Taming Temu
Taming Temu
Temu is a hugely popular online marketplace which is taking the EU by storm, with over 75 millions monthly users according to the platform’s published results in 2024.
However, it is also failing to protect consumers by breaching the EU’s Digital Services Act, an important, recent EU law which sets requirements and obligations for online marketplaces.
Among the breaches we have identified, Temu is:
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failing to provide sufficient traceability of the traders that sell on its platform and thereby to ensure that the products sold to EU consumers conform to EU law.
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using manipulative practices such as dark patterns to get consumers, for example, to spend more than they might originally want to, or to complicate the process of closing down their account.
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failing to provide transparency about how it recommends products to consumers.
As a result, BEUC filed a complaint with the European Commission, while 17 of BEUC’s members filed the same complaint with their competent national authorities. These organisations are Arbeiterkammer (Austria), Testachats / Testaankoop (Belgium), BNAAC (Bulgaria), dTest (Czech Republic), Forbrugerrådet Tænk (Denmark), Kuluttajaliitto ry (Finland), UFC-Que Choisir (France), EKPIZO and KEPKA (Greece), Altroconsumo (Italy), Consumentenbond (Netherlands), Federacja Konsumentow (Poland), DECO (Portugal), Spoločnosť ochrany spotrebiteľov (S.O.S.) Poprad (Slovakia), CECU and OCU (Spain), Sveriges Konsumenter (Sweden). ULC (Luxembourg) has written to their competent authority, while BEUC’s UK member Which?, Norwegian member Forbrukerrådet, and Spanish member ASUFIN are supporting this action with media work.
Online marketplaces such as Temu should respect all their obligations under the law.
We expect the Digital Services Coordinators of each country (national authority responsible for enforcing the EU’s Digital Services Act) to transfer the complaints to the Irish authority. This is because Temu’s EU office is located in Ireland.
It would then be up to the Irish authority to quickly force Temu to comply with the Digital Services Act. Consumers cannot afford to wait years for decisions, as is currently the case with the GDPR.
There is the possibility that, in the meantime, the Commission designates Temu as a very large online platform (VLOP) because it has reached the threshold set in the law. In that case, the Commission may become responsible for enforcing the Digital Services Act. Our expectation is then for the Commission to move swiftly and force Temu to comply with its new obligations as a VLOP, including assessing and mitigating risks to consumers.
PRESS RELEASE | Surging online marketplace Temu flouting new EU law meant to keep consumers safe, May 2024
COMPLAINT | Taming Temu: Why the fast-growing online marketplace fails to comply with the EU Digital Services Act + Annex, May 2024
LETTER | May 2024
EU-Verbraucherschützer legen Beschwerde gegen Temu ein
Der Spiegel (16 May 2024)
““Temu often leaves consumers in the dark about who they are buying the products from," Monique Goyens added. “This makes it impossible to understand whether a product complies with EU safety regulations…””
Temu accusée de manipulation par des consommateurs
Le Monde (16 May 2024)
« Des associations de consommateurs européennes ont porté plainte contre la plate-forme de commerce en ligne chinoise, accusée de manipuler les internautes et de violer le règlement de l’UE sur les services numériques. »
Temu accused of ‘manipulative’ sales techniques and lack of transparency
Irish Times (16 May 2024)
“Products sold on marketplaces, whether online or offline, whether they are European, American or Chinese, must be safe and comply with European law if they sell to European consumers.”
Temu faces legal challenge over 'manipulative practices'
Sky News (16 May 2024)
“It also accuses Temu of allowing some of its traders to be untraceable by consumers, which is against EU laws.”
Contact Card
Communications Department
The European Consumer Organisation
Europäischer Verbraucherverband
Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs
Tel:
E-mail:
Alexandre Biard
Head of Consumer Redress and Enforcement
Sébastien Pant
Deputy Head of Communications