Alibaba faces consumer complaints in Europe

Six European consumer rights associations said Friday they have asked national authorities to look into illegal practices by firms using the AliExpress site of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

Buyers in European countries enjoy the right to return goods within two weeks and get clear warranty information about the minimum 2-year warranty period, rules that platforms that host third-party sellers have sometimes found difficult to enforce.

Consumer rights groups in Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain asked their national regulators to look into practices on AliExpress, which mostly hosts Chinese sellers.

“If Alibaba wants to trade on the European market, it must respect the rules that apply here. That is not negotiable,” said Sandra Molenaar, head of the Dutch consumer association Consumentenbond.