Business

How safe is Temu? The online shopping website is soaring in popularity

Shoppers love Temu, a Chinese-owned online retailer that has exploded in popularity thanks to thousands of items for under $20.

Posted 2023-12-26T15:38:29+00:00 - Updated 2024-01-02T16:54:42+00:00

How safe is online shopping site Temu?

Temu is one of the fastest-growing retail websites, and even if you haven't used it you have probably heard of it. Recently, more questions are coming in about how safe it is to use.

Shoppers love Temu, a Chinese-owned online retailer that has exploded in popularity thanks to thousands of items for under $20, including clothing, organizers, pet items and more.

Becca Raco said she has been thrilled with many of the inexpensive she purchased from Temu since it launched in June 2022 -- some under $1.

"I've gotten items for under $10, and on Amazon they were over $30," she said

The Better Business Bureau recently raised concerns about the retailer after more than 1,000 complaints in just over a year.

The complaints were mostly about:

Poor quality items
Delivery delays
Credit card overcharges

As a result, the BBB gave Temu a C+ rating.

A New York law firm, Troy Law, is going further, filing a class action suit claiming Temu may be placing spyware into phones that can track personal information.

"There are concerns about Temu allegedly intercepting private and personal information from its users so they can generate revenue," said Tiffany Troy, an attorney who claims Temu monitors more information than other retailers.

For those who still want to get orange Temu packages in the mail, there are some tips for shoppers.

Raco said she only shops Temu with PayPal, so the website does not have any of her banking information.

Temu released the following statement in response:

Temuis working with the BBB to address customer concerns. Temu’s review rating should be seen in the context of its peers. Temu’s Better Business Bureau customer review rating of 2.55/5 is higher than Walmart (1.08), eBay (1.08) and Shein (1.29), all companies with a much longer operating history. These companies have many more times the number of customer complaints compared with Temu. Temu is grateful for its customers' feedback and strives for a 100% business response rate for complaints.