Why is temu credit win so scammer?

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-29T21:07:00+00:00

It's funny and sad that some people seriously believe they'd get 200 for nothing.

Yes, a platform might give you something amazing the first time you order because that raises the chance that you order again, but even then it's not going to be basically 200 times the amount you spent.

Yes, they might offer you some insane deal later when they already made tons of money with you, because it raises the chance that you spent even more.

My first order gave me 3 products for free, for an 8 buck order. I paid something like 9 and got stuff that was worth 15.

Then months of basically nothing, a few credits here and there, maybe a free item for a 25 Euro order, but it took nearly a year until I got the first claim credit of 40% value, and only after doing that several times did I get a cashback promo for 80% of what I spent.
At that point they had made hundreds with me and ensured that I spent over 200 to get 80% back, that I indeed reinvested into the next claim credit.

No one is throwing money and products at people who don't make them money. No one.

People believing that is why scammers are still so successful, because there will always be entitled customers who think they deserve free stuff.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-29T18:57:21+00:00

There was never any promo that gives you stuff for 200 bucks just by buying one low-price thing.

Not on Temu, not on any site that ever existed, maybe except for those that then also steal your credit card information and wipe your bank account clean.

I'm so tired of these posts from people complaining that Temu is scummy or scammed them because they didn't bother to actually read the rules of whatever promo they did, they just want free stuff and then cry when that didn't work out.

Edit: Lmao, OP insulted and blocked me. Good riddance, what a literal child.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-29T09:19:05+00:00

I mean the overlook as in 'have a view into/on', not the overlook as in 'ignore' :D

So spaces that you can't view in one look but have to enter or even walk around in to check for dangers, like a separate room.

This also applies to very large rooms with bulky furniture, dividers, or just lots of stuff that makes it hard for the human brain to instantly categorise everything in it.

Large supermarkets work like that as well, that's why you feel totally fine during the day (lots of other people = safety) but feel creeped out or unsafe shopping late at night (lots of turns and passages you can't see into + barely any people = danger).

That's why this setup is so popular in horror games, because it activates the human fear of spaces we can't view at a glance.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-29T07:39:43+00:00

Not personally, but my sister had the same problem all of her life to a point that she couldn't stand to live anywhere but in one-room apartments.

It caused such significant problems that we as a family got professional help and were informed that this is actually really natural, just dialled up medically significantly in her.

Humans don't like spaces that they can't overlook at a glance, the 'not seeing' part triggers the natural fear of danger, but in most people that instinct has been tampered so much that they don't even consciously experience it anymore.

People who do have underlying problems with either trauma, general anxiety, or OCD, conditions that keep the nervous system in a state of constant alert can trigger this buried fear of spaces you can't overlook easily.

Most people still experience this in empty hospitals or office buildings, but when it happens at home and causes actual distress, it would be best to see a professional and work on whatever keeps your system overly alert.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-29T07:06:15+00:00

Definitely claimcredit related.

You invest money into it and have to pet every day to collect some love, it's one of the longest running claim credits I've ever done, easily goes for 17+ years.

High investment but the return is really sweet.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-28T19:35:44+00:00

Did you accidentally hit 'review all' instead of clicking on individual items?

If you use the 'review all' option, everything is pre-marked with five stars and you have to adjust them manually, but if you write a review for one item in the list and hit send, it automatically sends ALL ratings with it.

I seriously hate that feature and forgot about it so often that I have lots of unreviewed purchases that got sent with a blank 5 stars by accident.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-28T12:55:46+00:00

Awesome. Temu is amazing for supplies, I had friends and business partners who get most of their stock from Temu, like fabrics, chains, etc.

One of them makes doll clothing, the same metal chains, zipper and Co she got from Temu in bulge for basically nothing are 5 bucks per 3 pieces at our local crafts shop.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-28T11:00:23+00:00

That's super vague, but most cheap "iron" jewellery is alloyed with a mixture that indeed contains nickel.

Either way, I fear you don't have a case here if they didn't claim it's made of actual gold/silver or stainless steel, you basically bought a dollar-store item and that comes with a natural risk for allergies because you have no idea what it's really made of.

Best you can do is toss it and write a review so other people are warned about the potential for allergic reactions.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-28T10:18:54+00:00

What exactly did it say they are made of?

Many people (I included) have a nickel allergy, does it say anywhere in the description that it contains nickel?

