The European consumer organization BEUC, in collaboration with 17 of its members including Testaankoop, has filed complaints against Chinese e-commerce platform Temu. They accuse the platform of not adhering to the new European rules on digital services.
BEUC lodged a complaint with the European Commission, while its 17 member organizations filed complaints with their respective national authorities. In Belgium, Test Purchase lodged the complaint.
Laura Clays, spokeswoman for Testaankoop, highlighted some of the issues with Temu. She noted that the platform fails to provide consumers with all necessary information about the actual sellers of products, making it difficult to determine if they meet EU safety standards. Additionally, Temu has been accused of using manipulative practices such as “dark patterns” to encourage consumers to buy more expensive products and creating obstacles for those who wish to delete their accounts.
Temu only launched its platform in Europe in 2023 and claims to have 75 million monthly active users in the EU. It has quickly gained popularity and is among the most downloaded apps in many European countries, competing with giants like Amazon and eBay. Temu’s business model is similar to other platforms such as Shein or Alibaba, with products being shipped directly from Chinese factories or warehouses to consumers.
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