**** **** Double Customs Payment due to split orders

AliExpress and SpeedAF: The Worst Online Shopping Experience!

AliExpress and SpeedAF have given me one of the worst online shopping experiences I have ever had.

I placed an order for three simple items: a T-shirt, a baseball cap, and a cellphone case. To my surprise, my order was split into separate shipments without my approval.

I was asked to pay R182.52 in customs charges, which I assumed covered my order. Only afterwards did I discover that this payment was for the baseball cap and cellphone case. Two days later, SpeedAF contacted me demanding another R234.01 for the T-shirt, which cost only R270!

How does this make any sense? Why would an order weighing less than a kilogram need to be split into separate shipments? More importantly, why are customers not informed and given the opportunity to approve or decline the split before the items are shipped? Customers should be allowed to make an informed decision before being hit with unexpected additional charges.

The customer service experience has been just as disappointing. The responses I received felt automated and pre-recorded, with no real effort to address my actual concerns. I am tired of receiving generic responses instead of meaningful assistance.

To make matters worse, AliExpress refuses to refund me because the item has already left their facility, while SpeedAF is demanding more money because they have my parcel. I never requested separate shipments, yet I am now expected to pay additional charges because of a decision I did not approve.

This is unacceptable. Customers should not be left trapped between a seller and a courier, forced to pay unexpected fees for a shipping arrangement they never agreed to.

I am extremely disappointed with both AliExpress and SpeedAF. Transparency, proper communication, and customer service should be the bare minimum.

I would not recommend this experience to anyone. I will certainly think twice before shopping through AliExpress again.