If you are in USA, you must have either heard of Temu or most possibly are a customer on the Temu app. Temu stands as one of the most downloaded apps in the country as well as equally controversial one. Hundreds of publishing houses and thousands of warnings on social media websites as well as forums have piled up negative reviews of the Temu app. However, Temu stands tall and we are trying to examine why so many warnings about Temu and even accusation by government departments have not been able to put Temu in a serious position. Why is that Temu still is so popular in USA and what are the factors that push consumers into being a loyal Temu customer?
What makes millions of Americans flock to Temu despite the controversies? Are the deals too good to be true? Is Temu safe and legitimate? In this article, we will go through some of the important warnings that Temu has received and why it has no effect on American Consumers.
Why is Temu so popular in USA?
If you haven’t watched a Temu ad, we are putting one here for you. Have a look before we talk about the reason Temu stands as the most downloaded free app in USA.
So now that you have watched the Temu ad, we want you to notice some points about it :
- The ad keeps showing you random prices and focuses more on the price instead of products.
- The graphics are focused on making you feel like you are buying some life changing things.
- It has magic.
We can totally ignore the third point, but the first two are the primary reasons Temu warnings and negative reviews have been of almost no effect in USA.
Temu has been successful in delivering the promise that it shows in the ads- providing way too cheap products. Items on Temu are priced so low that asking for a quality product seems like too much to ask! And even in a country like USA which has very high per-capita income compared to other countries, low-price is the best part of shopping for almost whole middle-class consumer base.
Temu even offers free stuff to those who promote the app among their friends and family members. We can talk about quality and American-made, but low-price has made Temu an undisputed winner in USA ecommerce market.
According to the Similarweb’s report of top shopping apps in USA by usage, Temu stands third right behind Amazon and Walmart.
How is that not a major win?
In one of his podcasts, Prof Scott Galloway said – “And it’s estimated that today Temu and Shein alone account for a third of those shipments, which is all to say, you know, the way Temu and Shein make money is by evading taxes with freakishly low prices. And the way they get freakishly low prices is most likely not confirmed through exploitative and, and possibly forced labor.”
Youtube : Goldman and Apple Part Ways, Shein and Temu, and Charlie Munger’s Legacy | Prof G Markets
What are the warnings about Temu App?
Even though Temu clearly has Chinese connection, we should not judge the app solely based on the participating country. However, controversies and warnings issued against Temu cannot be ignored. Some of the warnings that Temu has faced in USA are these:
Temu reviews by consumers have been pretty rough
One of the warnings that we can count about Temu App, even it not with the same weightage as other warnings to follow, is the consumer reviews. Many customers of Temu have openly spoke against the product quality and variation of delivered product from the product promised.
Unresponsive customer care service is a big question and a serious issue. Many of Temu reviews are about their lack of proper customer service.
Even though it has been an official issue as stated by the representatives of the Senate, consumers too have spoken about the way Temu collects data and their ties with the Chinese government.
Also, BBB has given Temu a C+ and has clarified that Temu is not NOT BBB ACCREDITED.
U.S. House Select Committee reported Temu not complying with UFLPA
A very serious warning about Temu comes straight from the US House Select Committe on the Chinese Communist Party, which published a report providing insights about how Temu doesn’t properly complies with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
Marco Rubio, U.S. Senator for Florida, wrote a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas seeking an investigation to find more about Shein and Temu on whether they are found to violate the UFLPA Law.
Pinduoduo, Temu’s Sister site was suspended by Google because of Malware
In another very serious warning by Google itself, a sister site of Temu called Pinduoduo was flagged for containing malware. Because of this, the website was temporarily suspended too.
Not only Google, but even Kaspersky and Multiple cybersecurity firms found malware codes in the Pinduoduo app. The malware gave Pinduoduo gave control of the user’s phone without their consent.
Check our article on device security and How media access permissions can compromise your device’s security.
It’s important to note that Temu has denied these allegations and maintains that it takes customer satisfaction and data privacy seriously. However, since the warnings and negative reviews has been given by various credible organization, we recommend you to take caution.
Summary
- Temu is highly popular in the USA due to its competitive pricing, enticing deals, and incentivized referral programs.
- Consumer reviews have criticized Temu for product quality and poor customer service.
- Official warnings have been issued regarding Temu’s compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
- U.S. Senator Marco Rubio has called for an investigation into Temu’s practices.
- Temu’s sister site, Pinduoduo, was suspended by Google for containing malware.
Takeaway: Be cautious when using Temu, considering the concerns raised about product quality, customer service, compliance with labor laws, and potential security risks associated with its sister site.
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