Scam and Phishbusters → [Scam] Mini in the box and Light in the box scam!

I can beat one of your contributors, but NOT about faults in the order or the product. I ordered some LED Bulbs at reasonable prices. They arrived safely and functioned OK. But the import duty and IVA/Vat added more than 50% to the price I paid for the bulbs.
I agree with a previous correspondent. The INDICATED cost turns out to be nothing like the actual. No more from China, cheaper nearer home!!

not exactly ...itz more what/whom......not where..........my 1.99cent wireless headphones work great..........i found them new from a hong kong merchant on ebay...........here in the conus they sell for 49.95 all day.......i'd provide a link........but this is not a catalog forum for ebay.........i've since bought six pair...............great stuff/great price........if i offended........xin loi (sorry)

placed a order worth $53, and had to pay UPS at delirevence an extra $36, for tax and handling fee. Some 70% extra. Would call this a scam.

Complain to the government, who assessed the duty on your shipment, not to Light in the Box. No matter what international merchant you order from, this will be an issue.

Honestly, the only people that seem to have a problem with Light in the Box and think it is a "scam" are those who don't pay attention to their location or are simply ignorant of the realities of global trade and thus have no business ordering from foreign merchants...

I have ordered 4 times (12 V, LED bulbs). My experience is not bad. They are providing reasonable quality at a very low price. Yes, it takes a long time to receive stuff from China with their free shipping policy. But they have always been responsive to my queries.

No. No merchant that is shipping goods internationally as part of their business model has any excuse to not know at least the approximate cost of duties and other impex fees. It is the *merchant's* sole responsibility to not only disclose that an order is likely subject to them, once the shipping address is known the cost can be calculated and presented. These folks, along with countless others, do not provide the information because it would kill sales if the cost works out to be the same or more as ordering from Amazon or some other local vendor.

I ordered 2 "large" coats for my dogs. When I received them they were so small that they would not have fit my cats. Since the Mini company only gives you 7 days to return the items, I started immediately trying to get them returned. But their website says that they have no record of my purchase (I have record of THEM taking my money) And there is no phone # so I would have even the slightest chance of talking to a human. DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY

Notify your cc and get your money back that way.

While I agree with you that it would be wonderful if things worked this way, they simply don't. I order from international merchants on a regular basis, and I've never seen anything more than a fine-print disclosure about purchases potentially being subject to government-assessed import duties and taxes. This goes for everyone from Amazon.fr and Yoox to eBay sellers.

As an example, take a look at Amazon's information about international shipping. Far from providing any estimate of costs, it is little more than a standard disclaimer (emphasis added):»www.amazon.com/gp/help/c ··· 01119100

I've also done six-figure orders from China for work, and our company always done the estimate of import costs. The vast majority of international trade is priced under FOB terms, which absolutely do not include VAT/duties/etc.

Site like Amazon.fr and other big players are intended for consumers within the borders of a particular country or the EU. There is no need for them to provide VAT/duties/other impex information as all of the people making purchases there know most of it off the tops of their heads. If ordering a gift for someone in another country from a global player like Amazon, they'll usually fulfill from their location closest to the recipient (quite probably in that country) and completely circumvent duties. You can obtain a pretty-close estimate of duties for shipping patterns that get a lot of traffic from Amazon if you contact customer service (though you may have to hunt down someone who's higher up in the food chain).

I have had a number of clients who did impex with Europe and Asia. Every single one of the Euro companies, and the reputable/better known Asian ones could provide duties, etc., to the penny, in advance. A vendor can obtain the information. If they claim they cannot, they are either being lazy or are scammers.

I myself love how people expect to get a rocking deal (item is normally $49.99 at legit stores, but 1.99 at this place) and it doesnt happen or they lose money or the order takes forever.

