Kathryn H.

If I could give DHGate zero stars, I would. Broken product, dishonest "customer service" and promises not kept.

I ordered an item which, upon arrival, did not work. After jumping through dozens of hoops (I'm very persistent) including having to send a video in their specific format "proving" the item did not work, I returned the item.

In numerous emails and in messages back and forth on their web site, they assured me the seller would be responsible for the return shipping cost. I even pointed out to them that the return shipping cost would be almost as much as the product cost, to make sure they wanted me to return the item rather than throwing it in the trash. They emailed me back with a confirmation that yes, the seller would refund me the return shipping cost. This was a lie.

At some point I felt uneasy about the transaction and started saving screen grabs of the onsite message exchanges (which are stored in different placed on the web site -- nothing is straight forward). I also had all the emails. Thirty pages of documentation.

Before the reimbursement was settled, they sent me an email saying that, now that the transaction was complete, they wanted me to rate the company. I said no way, of course, because I had not yet been reimbursed. They sent this stupid email three times!

My instincts about DHGate were correct. As soon as the item was mailed back, and I asked about the promised reimbursement again and again over the next two weeks, they deleted from my account on their web site all traces of the order and all the messages. Like it never happened. Unbelievable.

Unfortunately, although I paid for the return shipping with a VISA, I have no way to dispute the charge, as the payee is the U.S. Post Office, not DHGate.

Lessons learned: 1) Never, ever buy from DHGate; 2) Always do an internet search for reviews when sending money to a company you have not previously done business with; 3) Keep copies of documentation and correspondence in case of a dispute; 4) Buy American whenever possible. If the transaction goes wrong, you will have much better avenues for resolving it.