European consumer associations announced Thursday that they had filed a complaint against the Chinese online commerce platform Temu, accused of manipulating Internet users and violating several provisions of the EU Digital Services Regulation (DSA).
Temu, which has more than 75 million monthly users in the European Union, “is riddled with misleading interfaces — “dark patterns” — to encourage consumers to spend more on the platform,” explains Monique Goyens, director general of the European Consumers’ Unions Bureau (BEUC), quoted in a press release.
This federation of associations as well as 17 of its members — including UFC-Que Choisir in France — filed a complaint simultaneously with the European Commission and the competent national authorities.
On Temu, “consumers are offered different, more expensive versions when they click on a particular product and they face an obstacle course when they want to close their account,” laments Ms. Goyens.
Contacted by Agence France-Presse, the group said it took this complaint “very seriously” and promised to “study it thoroughly” and cooperate with all stakeholders.
“We look forward to working on improving our service and correcting any deficiencies,” Temu said. “We are committed to transparency and full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations,” the company added.
Since February, the DSA has imposed, under penalty of fines, new obligations on all online platforms to better protect users against illegal content.
The regulation prohibits, for example, misleading interfaces, and imposes increased transparency on the algorithms used to target Internet users. It requires controlling the identity of sellers on the platforms and blocking repeat fraudsters.
Temu “often fails to provide consumers with crucial information about the sellers of the products and is therefore unable to indicate whether the product meets EU product safety requirements,” denounces BEUC.
The Chinese platform, which is experiencing meteoric growth in Europe thanks to a strategy of discounted prices, “also does not provide sufficient information on its recommendation systems and on the way in which the different criteria it uses lead to offering certain products,” deplores this organization.
“Temu violates the EU regulation on digital services and must now be investigated by the authorities,” emphasizes BEUC.
The Italian consumer association Altroconsumo tested thirteen cosmetic products sold on the platform in October and found that nine of them did not specify, or only partially, the list of ingredients.
Earlier this year, the German Federation of Consumer Organizations (VZBV) accused Temu of displaying misleading reviews on products sold and misleading consumers about displaying price reductions. It has obtained modifications from Temu which, however, currently only apply to the German market.