DELETE TEMU, INSTALL SHEIN

Don’t fully trust Temu’s promotions. The way they advertise some of these offers is extremely deceptive.

I fell for Temu’s very prominent adverti*****t promising three free gifts if I placed an order. I was then told I needed to spend roughly R500 to qualify for the promotion. Honestly, that should have been my first red flag, but I carried on because I believed I was going to receive the three gifts advertised.

After completing my purchase, I discovered a confusing points/rules system that was not clearly explained before I checked out. Instead of receiving the three gifts that were prominently advertised, I only received one. The remaining two were locked behind additional requirements and conditions that effectively required me to spend more money.

To me, this feels like a classic bait-and-switch marketing tactic, basically advertise something as "free", get the customer to make a purchase based on that promise, and then introduce additional conditions afterwards.

Temu is extremely slick with how these promotions are presented. The spin-the-wheel games, points, countdowns and "special offers" can make you feel like you've been given some unique opportunity or reward. But the whole experience feels highly calculated and designed to encourage you to keep spending.

I'm not saying don't use Temu, but read the fine print, understand exactly what you're signing up for, and don't assume that "free" actually means free.

I definitely won't be trusting their promotional offers the same way again.