The Secretariat for the Economy (SECO) does not intend to take legal action against the Chinese Temu platform and more specifically its intermediary, the collection company Whaleco Switzerland.
Following the complaints of Swiss retailers, the SECO had asked the platform to make changes on its interface, and said TEMU had compared it, the authority said on Thursday. SECO has obtained changes in the presentation of offers on the TEMU platform.
He believes that the exchanges with the representatives of TEMU made it possible to “lead to a satisfactory solution”, he said in a press release.
For discounts and price comparisons, it is now specified that the Barré benchmark price is the “product price on TEMU just before applying the reduction” and greater transparency at the sellers is supplied with the name, address and email address now indicated.
Very well known for its desire to make the purchasing experience fun, the platform has agreed to withdraw the features of the wheel of fortune.
The “almost exhausted” mention should only be used if the stock includes between 20 and 99 units and the product may be exhausted in the coming days, while before the mention was used up to a stock of 199 units. “A control mechanism guarantees the appropriate use of this formulation,” said Seco.
Finally, various formulations which exerted temporal or emotional pressure on customers have been deleted or replaced.
The Seco indicated more specifically “that no legal action was provided against the company, specifying that in the event of new complaints concerning the unfair nature of the offers, it would remind Whaleco to its obligations”. In addition, Whaleco is committed to keeping these modifications permanently.
The platform had been in the Seco crosshairs since mid-2010, after complaints for unfair competition in particular of several retail postal. He was criticized, among other things, the emotional and temporal pressure on the consumer to conclude his purchases, the false promotions as well as the misleading indications on the state of stocks. In September 2024, representatives of TEMU, from Dublin where the parent company PDD Holdings had its headquarters, had gone to Berne, summoned by SECO.
Satisfied ridge
“The declaration of abstention officially signed by TEMU marks an important first step towards more equitable conditions of competition for the Swiss retail trade,” writes the Swiss Retail Federation in a first reaction. “SECO, among other authorities, should not hesitate to act against foreign platforms when necessary,” added President Dagmar Jenni, quoted in the press release.
The complaint filed in May 2024 was based on the fact that TEMU specifically targets Swiss consumers and that it is therefore subject to federal law against unfair competition (LCD) and the order on the indication of prices (OIP).
For its part, the discreet platform sent the media via a communication agency the following reaction, attributed to a spokesperson in TEMU: “We appreciate the fruitful exchanges with the Seco and salute the result obtained. These adjustments reflect our constructive approach in collaboration with the authorities. We continue to focus on the offer of a positive purchasing experience and the maintenance of strict standards consumers “.
This article was published automatically. Sources: ATS / AWP
