Websites That Take Your Orders But Never Ship Them

Many consumers order holiday gifts on the Internet this time of year. However, it is important to be cautious of online shopping sites that are not mainstream.

Did you know that there are some unscrupulous people who set up reputable looking websites to rip people off? Some even have good reviews but they take your orders and never ship them! Be sure to avoid shopping at the following two websites because they have a reputation for doing just that:

• Gearbest.com
• Dealmachine.com

Last month, I ordered a book about Frank Sinatra. It is now four weeks later and it still has not arrived. Then today, I read the following news story on the CBS Money Watch website:

“Sites that take your orders — and never ship them. Consumers looking for cool presents, from drones and self-balancing electric scooters to one-of-a-kind handmade crafts, have to watch out for online shopping sites that don’t deliver, warns Jeremy Gin, co-founder of the online business evaluation site SiteJabber.com.

Such shady sites are already selling items they don’t have in stock, Gin said. Although there are hundreds of dubious shopping sites, two that have drawn complaints are Gearbest.com and Dealmachine.com.

Several of the suspect sites, all of which are based in China, even have quite a few favorable reviews. That makes it all the more tricky for consumers. But if you read the positive reviews, one clue that something’s not quite right is unusual language.

An example drawn from Gearbest: “I ordered kitchen accessories. When ordered was the most nice price on the internet. This product complies with the description on the website.”

The bottom line is avoid placing orders on sites that are not well-established and that you are not familiar with. Be particularly leery of overseas vendors, which can largely get away with charging you for something they don’t intend to deliver.”

Here is the link for the complete article: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/3-scams-to-watch-out-for-this-holiday-season/.

We hope you found this consumer alert to be helpful. And, as always, if you know someone who is struggling with overdue debts, please have them call us for a bankruptcy consultation at 212-315-3755.