Media365
A US man was left bewildered after he received a photograph of a drill he had ordered from AliExpress, instead of the actual tool, according to a report in the New York Post. Sylvester Franklin, 68, a Georgia resident, ordered the DIY appliance and a pressure washer for $40 from the budget online store, based in China, back in November, thinking he had stumbled upon a steal deal.
A few weeks later in December when he received the delivery, Mr Franklin found that the company had shipped a printed-out picture of the item, folded it up, and placed it inside the package.
“I paid around $40 – all I got given was a picture of the drill and a screw. I was very upset. I contacted them for a refund straight away,” said Mr Franklin.
“This is not good. This is real bad. All this is bad, you know what I mean?,” he added.
Frustrated by the scam, Mr Franklin tried getting in touch with the retailer but so far, he has received no proper communication with a refund looking like a distant possibility.
“Don’t scam nobody. I don’t like to get scammed because if you spend your money, you want to get what you paid for.”
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Internet reacts
As the story went viral, social media users shared similar anecdotes while others poked fun at Mr Franlklin for ordering items from an untrustworthy website.
“That is a very common scam and happens a lot on sites like eBay and FB marketplace as well,” said one user, while another had fun at Mr Franklin’s expense: “I’ve had generally positive experiences from AliExpress. Last month I ordered a picture of a Ferrari for $1.09 and they sent me an actual Ferrari.”
A third commented: “I think the bigger problem is him thinking he’s getting a real power washer and drill for $42.”
AlExpress is a subsidiary of Alibaba, and is also referred to as the “Amazon of China”. Despite its vast inventory, customers across the globe complain about the shoddy practices of retailers on the platform. According to the Better Business Bureau, AliExpress has a D-rating and has failed to respond to 1,131 complaint(s) filed against the business.
