Official AliExpress Store

[mentadent]

Does VIOFO have an official AliExpress store?

 

[runtohell121]

VIOFO Official Store - Amazing products with exclusive discounts on AliExpress

Discover the wide range of from AliExpress Top Seller VIOFO Official Store.Enjoy ✓Free Shipping Worldwide! ✓Limited Time Sale ✓Easy Return.

viofo.aliexpress.com

Source: https://viofo.com/content/11-where-to-buy/

 

[VIOFO-Support]

Does VIOFO have an official AliExpress store?

Yes, you can check this link: https://viofo.aliexpress.com/store/...Type=orders_desc&shop_sortType=bestmatch_sort

 

[mentadent]

Thank you.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Does VIOFO have an official AliExpress store?

My next question is; What is AliExpress Return Policy?
I just went looking for it, and can’t find it.

 

[DoubleDawg]

My next question is; What is AliExpress Return Policy?
I just went looking for it, and can’t find it.

View attachment 72283

Here is the page I found: https://www.aliexpress.com/gcp/300000437/CmYxpY5MrH?spm=a2g0o.detail.0.0.5c0dRF85RF852c&wh_weex=true

 

[Panzer Platform]

Here is the page I found: https://www.aliexpress.com/gcp/300000437/CmYxpY5MrH?spm=a2g0o.detail.0.0.5c0dRF85RF852c&wh_weex=true

Clear as mud. lol
So basically “all sales final” there is no return policy for USA customers.

 

[DoubleDawg]

Clear as mud. lol
So basically “all sales final” there is no return policy for USA customers.

View attachment 72288

I presumed they fall under overseas sellers, based on the list given.

 

[Dashmellow]

Here is the page I found: https://www.aliexpress.com/gcp/300000437/CmYxpY5MrH?spm=a2g0o.detail.0.0.5c0dRF85RF852c&wh_weex=true

The information on that page is somewhat vague and misleading depending on the reason you may want/need a refund.

I have purchased many items from AliExpress over the years and have always had a very positive experience. (except for the time when one vendor used my purchase as an excuse to start heavily spamming me, but which got shut down after I finally complained to AE.)

Anyway, a couple of years ago I ordered an expensive aftermarket dash cam lens from vendor Jetsun who is well known to many DCTers . Shipping usually takes about 3 weeks for items from them to arrive but it soon became obvious that something was wrong. Eventually, it became clear that the item had been lost or stolen in the mail. Following the online tracking you could see that it arrived at a particular destination and the trail went cold. Weeks later there was still no hint about the items whereabouts and it still showed up in tracking at the same location from weeks prior.

The vendor was very uncooperative and suggested that the item must be stuck in customs even after I pointed out that it never made it that far. After a further wait it was abundantly clear that my item was lost forever and was never likely to arrive. I asked for a refund was now told that I would need to wait 90 days before I would be eligible to even request a refund.

One of the frustrating things about all this was that the process has changed at AliExpress for communicating with them or with the vendor and now it is all through an awkward and unpleasant to use chat/messaging system instead of email or direct messaging and this delays and confuses the process. I explained that I didn't wish to wait an additional 90 days to even apply for a refund as I purchased the item for a project that couldn't wait that long to complete and that it was unreasonable to have to wait for what could now be well over four months since placing the order to get my money back, especially since it was abundantly obvious from their own tracking system where and when the package had disappeared.

I was very unhappy with the responses I was receiving as well as being out my money and not receiving the lens I ordered. Finally, I opened a dispute with AliEpress (the response to which was very frustrating and unsatisfactory) and so I opened a dispute with PayPal who investigated and promptly provided a refund. (the lens never did show up.) One of the problems was that like here, they made their policy about the 90 day refund request wait very hard to locate on the site, so for a time it wasn't clear to me if I was dealing with an AE policy or a vendor who didn't want to deal with the lost package and was simply putting me off, hence my decision to go with the PayPal dispute. I had lost my patience.

So, be clear that if your item never shows up you could have to wait 90 days or more to even request a refund and then up to 20 more days for AliExpress to issue your refund according to their return/refund policy page in the link posted above.

Caveat Emptor!​

 

[mentadent]

I've always treated buying from China to US or UK as no returns. I've been happy with every AliExpress purchase I've made, but I've also researched each store I've bought from a little bit.

 

[Dashmellow]

I've always treated buying from China to US or UK as no returns. I've been happy with every AliExpress purchase I've made, but I've also researched each store I've bought from a little bit.

My sentiments and experiences are pretty much the same with the exception of my purchase from AliExpress where the item never arrived and once with a somewhat similar but worse experience a long time ago with Banggood when they fraudulently provided tracking information to PayPal for a different item I had purchased from them around the same time that did arrive. (They almost got away with it and my PayPal claim was initially denied until I was able to provide proof that their scheme was bogus.)

Anyway, when you have paid AliExpress for a pricey item that never arrives you expect you should receive a refund within a reasonable period of time without having to jump though hoops or argue with the vendor for months, especially when the policy to provide a refund of your money for undelivered items is prominently featured right at the top of the Buyer Protection Page.

