You see, there lies a big issue: “trust merchants on Shopify”. People often say here, " I saw the Shopify platform and did not check anything" , that part is wrong. Shopify can not root out all scammers, so it is important for all customers/visitors to be aware and notice some clear red flags.
I don’t know if you know this, but that first button in that link, Issue With An Order, that is sent to the merchant’s email not Shopify. You need to scroll down and click Fraud or Illegal Activities. And contact your bank.
The annual global consumer loss from illegitimate storefronts is about 15 Billion Dollars. Please be more careful.
A handmade pillowcase that takes 4 hours to make not including materials and business logistics, costing only £30.. that math alone doesn’t make sense. Then you add all ai images, no real address or business information, ai generated about us gobbledygook, incomplete pages, policy links not going to policy pages, free shipping to US (not UK) at the bottom of about us page, etc.
People seem to think they can just trust because it’s Shopify that it’s somehow vetted or legitimate. This is a very bad assumption. Practically anyone can open a shopify store. It cost 3 dollars for the first 3 months, then 30 a month or whatever for Basic plan, the themes can be free, the email app is free, and Shopify themselves actively engage in promoting questionable business practices like dropshipping. They have no vetting process beyond the rare ID verification, they don’t ban things like fake reviews, and by the time they do take the store down for fraud it’s often only after they’ve done the fraud. So it’s up to you the consumer to be vigilant and do your due diligence.
I’ve gathered all the evidence and contacted the merchant (still awaiting a response), fortunately I used my credit card, so if all else fails I should be able to get my money back.
Plus I have reported them to Shopify, so they can investigate as well.
Glad to hear you have documented everything and taken the necessary steps.
Hopefully the merchant responds and resolves the issue. If not your payment provider and Shopify should be able to review the case based on the evidence you have collected.
Hi there @jnp2 I’m so sorry that you’ve experienced this.
If you think a store is selling product misrepresentations, you want to have a record of everything, including details about your order, product descriptions, and photos of what you received. To get resolution, first try the store’s refund policy, if that doesn’t work, go through your payment provider’s dispute process. Merchants need to ensure that product description acurately represents what a customer receives to keep their trust and meet marketplace standards.