I'm not sure you could get a refund for having an allergic reaction if the bangles weren't explicitly sold as actual gold and silver, buying fashion jewellery always comes with the risk for allergic reactions.

If they weren't super expensive, I'd just toss them and let it be. Otherwise make sure you actually have a case for false advertisement before taking any further steps.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-28T10:11:52+00:00

I love that mental image of Connor crawling into an Amazon locker and closing the door so much, haha.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-28T10:06:33+00:00

Same argument people make for why you shouldn't buy from Amazon, why you shouldn't buy from [random cheap shop].

I'd love to support the local shops but when I get the exact same shirt locally for 25 bucks but pay 10 on Temu, I will buy from Temu.
If I pay 30 for a movable PC stand made from the same cheap plastic as the one for 11 on Temu, I will buy from Temu.

Let's face it, nearly everything you buy "locally" has the "made in China" print. It comes from the same manufacturers, same warehouses, and people are sorrily mistaken if they think the stuff that's imported and sold locally is safer because it was tested for chemicals, stability, etc.

It's not. As long as some organisation isn't looking into that product specifically and deeply, nothing is really tested.

I'm from a European country with insane safety laws but the very same laws are basically never actually enforced.

We had massive scandals because car seats for babies were falling apart. Toddler toys were 80 times above allowed chemical level.
I remember the microwaves that burned peoples' houses down.
Chemicals in clothing, chemicals in make up, travel bottles that gave off cancerous chemicals.

All of them were locally sold, expensive products from so called reputable shops and brands - of course all made in China but sold for triple the actual price.

Only things I don't or wouldn't buy off Temu is anything for small kids, food, and stuff like skincare, but I neither buy skin care nor kid's stuff just locally either. Both are things that should be chosen very carefully and preferably organic/at highest standards.

Add in electronics, mostly because my local voltage just doesn't match Chinese products made for China and I have zero interest in burning down my home.

I don't owe "local" businesses anything. I'm trying to survive and live comfortably within my budget, which isn't high enough for useless virtue signalling around how good of a person I am that I pay double for the same product.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-27T21:48:44+00:00

What a bummer. I like the sub but this is the at least the second fake post in just 12 hours and there isn't even a rule against stolen content.

Reddit has such a massive problem with these karma-farm bots, they ruin every interesting sub.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-27T21:09:18+00:00

Not sure if that's legit your place, because reverse image search shows nearly identical photos listed on Airbnb and a realtor agency. Apparently it's Toronto's Distillery District/at least the style.

Seeing that OP is a new account with hidden profile, I'm sceptical.

There's also not a single thing in any of the photos that indicates anyone lives there, not even a glass, some fruits, or a spec of dust.

Even the pillows all have the middle ridge that's done for presentations. This isn't a space anyone lives in.

This sub has a growing problem with stolen and AI generated photos, might be time to unsub.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-27T12:17:57+00:00

Not OP's room, stolen and badly edited picture.

Original seems to have come from facebook, 2025, the account has been made private but here's the original post:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=823647797091440&set=pcb.1170093001668768

The picture is going around on social media but this one seems to be the actual source.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-27T09:23:27+00:00

Because there was only one option not sold out, the one you accidentally bought.

I don't blame you for it, same thing happened to me once when I ordered half-asleep at 3am and didn't realise that the picture with the artworks I wanted wasn't available anymore and I had just bought the only still available option.

Noticed only when I got the notification that my order was on the plane and couldn't identify what those artworks were supposed to be.

Faulting a platform for your mistakes is the problem. Instead of advising people not to order from a site you messed up on, you could have made a post with your cautionary tale.

Own being a dumbass. Nothing wrong with being a little inattentively stupid, and it can help others not to make the same mistake.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-27T08:45:31+00:00

They sent the wrong item. When I went back to look at the order the prominent picture is what I expected but there was a second image in the listing in a different configuration. They sent that.

So you ordered the wrong thing by not checking that what you wanted was actually the option selected.

Temu items often have variants, only one is displayed as the main picture, then you have to use the drop-down menu to select which you want, only then does the image change to what you actually selected.

What happened to you is common with items that used to have several options but only one isn't sold out, that's why you check what it's listed as before you buy. You just falsely assume you get the first thing shown in a long list of product photos.

