Ordering from Aliexpress

[Grasshopper]

Just tried placing an order through them for the first time today.

Wow, what hard work they are. They gave me a $2 voucher as a promotion for being a new customer, and it was automatically applied to my order. However, the order was rejected for the following reason:

"We regret to inform you that the recent use of coupon(s) in your order has been identified as being in violation of the guidelines outlined in our General Rules for Coupon Use. (http://activities.aliexpress.com/adcms/help-aliexpress-com/coupon_usage.php) Your order will be cancelled, and any payments you have made (excluding any fees or charges which you have made to third parties) will be returned to your account."

After three attempts I went on to their live chat service to try and find out what was going on. After a very long conversation, the lady who dealt with me more or less admitted that it was a bug in their system (apparently other customers have also been affected) but that they weren't prepared to do anything to ensure that I could use the voucher I had been promised. Also, apparently there's also no way to make a complaint...

I realise it's only $2. But this fiasco hardly inspires confidence.

I'm wondering whether I've been unlucky, or whether this is typical of the service they provide.  I'm a bit nervous that I've now given them my card details.

[Howard_Casto]

You've been unlucky.  A lot of us use aliexpress and I've found their customer support to be quite good.  I've even returned an item or two without much hassle.  You just need to remember that it's Chinese Ebay, so your experience is going to vary based on who you buy from on the site. 

[Andrela]

I have used it more than 20 times in the last 8 months.  I much prefer it over Ebay.  Their dispute resolution is excellent and they respect their timeline. 

[pbj]

I've had odd experiences with vouchers but I also got a counterfeit Leon Lett jersey for $25 so meh.

[SNAAKE]

bought some orange and cables..came on time and good deal..cant complain

didnt notice any of the coupon tho..then again my attention span is very limited I order things I need in like 5 min and resume watching cat videos

[Howard_Casto]

Coupons are hit and miss, but considering that most of their stuff is 1/10th what it would cost in a store and half what it would cost on ebay, you can't complain too much. 

[JDFan]

You've been unlucky.  A lot of us use aliexpress and I've found their customer support to be quite good.  I've even returned an item or two without much hassle.  You just need to remember that it's Chinese Ebay, so your experience is going to vary based on who you buy from on the site.

I'd agree - they only time I've had a problem was with a set of joysticks - I ordered a couple Sanwa type ( 5 pin connector) and received 2 zippy type (4 x 2 pin) that were a cheaper model - contacted them and showed a pic of what I received and they told me to keep them and also refunded the full purchase price I had paid (since shipping them back through USPS with tracking would have cost more than my order ) within a few hours.

[ark_ader]

Just ordered a 3d printer off them today.  Really easy.

I wouldn't bother with $2 coupons.

[JimmyU]

Just ordered a 3d printer off them today.  Really easy.

I wouldn't bother with $2 coupons.

[SNAAKE]

Just ordered a 3d printer off them today.  Really easy.

I wouldn't bother with $2 coupons.

which one did you buy? do you just download templates to print stuff or you design things yourself?

been thinking about messing with one of these..

[Howard_Casto]

If it helps you I got the anet a8 (prusa i3 clone I believe) and I love the thing.  You'll have to put custom firmware on it, but after that it's really easy to work with.  If you can live with the fact that your first few prints are going to be stuff to upgrade the printer, you can get one for around $150. 

[Grasshopper]

OK. So I decided to have another go, this time not bothering with the voucher.

I selected the items I wanted to buy, and then put them in my shopping cart. However, when I go to the cart page there is a message against each item saying "This product is sold out or the seller discontinued selling this product". So why doesn't the main page say that the products are out of stock?

What's even weirder, is that when I use the site anonymously without logging in, I can add the items to my cart and it doesn't say they're sold out. It's only when I log in that the sold out message appears. So, I'm now wondering whether some kind of block has been put on my account.

[ark_ader]

Just ordered a 3d printer off them today.  Really easy.

I wouldn't bother with $2 coupons.

which one did you buy? do you just download templates to print stuff or you design things yourself?

been thinking about messing with one of these..

http://www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-kits/pp_627175.html?lkid=10803345

3DCR1 coupon for $20 off. I returned the Tarantula for the CR-10.  You get what you pay for.