AliExpress Item Purchased, Was Sent Something Different. Did I Misunderstand What I Ordered?

AustriaBargain on 14/10/2023 - 22:15
Last edited 20/10/2023 - 14:39

I ordered two of these https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005748638188.html which I thought was a "Portable Carrying Bag for Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 5 6 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Bag Shockproof Protective Case for Studio 5/6". $6.66 for a hard shell portable carrying bag for my pair of Studio 6 speakers, sure sounds good.

But instead in the mail I received two rubber ear bud holder things.

I filed a report for refund. But I'm just wondering was it me who boobed up and misunderstood what I was buying? The title says it was a bag for speakers, the descriptions ays it is a bag for speakers, the photos are all bags for speakers except for the fourth to last photo which is the weird rubber things I actually received.

The item order said the package would weigh 600 something grams, which these little rubber things do not. I don't see any eBay style scam listing where it lists speaker bags but a drop down lets you choose rubber things.

It's been probably six years since I ordered from Aliexpress so I know I probably misunderstood that most cheap listings are scams and bait and switch now. Just kind of annoyed that a listing for speaker bags is somehow a listing for the cheapest rubber earbud things you have ever seen in your life.

EDIT: Full refund, style variant did not match product description.

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Comments

  • coxjon on 14/10/2023 - 22:21
    +26

    This is how it is nowadays: oh boy, a great price on this device! Oh, it’s just a screen protector for that price.

    You have to select a colour/size and make sure that’s what you’re buying, not just read the title

    • AustriaBargain on 14/10/2023 - 22:29
      -6

      I don’t even see options for choosing variations. But why would a party speaker for Harmon Kadon Studio series speakers even be in the same category as Beats Studio rubber covers? And Beats Studio aren’t earbuds anyway, they are larger over head cans.

      Am thinking of just paying $50 each for the speaker cases on Amazon. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life receiving screen protectors and refunding them.

      • HarryBolt68 on 14/10/2023 - 23:11
        +13

        I assume they do it because the accessory item is cheaper so (a) their listing appears before competitors' listings for the same item and (b) buyers are more likely to open it thinking they have a chance of getting a bargain. I don't think they do it with the intention of having people like you accidentally buy the wrong thing, because that would be detrimental to their reviews.

        Speaking of which, AliExpress sellers are terrified of bad reviews. If you're really cheesed off by this, send the seller a message and they might sort it out for you.

      • Webber000 on 15/10/2023 - 12:10
        +11

        Look again - its the exact same as the ebay scam so they show up in search listings.

        You've missed the "colours" bit which is the choosing variations.
        The seller has listed the earbuds you got as a "colour" (the colour is "for beats studio").
        If you wanted the actual bag/case you have to click the other pictures under "colour" and select "black", "blue" or "grey" which cost $30 each.
        As you didn't do that and you didn't select a colour they have sent you their default scam listing of the earbuds for $6 each.

        Should they decline your refund then refile it as a complaint for a fake item / counterfeit goods as they are not genuine "beats studio" products or claim they are defective as you have lost them and these are anti-lost according to the listing, or just suck it up as one of the usual search manipulation scams!

    • HeWhoKnows on 15/10/2023 - 08:13
      +7

      Yes AliExpress sellers do this all the time
      Many Misleading Advert Descriptions with dubious selections

      Always check what you have selected before hitting the BUY button

      But OP can still lodge a complaint and claim a refund based in the Advert title:

      "Portable Carrying Bag for Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 5 6 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Bag Shockproof Protective Case for Studio 5/6"

    • supersabroso on 16/10/2023 - 17:21
      +1

      Yep, this is exactly what OP ordered. If he clicks on the default selection for "colour" then it will clearly show that he ordered "Silicone Anti-rope for Beats Studio Buds".

      No, this was not a bait and switch, but yes, it is confusing if you aren't familiar with how it works. "Colour" actually means pick your style/colour/type of product. In this case, they on purposely left the default product type as the silicone rope because it's way cheaper than the case so it puts their result up.

      • DingoBlue on 16/10/2023 - 19:33

        You don’t even need to click anything. I’ll be interested to see how a claim on it goes.

      • sakurashu on 16/10/2023 - 20:07

        You shouldn't be able to have different products under the same listing as options - any decent site should be taking something like this down

  • CodeXD on 14/10/2023 - 22:23
    +2

    In your order history, what does it say under the product name?

    Color: for Beats Studio

    Or one of the available colour?

    • AustriaBargain on 14/10/2023 - 22:32

      It’s the ONLY color available, now that I look at it. And rubber earbud holders are not a color of speaker bag.

      • cheesecactus on 15/10/2023 - 00:45
        +12

        There are 4 colours available. 'for Beats Studio' $6.66, Black $30, Blue $28, Grey $28.

        The $6.66 item you picked is the 'Silicone anti-lost rope for beats studio buds'.

        Unfortunately thats pretty common on aliexpress and ebay, gotta keep an eye out for it.

