Investigate Chinese retail giant Alibaba, urges Dutch consumers assoc

Dutch consumer association Consumentenbond joined five other European organizations calling on regulators to take action against AliExpress. The groups accuse the Chinese online retail subsidiary of Alibaba of violating European rules with the site’s terms and conditions.

Specifically, they take issue with the platform’s mandate that consumers who escalate problems with a supplier must resolve the issues in a private arbitration hearing in Hong Kong. “But according to European legislation, consumers have the right to go to court in their own country,” the Consumentenbond said in a statement on Friday.

“The Chinese platform also does not allow customers to return a product within 14 days without giving a reason. This too is contrary to European rules,” the non-profit said. They also believe that the site does not give clear information about product warranties, which often must last for two years in the European Union.

The Consumentenbond asked Dutch regulator Authority for Consumers and Markets to investigate the issue in depth.

Similar calls were made by Belgium’s Test Aankoop, France’s UFC-Que Choisir, the Altroconsumo group of Italy, Portugal’s DECO, and OCU in Spain.