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.

  • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    4 months ago

    I actually don’t mind AliExpress, but it’s just another one of those things where you’ve got to be careful about what you’re buying. Is it some miraculous thing for a dirt cheap price lower than any other place you’ve ever seen? Does the thing do things that no other thing has ever done? Is it in any way too good to be true? Then it almost definitely is. However I have been able to “skip the middle man” on some items that I found for sale in the US and gotten a fairly decent price cut, I just had to wait 2-3 weeks for it to show up.

    • Showroom7561@lemmy.caOPEnglish
      1·
      4 months ago

      I actually don’t mind AliExpress, but it’s just another one of those things where you’ve got to be careful about what you’re buying.

      100% agree. I’ve had good luck with stuff like RC car parts, e-scooter disc brake pads, various small tools, and cycling clothing/accessories.

      I wouldn’t use them for electronics, other than brand name flashlights, but generally speaking I find the stuff there to be pretty good. At least at the quality you’d find on Amazon, but for 1/5th of the price. LOL