded with ads.

Treacletoffee Tue 05-Nov-24 14:01:56

Even found chemicals exceeding acceptable levels
www.google.com/search?q=ethics+of+temu&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari

petra Tue 05-Nov-24 13:59:45

How many of you give a thought to the slaves picking your fruit and vegetables in the Spanish polytunels 🤔 Not many I bet.
I think I can guarantee that the Chinese labour force have running water and toilet facilities: these poor souls don’t 😡 So yes the effluent does go into the soil. And yes, the owners of these polytunnels have put genuine ethical farmers out of business.
All this going on less than 3 hrs by plane from the uk, and, * an eu country*
I see this close hand most winters when we drive through these sites to our campsite.

Treacletoffee Tue 05-Nov-24 13:58:54

Please check out the ethics of this organisation
From child labour to information gathering- it’s a no from me

meddijess Tue 05-Nov-24 13:32:19

Replying to Ex-Dancer: I ordered some window pictures from Temu. They are really nice and were delivered without any problems I then ordered some trousers - they are really snazzy and I've worn them a lot during the summer. Worth trying - you can return items that you don't want.

Grannygrumps1 Tue 05-Nov-24 13:29:42

I use Temu all the time. Items usually take 6 - 10.

MOST OF THE ITEMS ARE SECONDS. That’s why all the products are listed 3 or 4 times at different prices.

Lesley60 Tue 05-Nov-24 13:27:18

I have bought quite a bit from Temu and returned quite a bit too without any problems, I’ve seen exactly the same item double the price on Amazon.
As I no longer have great mobility or inclination to go out shopping i buy mostly on line.

essjay Tue 05-Nov-24 13:05:56

i was a bit sceptical at first, one of the first items i bought was absolute rubbish, but fair enough got refund and told to keep the item(which is still in box, in cupboard untouched). Have ordered quite a lot recently mainly because they do very large sizes and have been pleasantly surprised by the fact that the quality is quite good, no better or worse than some retail stores. . Return process is easy with no quibbles

Shirls52000 Tue 05-Nov-24 13:04:15

I think you ve answered your own question, if you read the Trust Pilot reviews they are not good, Chinese company, poor quality, poor customer service, personally I wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole 🤷‍♀️

sunglow12 Tue 05-Nov-24 12:53:58

I used it once but like Shein had a job to get rid of them so will keep to British goods from now on - better quality or German in thd case of my Wauldlafer boots or sandals only bought in the sale .