AliExpress complaint: Goods returned according to a dispute decision. No money refund postal costs compensation received.

A product Hoodies Women Streetwear was ordered from OEIN Dropshipping Store at AliExpress.com platform under the number 3020964915302907 for the price of €23,83 on 22.01.2023.
The order was received safely on 14.02.2023, but it didn’t match the seller’s description.

On 18.02.2023 at 23:18 CET, I opened a dispute at AliExpress regarding this.
On 19.02.2023 at 14:07 CET AliExpress ed the nonconformity of the product received and, without any negotiation, it made a unilateral decision, – I quote: Return goods, full refund 23.83 EUR (seller pays the return shipping fee).
Nevertheless, this solution involves 1) obtaining a return postal address from the seller; 2) ing with the seller the minimum postage costs for the return (in this case €21,25); 3) Submitting the shipment track trace number to AliExpress within next 10 days.

From my correspomdance with the seller became clear that he/she didn’t like the Aliexpress decision, because on one hand he was not interested in refunding my purchase (and offered me €5 compensation for closing the dispute) and, on other hand, he/she didn’t want to pay any postal fee which was almost of the same amount as the product price.
This is why the seller took his/her time in responding and clearly waited until my time frame set by AliExpress for the return shipment, expires.

AliExpress closed the dispute on 1.3.2023 at 14:07 CET with the following comment: Your return is closed as you didn’t provide the return tracking details timely. You may contact the seller directly to negotiate.

Nevetheless, I posted my return shipment via local post on 1.3.2023 at 14:24 CET, providing the terms of EU legislation regarding buyer’s right to a minimum 2-year legal conformity guarantee from the seller, also ed by AliExpress/Alibaba Singapore Terms and Conditions for platform transactions by EU/EEA/UK Consumers.
(This Terms and Conditions nowdays reads: Your main EU/EEA/UK statutory rights include, among others, (i) withdrawal rights within 14 days; (ii) minimum 2-year legal conformity guarantee right; and (iii) the right to terminate the contract if the seller fails to deliver the goods within the additional period of time appropriate to the circumstances after the initial delivery term.)

For your information: In 2001 The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), working closely with the EU Commission and the CPC Network, has obtained EU-wide commitments from AliExpress to ensure that their practices as well as those of its traders respect EU consumer law which e.o. included: 1) Right of withdrawal – Under EU law, consumers have the right to cancel a distance sales contract within 14 days after having received the good and without providing a reason; 2) Legal guarantee – In the EU, sellers are liable to consumers for any lack of conformity of a good with the contract that becomes apparent during a period of 2 years from delivery.
But in practice this still was not incorporated in Aliexpress procedures, working protocols and it’s internet site tools. Simply speaking, it does not work for their customers at all.

My appeal to the AliExpress despute decision from 01.03.2023 was rejected on 02.03.2023 (Your appeal request was closed. As per AliExpress policy, you must return the item and fill in the tracking details within the specified time in your request.)

Further negotiations with the seller regarding the order refund and postal fees compensation, which lasted until 25.03.2023, did not resulted in anything, since he/she constantly pretended hearing about my request for the first time and changed his point of view. At the end, the seller informed me that I should deal with my problem myself by contacting Aliexpress (being perfectly aware that this was technically impossible). Well, he/she can be easily understood, because the seller received both – my money for the sale and even the goods back.

When I tryed to apply for VAT refund on returned goods via AliExpress bot, my request was a few times rejected since the order was marked as finished.

So, my total damage now is €45,08. And I can’t any guarantees that the same won’t happen in the future.

Contacting AliExpress and getting any assistance is completely impossible. They do everything they can to avoid any contact with customers.

Furthermore, in case of dissatisfaction with AliExpress determination a customer may apply to Hong Kong Arbitration Center (“HKIAC”) for arbitration (AliExpress Transaction Services Agreement for EU consumers, art. 10.3). The only problem is that a minimum fee for such appeal is above €3.000.

So, this is how I understood that the famous AliExpress buyer protection program finally turned into a seller/AliExpress protection program, and that in fact, all attempts by the EU to extend its customer protection rules to Aliexpress trade have had failed so far.