Disputes in AliExpres are the means by which we can resolve any conflict or mishap that we have suffered in our purchases on the website of this giant of Oriental sales in the West. They are the means by which we can solve an erroneous purchase, or if we have received a product in poor condition., even if it took too long to arrive. Let's not forget that we can also open this type of dispute even if we never receive the purchased product.
As you already know AliExpress It is an intermediary between the buyer and the seller. And it is that AliExpress hosts countless stores that sell all their products anywhere in the world. And it is at the time of making the purchase and when the buyer pays that the money passes and is kept in AliExpress until the client gives his consent and confirms receipt of the order. That is when AliExpress releases and sends the money to the seller.
This modus operandi is called Escrow, which means that a third party, being neither the client nor the seller, custody of the money until both parties have fulfilled the deal. At that time it releases the money, charging a commission. Thus it is favored that sellers solve any problems as quickly as possible, in order to receive payment quickly.
If we ever have a problem with AliExpress purchases, the first thing we have to do is be patient, be calm and tackle the problem with the means provided by the Asian giant's platform.
How and when to open a dispute on AliExpress
To open a dispute, you just have to go to the "My Orders" section within the online store app. In the list of orders, find the item with which you had the problem. And in the menu that appears next to the order click on Open Dispute.
Next, you will have to complete a form in which we must tell what problem has happened to us with our order and what type of refund you want to request. The first thing we must do is to be as honest as possible when presenting your case, since the more information you give and the more precise it is, it will be in your favor when it comes to resolving the conflicts that arise.
In the dispute process you can add some video or photo in which you can clearly see what the problem is that we have had with the order. This way it is more likely that the dispute will be accepted. Then, the seller has a maximum of 15 days to answer with a resolution.
If after those 15 days we have not received any response, you will have won the dispute automatically and the money will be returned by the same means you used to make the payment and the seller will not receive anything. If, on the contrary, in those 15 days you have not been able to reach an agreement with the seller, the AliExpress Dispute Team will decide who is right.
The most common cases to proceed with the opening of disputes are the following:
Product in poor condition or different from the description
If we have received the product and at the time of opening it we have verified that it is broken, or is very different from its description, the size is not correct, or something similar, we inform you that it is very likely that you will win at the time of a claim.
It is best to justify your dispute well, providing all possible evidence: if the problem was with a garment, it is advisable to add photos of the garment's measurements, a screenshot with the table of measurements that the seller has posted in his store , some short video to demonstrate the disagreement with the product...
If we provide all of this evidence and it is justified, you will most likely receive a full refund.
Product with minor damage
If we have received the order, and when opening it we have appreciated that it does not fully correspond to the description but it is in good condition, there is also a possibility to open a dispute and ask for a partial refund. This happens when the color is not correct, the size is slightly wrong, it has some imperfection or the quality is not as expected.
In this case as in any other, the more evidence you provide, the more chances you will have of being successful in the dispute.
Incomplete order
If in one of our orders we include different items from the same seller and store and when we receive it we observe that something is missing, you have the right to claim a partial refund for those products that did not arrive and therefore receive the amount thereof.
Whenever you receive a product of a high value, or of many units, it is advisable to make a video recording the entire process of opening the package to show that products are indeed missing, although if you don't normally have many disputes and you are a serious buyer, it will be enough to send a photo of the newly opened package.
The order is delayed or does not arrive
Every time we make a purchase they give us an estimated date of arrival, and with it a period of protection for the buyer. If the estimated delivery date arrives and you have not received the order, or in the tracking we can read "Shipping canceled", you can open a dispute and usually AliExpress will refund the order in full.
It is usually important that you open the dispute before the order protection period ends. And in these cases we can only provide a screenshot as evidence.
fake product
We are buying from the largest Chinese store warehouse, so it is recommended that you make sure if you are buying an original brand product or a replica or fake product. If the description makes it clear that it is original, but instead you receive a product that is not, you can also claim and get a full refund.
It may be more difficult to justify, so you will have to provide as much evidence as possible to justify that it is not original and what you are basing it on.
wrong product
This case is obviously one of the simplest to claim, since if we have ordered a child's shirt and we receive a bracelet we have every right to open a dispute that we will be refunded all our money. Normally it hardly ever happens, they are already very organized in their distribution process, but there can always be some inconvenience.
Possible refunds in disputes
As you may have noticed, we have talked about two types of refunds, partial or full. And it is thatThese are the types of compensation that we will be able to claim in disputes with AliExpress:
- Partial refund: As its name suggests, it happens in cases where the seller will return a part of the price of the item that you paid. As a tip, you should always request a full refund as it can vary during the dispute. So ask for the full refund and if the seller doesn't see it right he will offer you a partial refund.
- Full refund: This is the type of reimbursement that we must request in cases such as in which the product has never reached the buyer or because it is very different from what was ordered. If the product is of a lower price, they will almost never make us return the product, but please note that if the product is of high value and the seller can ask us to return it for refund, but the shipping cost to China should be paid by you.
The best of all and to avoid possible headaches is to make sure that the product that we are going to order is the one that we want and that it meets all the requirements for our satisfaction. Look for reputable stores and sellers, and even talk to them before ordering if you have any questions. Since in the message section you can speak directly with the seller and make everything clear about your possible order.