        Not sure if you'll get a refund, but fingers crossed.

        • AustriaBargain on 15/10/2023 - 00:54
          -7

          If I received two speaker bags/cases that were coloured "Silicone anti-lost rope for beats studio buds" I wouldn't mind, whatever colour that might be. I don't care what colour it is, I didn't even know I had a colour option when I ordered. It just defaulted to that, probably because that's the only "colour" that's available.

          • cheesecactus on 15/10/2023 - 00:57
            +2

            @AustriaBargain: yeah its a common tactic on aliexpress and ebay so they show a lower price in searches. But when you click in its a different product thats at that lower price. The actual product you want will be at a higher price.

            • AustriaBargain on 15/10/2023 - 01:04
              +1

              @cheesecactus: I expected more from Jack Ma. For shame 😢

              • disturboed on 15/10/2023 - 10:57
                +4

                @AustriaBargain: LOL, it's all over eBay too, this is common practice unfortunately. It's the nature of the sellers involved, not so much the platform's fault.

                • So Was Red on 16/10/2023 - 21:31

                  @disturboed: It's become the normal, some sellers may not want to but find it's the only way to compete. I'd say that's entirely the platform's fault

  • Clear on 14/10/2023 - 22:24
    +9

    87.0% Positive Feedback

    Risky buying from a store that low in feedback. Especially if it involves anything big brand.

    Though it seems you didn't check what exactly you were buying. A lot of AliExpress sellers pull this trick much like eBay sellers to have their listing show up more cheap.

    • Champ888 on 15/10/2023 - 01:06

      Very interesting perspective thanks for sharing clear!

  • c64 on 14/10/2023 - 22:29
    +1

    your order history will tell you what variant you ordered

  • DashCam AKA Rolts on 14/10/2023 - 22:29

    Bait and switch. Look at the listing again, you were fooled into believing you were buying "Portable Carrying Bag for Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 5 6 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Bag Shockproof Protective Case for Studio 5/6", but the $6.66 price is for the obscured item, the "Silicone Anti-lost Rope for Beats Studio Buds".

    • AustriaBargain on 14/10/2023 - 22:31

      That’s madness, all the videos and photos are for the speaker cases.

      • DashCam AKA Rolts on 15/10/2023 - 09:49
        +2

        One photo wasn't. 7th image was of the product you received.

        • AustriaBargain on 16/10/2023 - 12:47

          A bit cheeky. Especially considering the "anti lost strap" won't even fit Harmon Kardon headphones.

  • CyberMurning on 14/10/2023 - 22:35
    +1

    Happened to me
    It's the seller nothing to do with Ali.
    Naughty seller. Just report and ask refund. I got full refund in few seconds.

  • omguleh on 14/10/2023 - 23:09
    +2

    They do this all the time to get their listing up high due to it being a low price, the actual item you want is $28-30 each.

    • AustriaBargain on 14/10/2023 - 23:56
      -1

      There is a label under the label, but it’s in all Chinese.

      • bcarp on 15/10/2023 - 20:11
        +1

        Ah yes. The others are right. I was wrong. I missed the colour thing in your particular listing. Having said that, what I described does also happen. Just doesn’t seem to be the case in your instance.

        • bamzero on 15/10/2023 - 21:09

          Yeh my first thought was Aliexpress mixing up the shipments as this recently happened to me but after actually looking at the listing was clear it was just a bait and switch listing.

  • brendanm on 14/10/2023 - 23:54
    +8

    You've ordered the incorrect thing. It's what AliExpress sellers do to get their listings to look cheaper than others. You have to choose the actual thing you want in the colour/model section.

  • franco cozzo on 15/10/2023 - 06:52
    +12

    you must be new to aliexpress…..this is rookie error level

  • dan2k on 15/10/2023 - 07:35

    Tldr.

    Answer. Yes

  • subydooby on 15/10/2023 - 08:15

    Aliexpress, very misleading

  • pegaxs on 15/10/2023 - 09:35
    +5

    Ahhhh, the old AliExpress low price sucker bet scam…

    It's the same scam they run on ebay when you are looking for something and filter by lowest price and it comes up with $1.09~$68, where the item you want is $68, but their pair it with some useless, unrelated item for $1.09 and then lay in wait for people who dont read the selection box.

  • Protractor on 15/10/2023 - 10:17

    "IF" you think this is either improper or unfair,

    PLAN A: Go to the product manufacturers page. Screen shot the exact product you thought you were buying and receiving.
    Ditto for the sellers page.
    Send images to the seller with a 'demand' that they honour what you were 'induced; into buying.
    PLAN B: Live with it + take your spending away from Ali Express

  • bamzero on 15/10/2023 - 13:33

    I recently ordered a few things from AE, which were combined for fast delivery and I think one of the items got mixed up during the repacking. One of the two items was correct, the other was completely unrelated (and as far as I could tell not something the seller I bought the other item from even sells)

    Submitted for refund, no real option for it but said items missing and said received wrong item and sent picture.

