Article of February 15, 2018

E-commerce, an ever-expanding consumption mode

Since the beginning of the 2000s, the number of e-commerce sites has exploded and their turnover is constantly increasing (with the predominance of major platforms such as Alibaba and Amazon in the world's top 5) to become one of the main modes of consumption in the world. Nearly all products can be sold on e-commerce sites, enabling them to cover most needs, whatever they may be.

However, behind the success of some e-commerce sites (mostly Chinese), it is necessary to warn against certain abuses in areas such as (non-exhaustive list):

Security:

- Customer comments about scams are plentiful on sites such as Trust pilot (where "positive" reviews are oddly short and are just a few words). Shady suppliers who do not deliver their orders, poor product quality, or products found damaged on delivery are all opinions that cast doubt on the seriousness of these sites.

Tariff Opacity:

- Many customer reviews mention very attractive prices that encourage people to buy... but also the surprise of receiving customs invoices when the invoice for the order or the delivery rates made no mention of it...

Customer Service:

- Many customer comments report poor or non-existent customer service in the event of a dispute. In case of late delivery or an item that does not correspond to the order, almost no recourse is possible and customer service sometimes responds several weeks late. Sometimes the seller responds in total bad faith and refuses any reimbursement when he is at fault.

When comparing these sites with European or American sites (such as Priceminister-Rakuten, Amazon or FNAC), the contrast is striking. Of course, problems may exist (such as a late delivery, an error in the order...) but a contact person is almost always present to settle the dispute (whether on social networks or by phone) allowing it to be dealt with within a reasonable timeframe.