People dont read and then wonder and complain. Buyer beware

Here is a transcript of my Live Chat with "Nancy" (Yeah right) from LightIntheBox (also Miniinthebox). The chat transcript speaks for itself. LOL!

info: Please wait for a site operator to respond. In some occasions, our operators are chating with 8 to 10 customers at the same time. You may have to wait half a minute for a reply. Thanks for your patience.
info: You are now chatting with 'Nancy'
Nancy: Welcome to Lightinthebox.com! How may I assist you today? (Please be noted that this chat is for presales issue only)
Nancy: hi Jonathan
Jonathan: Are you guys associated with Mininthebox?
Nancy: yes, we are
Jonathan: OK. Well. I just called the (845) number in Florida and the guy who answered the phone was very unprofessional. He didn't say "Minibox in his answering of phone and when I asked whether I was calling Minibox, he said, "SURE!"
Nancy: nope
Nancy: he is fake
Nancy: we have no hotline
Nancy: we are based in China also
Jonathan: well. I purchased a product online through Mininthebox and it is past the 20 day mark and have not received it. I was sent a tracking number but have no way of tracking since I don't know which shipping provider was used. I can't login to my account. Very frustrating. The domain name I purchased the lighter was »www.miniinthebox.com/
Nancy: Sorry for the trouble caused. I will try my best to help you although my authority is limited within pre-sales.
Nancy: Let me guide you to contact customer service team on our site step by step RIGHT NOW, they are in charge of after sales issues. So they can help you solve your problem ASAP. Is this ok for you?
Jonathan: Yes, please.
Nancy: Please follow the steps:
Nancy: 1. Please click "My Orders" to sign in your account
Nancy: 2. Click your order number or "view details"
Nancy: 3 Then you will get into your order detail page. In this page you will find a link of"ask about customs duties" in blue color just under the shipping address
Nancy: 4. Please click on the link to fill in the blank with all your requests and inquires in details.
Nancy: Please don't forget to click Next to Submit and Confirm the ticket.thanks
Jonathan: Ok. I can't login to my account.
Nancy: you can apply a new one to log in
Jonathan: I have tried that but can't login because I am using the same email address.
Nancy: i mean you can apply a new password to log in
Jonathan: I tried that too but the new password doesn't work!!!
Jonathan: This feels like a scam.
Nancy: can you tell me your email and new password plz?
Nancy: i will help you try
Jonathan: [Removed email]
Jonathan: GTAo0
Nancy: thank you
Nancy: Hang on a second please. I will check for you right now.
Nancy: i am so sorry it is now valid
Nancy: i have applied a new one for you
Nancy: it has been sent to your mail
Nancy: kindly check it plz
Jonathan: Nothing in my inbox. Can't you just tell me pasword now?
Nancy: i am so sorry it is sent by system not us
Nancy: i cannot check it
Nancy:
Jonathan: Got email. New passowrd doesn't work. You guys are good. This scam is very smooth. Thank god I din't spend a lot of mooney.
Nancy: it will work
Nancy: liyuan@lightinthebox.com
Nancy: can you forward the mail you got plz?
Nancy: i will help you check the reason
Jonathan: ok
Nancy: thank you
Jonathan: just sent
Nancy: thank you
Nancy: one sec plz
Nancy: 123456
Nancy: this is your new password
Nancy: »www.miniinthebox.com/ind ··· oginLink
Nancy: you can click this link and log in now
Jonathan: This is bullshit. It doesn't work.
Nancy: i have logged in to your account
Nancy: it is wrok
Nancy: are you trying in mini site?
Jonathan: NO IT DOES NOT WORK!!!
Jonathan: I just clicked on the link you sent me.
Jonathan: If you are on the site, then tell me what item I purchased.
Nancy: okay
Nancy: »www.miniinthebox.com/hon ··· 060.html
Nancy: Quantity:1
Nancy: Cost: USD $ 8.19
Nancy: ORDER NUMBER: 1301292103546529
Jonathan: Not sure what to say. I can't login to the account on my end. If this isn't a scam then at best you guys have not so good customer service
Nancy: it may caused by your browser
Jonathan: Why can't I live chat with someone who isn't in pre-sales?
Nancy: you may change to another one and try
Jonathan: I have tried multiple browers.
Nancy: really sorry for that
Nancy: maybe you can try it later
Nancy: i am so sorry i am really not sure the reason
Nancy: since i have checked, it is normal on our side
Jonathan: ok. whatever you say. i will have to chalk this one up to a learning experience. by the way, there are tons of google search results that say you guys are a scam. You're good at what you do. You are good at scammiing people. Not something I would be very proud of but at least you are very good at something. probably the best I have seen. congratulations.
Jonathan: gagdets galore?
Nancy: we are really sorry for any trouble
Nancy: but we will not cheat any customers
Jonathan: LOL!!! Have a great life!!!

