AWFULL BUYER PROTECTION
UPDATE NUMBER 4: I WAS SCAMMED — CUSTOMS FRAUD REQUEST BY THE SUPPLIER AND STILL NO REFUND After Alibaba suggested discussing a partial refund, I made a compromise proposal. The supplier rejected it. He then demanded that I change or delete my review, remove my photographs, give all stars and say “good hair” BEFORE he would negotiate. I refused. If the hair is as good as he claims, why must photographs of it disappear before negotiations can begin? The supplier also ask me to lye to the customs and declare a USD 7 for a heavy stock of hair extensions. That’s an absurd and I have refused. I am deeply concerned about Alibaba’s handling of this evidence. It feels as though the supplier is being protected even after he assumed the hair was thin and not tick ends. He confessed and even after his confession Alibaba’s is refusing to give back my money. Trade Assurance has left me seriously disappointed. I want my money back for the disputed products because it was a SCAM. UPDATE NUMBER 3: I had to open a second refund application after Alibaba closed my first one in the supplier’s favour. I received no warning or clear explanation addressing my evidence. In this second application, I have again submitted videos, photographs, my receipt, order details, supplier messages and screenshots of the supplier’s product pages. The regular clip-ins were described as “Luxury Silky Thick Ends.” What arrived had thin, see-through ends. My refund remains unresolved. Alibaba requires approximately US$1,000 for a third-party inspection and says protection will not apply if I decline. Even paying that fee does not guarantee a refund. I paid for the advertised products. Now I am being asked to spend another thousand dollars pursuing a refund for products that did not match their descriptions. I feel scammed. From my experience, Trade Assurance has not provided the buyer protection I expected. Instead of a clear explanation addressing my evidence, I keep receiving the same inspection requirement. DO NOT BUY FROM ALIBABA. Based on how my case has been handled, I cannot recommend this platform and will not use it again. ——————————————————- UPDATE 2: Alibaba says here that my case is being reviewed, yet my claims remain rejected despite the videos, photographs, and purchase records I submitted. I still have no refund. Polite public replies don’t make up for unacceptable complaint handling. My experience has destroyed my confidence in Alibaba’s buyer protection. I would not buy through Alibaba again or recommend it to other buyers. ------------------------------------------------------ UPDATE 1: Alibaba promised a review, then closed my case early. Alibaba replied here saying it had identified my order, escalated my case and would arrange for a team member to contact me and re-examine my evidence. Here is what happened next: on 14 October at around 10 a.m. Irish time, Alibaba told me that the supplier and I had three more working days to submit evidence. I uploaded my documents. Yet at approximately 1 a.m. Irish time on 15 October, my case was closed and my refund refused—before those three working days had passed. I received no warning that the case would close at that time. The promised escalation did not result in an explanation addressing my evidence before closure. Why give buyers three working days to submit evidence, then close the case overnight before that deadline? I am still without my refund. STILL HAVE NOT GOT MY MONEY BACK!! ----------------------------------------------------- BUYER PROTECTION? PAY ANOTHER US$1,000 TO PROVE YOUR CASE. Order number: 31238312501045031 I am writing this review while Alibaba is handling my refund dispute. I bought hair extensions advertised as having THICK, FULL ENDS. What arrived was thin, see-through hair. I feel scammed. I submitted photographs, unboxing videos, listing screenshots, my receipt, order details and recordings of supplier conversations documenting the mismatch. Despite this evidence, Alibaba has not approved my refund and is asking me to pay approximately US$1,000 more for a third-party company to inspect the products. I have not received a clear explanation of why my evidence is insufficient or what this expensive inspection would establish. I paid for the advertised products. Now I am expected to spend another thousand dollars pursuing a refund for products that did not match their descriptions. This is unacceptable. The handling of my dispute makes me feel that Alibaba is protecting the supplier while leaving me to bear the loss. I run a business, and this experience has destroyed my trust in Alibaba and its Trade Assurance service. My refund remains unresolved. I will source elsewhere and will never use Alibaba again.