Around 1,500 complaints against fraudulent online shops
Keystone-SDA
More than 1,500 complaints relating to dropshipping have been lodged in Switzerland, according to the German-language consumer protection organisation Konsumentenschutz. These fake online shops are particularly annoying for consumers.
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In total, the organisation received 8,640 requests for advice, complaints and reports relating to dropshipping, it said in a press release on Thursday.
Dropshipping, which is not prohibited in Switzerland, involves selling goods online that retailers do not have in stock. Very often, customers receive products of very poor quality, or no product at all, with no possibility of a refund.
Several online shops have recently been posing as traditional Swiss companies. After a long wait, buyers received inferior products directly from China. A return or refund was virtually impossible.
Konsumentenschutz keeps a list of fraudulent websites and reported several operators this summer. The organisation also reports numerous scams involving subscriptions to dating sites, for example.
Telephone operators also feature prominently on the association’s blacklist. In 2024, the association filed a complaint against Sunrise for unfair competition. The case is still pending.
Translated from French by AI/jdp
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