My personal experience of purchasing items advertised on the social media platform.
A couple of months ago, I wrote about the dangers of buying from Facebook following the experience of some of our readers and my own.
Let me start by making myself clear. I have bought and sold many items successfully using the Marketplace section, everything from BBQs to furniture – But, I have increasingly become concerned about the volume of adverts that appear from companies that are offering items from fake watches to robot vacuums and everything in between. Using glitzy looking adverts with moneyback promises and offering a variety of payment option, to the casual observer, these adverts appear legitimate, indeed later this year Facebook will have a responsibility to its users to protect them fraud under the Online Safety Act, but my experience suggests that not enough is currently being done to remove these companies that take our money and don’t deliver.
In writing this follow article, I made three test purchases, using different payment methods, these are the result.
I purchased a robot vacuum from a company called Humds based in Hong Kong. Its’ website sells a variety of item and promises moneyback for faulty items: “…we are dedicated to providing excellent products and customer service. We understand that sometimes things don’t go as planned, and we want to make the process of returning items and getting a refund as simple and easy as possible…”.
So, I purchased a robot vacuum, cost £100 plus £4 shipping insurance. Delivery was just seven to 10 days, which didn’t seem too long to wait. The week flew by, then a second. Still no sign of the Humds product, no tracking number and no update. Having emailed them I received a response that some items had been delayed, but they would follow up with the courier company. Still no tracking number. Another week slipped by and no update. Again, an email exchange produced another canned answer. They were trying to find out what the delay was with the courier company. Then another week went by, still no answers, but a tracking number that was incorrect and gave no information.
Having waited more than triple the promised delivery time and with no update other than canned answers, I reported them to Barclays. Customer service took down the information and I received a letter 48 hours later saying my complaint had been logged and was being investigated.
Relaying my action to Humds, finally stirred them into action and I had what I can describe as an astonishing exchange of emails. The email pleaded with me to close the complaint to Barclays, if I did, they would give me a full refund. When I pushed back and said they could issue a refund and this would close the complaint, they said the complaint limited the actions they could take.
A further exchange of emails followed, each one giving a canned answer, indeed, the same answer I had received to my initial inquires. They promised to look into why despite weeks going by, the vacuum had not been delivered or even picked up by the courier.
When I informed them I was writing this article and would be naming their company and detailing my experience, more canned answers followed. I also asked them if they could put me in touch with one satisfied UK customer, to date, none have come forward.
You will have to make up your own mind if this company is legitimate of a scam, but the evidence is not good. I am still waiting for the outcome of Barclays’ investigation, however they did provide me with the following comment: “We urge customers to take their time when making a purchase and thoroughly read through the terms and conditions of the seller. If customers are in doubt, or feeling unnecessarily rushed to make a purchase, we encourage them to not complete the payment. Customers who haven’t received the goods that they ordered from a merchant and have lost money should report it to us as soon as possible.”
On to the second test purchase, a Rolex watch being marketed by a company called Happy Living Essentials, whose bank account appears under the name of SociallyBranded. Also based in China, I was intrigued to know two things, how on earth Facebook allows for clearly fake high-end products like Rolex watches to be sold on their platform and would anything be delivered?
This time using PayPal, I made the purchase and sat back, waiting to see what would happen. Having been provided a tracking number a similar pattern followed. The delivery date was missed, the tracking number, although it worked showed the product was still in China.
After an exchange of emails and broken promises, I reported the matter to PayPal, who has a very simple system for lodging a dispute. 48 hours later my order was cancelled by the seller and subsequently the tracking number has stopped working. Although miraculously, some might say fraudulently, the Happy Living Essentials provided tracking details to PayPal saying the watch had been delivered. The courier company Track718, which has a 1 star rating on Trustpilot with hundreds of reviews all saying the same thing, the company claims to have delivered the item, but nothing arrived and no proof of delivery. When we approached them for a comment, they said: “We have neither transportation nor sales of goods. We only provide logistics tracking inquiries”.
This complaint is on going.
Again, it would appear that the company Happy Living Essentials is neither legitimate or had any intention of delivering the product, but the question remains, the Online Safety Act places a duty on companies such as Facebook to protect their users from fraud and while these regulations have not fully come into force yet, Ofcom expected to make an announcement this summer, why are they allowing, companies who advertise Rolex watches at fantastical prices which are either fake or non-existent. Does Facebook believe they are meeting their obligations under the Act?
The final purchase, a shirt from a company called SimpleClub, also from China, paid for using GooglePay. From the get-go, I received an email confirming the purchase and a second email with a tracking number 24 hours later. What was even better the company used a recognised courier, China Post. This information was also provided to Googles shop function which allowed another way to track my order.
The whole process, worked as it should. The item was delivered within time advertised and both the quality and price were good. Well done SimpleClub.
So, what are the lessons I can take from my experience.
One of the primary risks when purchasing from Facebook and non-UK companies is the lack of robust consumer protections. UK laws safeguard buyers with rights to refunds, exchanges, and protections against faulty goods. Indeed, these rights are enshrined in legislation such as the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
This legislation, in a nutshell says that ALL products must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described.
The rules also include digital content in this definition. So, whether physical or digital – must meet the following standards:
• Fit for purpose: The goods should be fit for the purpose they are supplied for, as well as any specific purpose they were sold for.
• As described: The goods supplied must match any description given to you.
• Satisfactory quality: Goods shouldn’t be faulty or damaged when you receive them. You should also expect that cheap products won’t be held to as high standards as luxury goods.
This also protects you from the practice of ‘bait and switch’, where images used of an item, or description do not come close to what is delivered.
When you buy from an overseas seller, these important protections can be ignored, leaving you at a massive disadvantage if something goes wrong with your purchase.
Returning items can also be challenging when dealing with international sellers. Each company has its own return policy and navigating these can be confusing. Additionally, shipping items back to another country often incurs high costs, and many consumers find themselves stuck with unwanted products simply because the return process is too cumbersome.
The next issue common with overseas purchasing is unexpected shipping delays, especially if customs hold up your package. Moreover, international shipping fees can vary widely and are sometimes not clearly communicated at checkout, leading to surprise costs that can significantly bump up total price of your order.
Then when problems arise, having access to local customer support can make a world of difference. UK-based sellers are typically more accessible and responsive to customer inquiries. In contrast, overseas companies may have slower response times, language barriers, or inadequate support systems, making it difficult to resolve issues efficiently.
Unfortunately, the attraction of online shopping can attract scammers. Some non-UK companies may operate fraudulent schemes, offering enticing products at unbelievable prices but failing to deliver or providing fake items instead.
The advice here is to research sellers thoroughly and look for reviews before making a purchase and if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Finally make sure you use methods such as PayPal, or VISA. While their complaints process can take time, at least they have one, although be prepared to have to deal with fake tracking numbers and so forth.
I put my concerns to Facebook/Meta via email because they don’t seem to have anything like a phone number, and despite send emailing them several times they have failed to respond. Again, you can reach your own conclusion on why, but in my opinion, it does feel like they are more concerned with profits than protecting their users. Even if they this is a unkind interpretation of their actions, they could be in for a rude awakening when they have to comply with the Online Safety Act or else face punitive fines for allowing companies such as Happy Living Essentials and Humds to advertise on their platform unless they can prove they are legitimate vendors.