After an initial period of excitement, many Vietnamese consumers have begun to express disappointment regarding prices, product quality, and delivery times after their shopping experiences on the Chinese online marketplace Temu.
Issues such as prices not being as cheap as expected, misleading promotions, poor product quality, and bad customer service have eroded trust in the company. Temu a significant decrease.
The price was not as advertised, and the quality was disappointing.
Upon learning that Temu was offering free shipping to Vietnam, Mr. NCT (Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City) visited the website to find a pickleball racket bag, hoping for a good price. He was presented with a series of products heavily discounted by 69-90%.
After considering his options, Mr. T. decided to buy a bag with a listed price of 1.1 million VND, discounted to 538,000 VND. However, after checking on Shopee, Mr. T. was surprised to find that the product was only priced at 450,000 VND.
Furthermore, although his order was promised to be delivered within 4-7 days, he still hadn't received it by the 8th day. "Initially, the price seemed cheap, but after comparing it, I realized Temu's prices are even more expensive than on other platforms. The delivery time wasn't as fast as advertised either," Mr. T. complained, stating that he would no longer buy from this platform.
Not only Mr. T., but also Mr. Tran Trung (25 years old), a frequent consumer on major e-commerce platforms, said he was very disappointed to discover that Temu platform advertised falsely about the quality and price of goods.
According to Trung, even after deep discounts, Temu's product prices are still higher than those on Shopee, TikTok Shop, or Lazada. For example, a combo of 7 pairs of socks on Temu is discounted by 60% to 65,000 VND, but the same product on Shopee costs 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 for only 1,000 VND and free shipping. But on Temu, you have to buy from 50,000 VND to get delivery," she shared.
Difficulties with returns and exchanges, lack of flexible payment options.
Besides price and product quality, many customers have reported encountering significant difficulties in returning or exchanging products after purchasing from the Temu platform. Because Temu does not allow cash-on-delivery (COD), users must pay via credit card or Apple /Google Pay immediately upon placing an order.
This payment method carries risks, especially when customers receive products that are unsatisfactory or do not match the description. Although there is a return policy, due to Temu's nature as a cross-border e-commerce platform, the majority of sellers are from China, so returns or refunds often take a long time.
Ms. Quynh Vy, a customer in Phu Nhuan district, said she had to wait a long time but still received no support from Temu. Even when contacting the shipping company, Ms. Vy only received the response that her feedback would be noted. Many consumers warn that in the event of a dispute, they will face difficulties 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 prices, with many pointing out that "prices on Temu are even higher than on Shopee." Discussions about product quality and return procedures also account for a high percentage.
Speaking with us, an e-commerce expert said that after initially being attracted by information about cheap products and fast delivery, many Vietnamese consumers have experienced inconvenience and risks in reality.
"Therefore, when shopping on Temu, consumers need to carefully check the price and quality of the products. Before clicking the 'order' button, they should carefully compare prices with other platforms and consider whether the savings are truly worth the risks involved," this expert warned.
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