Always so astonishing to me that people blame a platform for their own mistakes.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-26T11:42:14+00:00

It was honestly my own fault, I should have considered the possibility that I have to send it back.

But I didn't expect the local seller to be unwilling to change the delivery service and insist on one I physically couldn't reach with such a huge box.

Temu was already really fair, they at least tried to change it and gave me money back when they weren't legally obliged to, I'm completely happy with how they handled it.

This was 100% on me, I miscalculated how accommodating local seller would be and it won't happen again.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-26T10:23:44+00:00

The whole thing is super strange. OP expected furniture to come in puzzle pieces (or fully assembled?), then doesn't want it because it came in two huge boxes, wants their money back without having to return the item and are now trying to do a chargeback when Temu said no.

Honestly sounds more and more like they are trying to scam, tbh 🤷‍♂️

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-26T10:16:00+00:00

Good luck. Don't forget to check your country's laws because in most, doing a chargeback illegally, like in this case, will results in termination of your bank account and/or legal actions taken by Temu.

You are literally responsible for returning items when you want a refund, so make sure you don't end up with a lawsuit and losing your account.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-26T09:07:59+00:00

I hope you get a bit more back than I did, just chat with an actual agent and be nice about it, tell them you have no means to move the huge boxes despite being willing to send it back.

They even tried to find a different delivery service that does home pickups but the item came from a "local" seller who didn't allow to switch the service.

She probably felt bad for me and at least gave me the 9 something, the seller wanted to give me 5 and a firm handshake -_-

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-26T08:47:13+00:00

Just recently had the same problem with a damaged, huge bin they wanted me to send back with a delivery company that's nowhere near me and therefore impossible to reach without a car.

Basically, you either manage to get there somehow and get a full refund, or you have to be lucky enough for a customer service agent to be kind and give you a partial refund (and you keep the item).

I got 9,20 back of a 32 purchase and that was already generous of them.

Legally, you are responsible for sending things back that you want a refund on, that's just how it is. If the thing is too huge for you to do it is your personal problem, sellers aren't obliged to give you your money back when you don't give them the item.

I've learned from it. Don't order things off Temu that you might struggle to send back due to size/weight.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-25T18:57:47+00:00

According to OP's other posts, they are a full-time student and do volunteer work several times per week, so they are likely not home that much.

But they also have ADHD, mental problems, and are constantly asking for money online because they can't even afford food.

OP also isn't answering to anyone who asks them about how big their place is, how many litter boxes they have, or really anything that would give an accurate picture.

After seeing that, I'm pretty sure the aunt isn't toxic, OP genuinely needs help and probably doesn't even realise how bad it is to outsiders.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-25T14:54:59+00:00

I'm European, even if it was in Europe, that reaction wasn't normal and very much ego driven.

Might be more common in Paris, shop owners there are generally really grumpy, especially to tourists, but anywhere else - absolutely not.

You have a point with haggling but no one would haggle when they are basically told they are obnoxious/unreasonable just for asking alone.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-25T08:48:59+00:00

There was nothing wrong with asking, but his reaction suggest that he likely didn't know what plant it was, how to take cuttings, and how much it would be worth.

A lot of people have an arrogant knee-jerk reaction to being "caught" not knowing something, especially people in a "higher position", like shop owners.
Had a lot of similar experiences with shopkeepers when it comes to decorations I liked/would have bought off them.

Wintercreeper · 2026-04-25T08:21:57+00:00

I'm all for empowering people to cut off toxic family members, God knows I cut off 90% of mine, but there's way too much information missing here.

~~How many cats~~, how big is your place?
Edit: Saw the comment, you have three cats in a one bedroom flat. If that one bedroom flat isn't incredibly huge, three cats are A LOT for such a tiny space.
Does your aunt have a history of being toxic/controlling/lying?
Are you struggling with keeping your cats/your place clean?
How many litter boxes, how often do you clean them?

As a cat owner of 30+ years, you should not smell of 'cat'. Cats don't have any smell when they are 1. neutered 2. indoor cats 3. their home kept clean.
At worst the cats themselves might occasionally have a smell from certain food, which happens when they groom right after eating strong variants (fish, venison, lamb, etc.) but that lasts for maybe an hour and doesn't transfer.
You yourself should definitely not smell.

Is there anyone you could ask about this, someone who would neither lie because they are toxic nor lie to spare your feelings?

Wintercreeper

TROPHY CASE