DO NOT BUY AT MINI IN THE BOX!!
Order # 1301201103407233
I made the payment and it was confirmed by Mini in the Box on January 20.
On Feb. 17 they warned it would have an item out of stock and they would refund it, but they didn´t. I sent several emails requesting the company's position regarding the cancelation and sending the order and got no return.
Yesterday, to my surprise, I saw that the order was canceled without even sending me an email. How do I get my money back PLUS the 6.38% IOF (tax) credit card back? Nobody answered nothing ... absurd!
And the other order (No. 1301201003407048) they did not send tracking code and also had a product out of stock that they didn´t give me back the money. I just hope this order arrives.

Dear Daphne,

Thank you for sharing your shopping experience with us! We want to give you our most sincere apologies for not meeting your expectations while shopping at LightInTheBox.com. Please contact us with your order number at feedback[at]lightinthebox[dot]com, so we can solve this problem for you as soon as possible.

Customer satisfaction is our #1 priority, we hope you could give us another chance to meet your shopping expectations!

Thank you,

LightInTheBox.com

Dear Customer,

Thank you for sharing your shopping experience with us! We want to give you our most sincere apologies for not meeting your expectations while shopping at LightInTheBox.com. Please contact us with your order number at feedback[at]lightinthebox[dot]com, so we can solve this problem for you as soon as possible.

Customer satisfaction is our #1 priority, we hope you could give us another chance to meet your shopping expectations!

Thank you,

LightInTheBox.com

Of all the posts in this thread/forum that say LightInTheBox.com has terrible customer service this post is the most convincing.
LightInTheBox.com posting a reply that says "contact us" is bullshit, not customer service.
Do they actually believe that people posting here haven't already tried contacting them?

Why does "Daphne" need to contact you if you are so concerned?
*If* you really cared you'd have used the contact info she supplied to contact her.

pop quiz time:
What does a pissed-off customer want?
1. A LightInTheBox.com "most sincere apologies"
2. A LightInTheBox.com email/phone call

Here'a a clue LightInTheBox.com
It isn't No.1

your advise and experience told us : Think twice when buy things from lightinthebox.

I ordered at Miniinthebox a few months ago (I ordered a Darth Vader iPhone case) and it arrived a bit late, but other than that I have no complaints. I didn't have to pay extra, and the case was in perfect condition (FYI I'm from Belgium and I paid about €2,50 for the case, free shipping, no insurance against loss). My second and third package are on their way now and I'll post again when they arrive to say if my experience has changed, but for now I haven't had any negative experiences.

i too were skeptic about LITB , but till now every thing worked up fine... returns, refunds & a good customer service. i m sure with thousand + orders in circulation, mistakes happen.

i had the same log. problem with mini, so i always use the litb site.

Didnt notice they are the same? Not surprised

I've never had any problems with MiniIntheBox. On the contrary, they are prompt with their deliveries. So far, I have made 3 purchases from them and am satisfied with their products.

Purchased a relatively cheap wall clock through this crowd which arrived the other day with the glass broken due to NO padding (bubble wrap or whatever) over the glass - naturally the glass would break through the post in that condition! Well, they've offered me a refund of about $3.00 less than what I paid them + I have to pay to post the clock back to receive my refund. They also offered to replace the clock if I return the broken clock (at my expense) but make no mention that the new one will be packaged any better. I'll just cut my losses & never deal with them again. BUYER BEWARE!

I just received notification from MiniInTheBox & also PayPal that MiniInTheBox have refunded me for the broken clock. Thank you MiniInTheBox, I just wish you'd decided to do this in the first place. But as they say, 'All's well that ends well'.

I order stuff for over 1000$ for 3 month ago and they have still not arrived to me. when I contaced MiniInTheBox.com they say they sent it and also gave me a tracking number for the delivery company... When I contaced the delivery company they say that the sender (MiniInTheBox.com) have asked for the pacet to return to sender.
And now MiniInTheBox.com don't answerer my emails about this!
Becouse I alredy paid thru credit card they already have my money so I guess I got scamed ...

What to do

Dispute the charge with your credit card company and get a refund.

True, but let's give credit where it due.
Did you also complain to PayPal about the event?
I'll assume you did because someone pissed off enough to post about the experience would have also followed up with a complaint to PayPal.
I'll guess that not placing their ability to be paid via PayPal in jeopardy influenced their reversal in attitude.