    AE first said no refund but requested more info. Had to take photos of all the packaging, showing shipping weight etc. I even put all on a scale showing weight. Eventually they refunded.

    Not sure if same thing happened in your case since it was a single item but hopefully you've still got all the packaging

  • BigBirdy on 15/10/2023 - 15:45
    +1

    It's probably your (unwitting) fault re product selection, but my friend recently had the same issue, also not realising she'd ordered the wrong product. She disputed it and got a refund (& kept the item). Then she showed me her order and I pointed out the fault was hers.

    It'd be nice if Ali and EBay stopped the practice of mixing products, but I can't see it happening

    • AustriaBargain on 15/10/2023 - 16:02

      It has been a long time since I used Aliexpress, so I am not used to the interface. I am used to the eBay interface and can quickly spot the product selection.

      I don't want to keep these rubber ear pod things and I don't want to send them back. I just want my money back and to pop them into the bin.

      Anyway I see these bags on eBay for about $35 each, surely shipping from China. I think I'll just order them there.

      • BigBirdy on 15/10/2023 - 17:57

        Either accept it as a mistake, or dispute the order on the basis it doesn't match the description. My disputes (dozens) have always landed in my favour, but others on here report problems. I suspect Ali builds a customer & seller profile based on interaction, ie sales/purchases, feedback and disputes, to determine their 'trustworthy-ness'

        • AustriaBargain on 15/10/2023 - 18:36

          Well I forgot which email address I first signed up for Aliexpress many years ago, so I started a new account. That may not work in my favour.

  • cdaddy on 15/10/2023 - 19:28

    This is what i hate about Aliexpress and similar sites, sellers set a bait item to draw you in from the search

    • centrelink on 16/10/2023 - 09:20

      It’s the websites fault for enabling this to put it higher in the search rank. YouTubers need to also “click bait” to get views and now it seems like the norm to have scam click bait titles.

  • BatsRule on 15/10/2023 - 19:53

    The bag is $28. Three options.
    Fourth option is what you received $6.66

    • AustriaBargain on 15/10/2023 - 20:13
      -1

      I don’t even own headphones compatible with the 20 cent strap of rubber they sent me.

  • jerjergege on 16/10/2023 - 07:46
    +2

    Nope you ordered the silicon anti lost rope.

  • Drakesy on 16/10/2023 - 09:47
    -1

    Yep, classic aliexpress bait and switch..

    Still who's buying a protective case for $28 let alone $6

    • AustriaBargain on 16/10/2023 - 12:43

      They must be vacuum formed, like hard shell luggage. If these speakers weren't so niche then I bet these cases would be even cheaper.

  • KaraZorEl on 16/10/2023 - 12:41

    Welcome to shopping on Aliexpress and ebay, where price click-baits are always advertised like this.

  • ReaperX22 on 16/10/2023 - 16:13

    Just received an item like this myself though I just got the wrong colour.. Oops lol. Suits my purposes either way (headband cover for some deteriorating older headphones)

  • blitz on 16/10/2023 - 17:22

    As everyone else has said, this is a case where the seller has advertised the buds in one selection (which is why the price is so low) and the hard shell case in another selection. This way, their store features earlier and more frequently in search results. It happens in a variety of product lines, unfortunately. Can't say if Aliexpress will refund you.

  • brad1-8tsi on 16/10/2023 - 20:40

    There are 4 choices. The cheap $6.54 earbud things give a clickbait price to get you to have a closer look. The carry case you want is $28.009-$29.51 depending what colour you choose.

    I almost made the exact same mistake with a different product this afternoon. It was only when I went to the checkout did my mistake become obvious.

    • AustriaBargain on 16/10/2023 - 21:25

      $29.51 isn't really any cheaper than the bags go for on eBay.

  • furyou on 16/10/2023 - 23:46

    Yeah you got baited. This is the reason I don't use ebay where it happens 90% of tech items. In Ali at least this isn't happening too much, at least you can still search an item and it is the item.

    • AustriaBargain on 16/10/2023 - 23:51

      I'm kind of annoyed. When I started using it like 20 years it was so easy to find all sorts of cheap stuff, like seriously cheap stuff. I'd order huge boxes of dozens of different stuff and months later it would arrive. I even ordered pregnancy tests because they were like 80 cents for a box of 50, even though I'm gay. You'd be crazy not to buy them at that price.

      • furyou on 16/10/2023 - 23:55

        I'm more surprised ebay - US co - got evil for so much longer, and ali is actually less evil.
        But now yeah I don't buy anything costing too much. Maybe time for a new competitor.

        • AustriaBargain on 16/10/2023 - 23:56

          I know Elon Musk has been wanting to make an Everything App for over a decade now, probably ever since he heard about Jack Ma. He gets older every year and doesn't seem to be in any hurry to make it happen though. I'd buy my cheap Chinese crap off x.com if I could, why not.

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