A US man from the state of Georgia has been struggling for months to obtain a refund after experiencing a bizarre incident with an online purchase. Sylvester Franklin, from Savannah, shared his frustration after ordering a drill from AliExpress, only to receive a printed photograph of the tool instead of the actual product.
Franklin had decided to invest in some new tools and placed an order through AliExpress, a global e-commerce platform. However, what he received was far from what he expected. “They sent me this. A picture is what they sent me,” he revealed, holding up the printed image of the drill he had ordered. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated issue within his order.
In another case, Franklin spent $22.47 on a pressure washer but ended up receiving a single screw. “This is what I get,” he said, showing the small item. Since November, Franklin has been engaged in an ongoing battle with AliExpress, seeking a refund without success.
AliExpress, a subsidiary of the Chinese e-commerce giant AliBaba, has been under scrutiny for its practices. In 2021, the Office of the United States Trade Representative listed AliExpress as a notorious market for counterfeiting and piracy. Additionally, the Better Business Bureau has assigned the website a D- rating, reflecting numerous customer complaints.
The State of Georgia’s Consumer Protection Division (CPD) received three complaints about AliExpress in 2024. These complaints involved issues such as undelivered items and fake tracking numbers. In each case, affected customers reported difficulties obtaining refunds until their grievances were escalated to the CPD.
Franklin has also tried to resolve the issue through his bank by requesting a chargeback, but his efforts have been unsuccessful. While he estimates his total loss at around $40, Franklin’s primary concern is to warn others about the risks of online shopping on such platforms. “This is not good. This is real bad. All this is bad, you know what I mean? 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,” he stated.
Efforts to reach AliExpress for comment on Franklin’s case have so far been unsuccessful.