"Buyer Protection - Buyer protection allows you to get a refund within the protection period if your item doesn't arrive, arrives damaged, or arrives not as described."​

https://www.aliexpress.com/p/buyerprotection/index.html?spm=a2g0o.tm1000001931.1000001.2.8ff238a9f4X6IJ

 

[Panzer Platform]

presumed

I don’t like the definition of this word when it comes to financial loss on a consumer purchase.
Here’s what a real / legitimate return policy looks like.
Most everything I buy is from Walmart, Costco, or Amazon solely because I trust their return policies.
I supported my local Dixon Ace Hardware from 1993 to 2024, but the business was sold, and the new owner fired all the gray haired expert tradesmen with hundreds of years of experience, and replaced them with greenhorns that can’t answer a single question without googling it on their tablet.
Walmart: 90-Days

Robot or human?

Costco: 90-Days, shipping cost also refunded for online purchases (Wow!)

What is Costco’s return policy?

Welcome to the Costco Customer Service page. Explore our many helpful self-service options and learn more about popular topics.

customerservice.costco.com

Amazon: 30-Days, Free Return Shipping (drop off at UPS store)

About Our Returns Policies - Amazon Customer Service

Amazon.com and most sellers on Amazon.com offer returns for items within 30 days of receipt of shipment.

www.amazon.com

I've always treated buying from China to US or UK as no returns.

“Only visit AliExpress with money you can afford to lose, just like a casino”. lol
Well, I guess if you understand this beforehand that’s perfectly fine.
Before Amazon, I used to buy from eBay 1999-2010 for hard to find stuff, but I got tired of being burned.
Apologies to @mentadent for going off topic, but consumer protection is a big deal to me.

 

[VIOFO-Support]

Clear as mud. lol
So basically “all sales final” there is no return policy for USA customers.

View attachment 72288

This is the return policy formulated by the Aliexpress plateform, not by our VIOFO shop. If the order is beyond the return time, the customer can also contact our service to get help.

 

[Panzer Platform]

This is the return policy formulated by the Aliexpress plateform, not by our VIOFO shop. If the order is beyond the return time, the customer can also contact our service to get help.

That’s sounds reassuring.
What exactly is the return policy for the AliExpress Viofo shop?
Is it any different from the Official Viofo Website?
Wait, wouldn’t it be better to just purchase from the Official Viofo Website: Viofo.com?

 

[LateralNW]

Wait, wouldn’t it be better to just purchase from the Official Viofo Website: Viofo.com?

I've noticed that their prices are cheaper at Aliexpress.

 

[LateralNW]

@Dashmellow
I'm currently waiting on an item which the system says it is with the line haul company. I purchased the item early April!
Second time recently this has happened.
Both times the freight company is Cainiao Super Economy.
Like you I had to wait ages for a refund. The item never arrived and it makes me wonder if using this courier is a scam.

Because of this problem if seller is using this courier i don't purchase from them.

I buy lots of things from Ali generally low price stuff without any problems.

If it's faulty they have always given me a refund once I prove it.

 

[Dashmellow]

@Dashmellow
I'm currently waiting on an item which the system says it is with the line haul company. I purchased the item early April!
Second time recently this has happened.
Both times the freight company is Cainiao Super Economy.
Like you I had to wait ages for a refund. The item never arrived and it makes me wonder if using this courier is a scam.

Because of this problem if seller is using this courier i don't purchase from them.

I buy lots of things from Ali generally low price stuff without any problems.

If it's faulty they have always given me a refund once I prove it.

You're right, there may be an issue with which shipping companies they may be using. Still, I think part of the problem is that AE's process for dealing with items that never arrive is flawed. I understand that they are concerned with items getting delayed in shipping as it does happen. One of the main culprits is when packages get hung up in customs. One time, I sold an expensive lens on eBay to a guy in Amsterdam and we both could see that it quickly arrived in the Netherlands but he didn't receive it so I asked him to be patient and gave him my word that I would make things right if in the end it really did never arrive. He was very nice about it and after about a month he received the package in good order. It was held up in customs.
So, I've been on the other side of it. But I was just an individual selling a single item to another individual. It's different when you are a big company and you make the process so cumbersome and time consuming.

I think AE's policy to not even let you make a claim for 90 days is excessive, especially if tracking shows that it disappeared on route at a specific location weeks and weeks ago. With an expensive item that's a long time to make a customer wait, tie up his money that they are holding onto and delay any closure for the transaction. I certainly wasn't about to order another expensive replacement lens until I knew the status of my first purchase, so I couldn't complete my lens mod project. I think 6 weeks beyond the time an item was initially expected to arrive would be more than enough for Ali Express to determine whether a package is lost or not to provide a refund.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I've noticed that their prices are cheaper at Aliexpress.

"Buy cheap pay twice"
-Dalai Lama

"Pennywise, Pound foolish"
-Winston Churchill