Major online retailer SHEIN is under fire from European consumer protection authorities. The company’s business practices have raised red flags.
Authorities in Belgium, France, Ireland, and the Netherlands are leading the charge. They’re demanding SHEIN shape up and follow EU consumer protection laws. The European Commission is backing them up.
Commissioner Michael McGrath says all companies must play by the rules. “EU consumer protection laws aren’t optional,” he says. “They must be applied in all cases.” McGrath wants SHEIN to get its act together and respect EU consumer rules.
So, what’s the problem? SHEIN’s been accused of:
- Faking discounts to make deals look better
- Pushing customers to buy with fake deadlines
- Leaving out important info about returns and refunds
- Misleading product labels
- Fake sustainability claims
- Hiding contact info from customers
The authorities are also looking into whether SHEIN is playing fair with customer reviews and ratings. They want to know if the company is clear about who’s responsible when something goes wrong with an order.
This crackdown is part of a bigger effort to make online shopping safer and more trustworthy. The European Commission is also investigating SHEIN under the Digital Services Act.
SHEIN has a month to respond to the allegations and propose a plan to fix things. If they don’t comply, they could face fines based on their annual turnover in the EU.