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.
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