Temu caught selling ‘dangerous products’ including ‘unsafe and illegal’ items as experts call for more to be done
A RECENT investigation into the shopping website Temu found the platform was selling dangerous and illegal items.
We reached out to Which?, the organization behind the investigation, to find out whether products purchased from Temu are safe for customers.
Sue Davies, Which? Head of Consumer Protection Policy, has called for more to be done in terms of monitoring the site.
She told The U.S. Sun: “Temu has appeared from nowhere to quickly become one of the most popular online marketplaces in the UK, however a recent Which? investigation uncovered that it appears to be failing to prevent seemingly illegal weapons, including folding knives and batons, and age-restricted products being made easily available to shoppers using its platform.
“This suggests flaws with Temu’s checks, monitoring, and takedown processes in relation to dangerous items.”
Viral reviews of products from the website see influencers testing out dupes of popular gadgets.
This includes dupes of Apple headphones that usually sell for hundreds of dollars but are priced at under $10 on the Chinese site.
Reviews online are often mixed and comment sections are full of discount codes that make money for the people who distribute them.
Temu is also not accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
The BBB is designed to protect consumers from misleading or bad products and businesses.
We also reached out to Melanie McGovern, the Director of Public Relations and Social Media at the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.
She told us: “Temu has engaged with BBB and is working to respond to concerns raised by consumers.
“Consumers are encouraged to visit the BBB Business Profile on Temu for the latest information on the company and BBB resources about safe online shopping.
“Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB Accreditation.”
Temu did respond to the Which? investigation flagging dangerous products.
A spokesperson told Which?: “Temu is committed to complying fully with relevant rules and regulations in all of the markets that we operate in, and we take all reports of violations very seriously.
“After receiving a complaint of a person under 18 purchasing a bladed article from our platform, we immediately removed all related product listings.
“We also initiated a comprehensive investigation and review of our processes to further strengthen our safeguards and prevent similar cases from occurring again.”
The U.S. Sun also reached out to Temu for comment on the safety of products on the platform.