Consumer centers: Warning against Cleverbuy

The Federation of German Consumer Organizations (vzbv) warns that the trading platform for second-hand goods Cleverbuy often takes a long time before users receive their money. The company often fails to meet the deadline of fourteen working days from sending the electronic declaration of acceptance as stipulated in the terms and conditions. As a result, the Federation of German Consumer Organizations has now issued Cleverbuy with a warning for misleading advertising.

For several months, consumers have been complaining to the consumer advice centers that they sometimes have to wait several months for the agreed purchase price to be paid out. The vzbv writes that Cleverbuy is stalling consumers with flimsy excuses for the delays. This is in line with numerous negative comments on review portals, which also point to missing or severely delayed payments and stalling tactics.

vzbv: Do not be put off

Sellers should not be dissuaded from claiming payment and should not be repeatedly put off by being told that the money will be transferred soon, that the matter will be handed over to the accounts department or simply asked to be patient and apologize, explains the consumer advice center. Instead, those affected should set Cleverbuy a final deadline for payment of the agreed purchase price. If this does not work, they can seek support from the consumer advice centers or hire a lawyer to enforce the claim in court.

In view of these experiences, the consumer center association considers the claim "We will transfer your money directly to your account" to be anti-competitive. The purchase amount is initially paid to an internal virtual account and not to the consumer's bank account. In addition, Cleverbuy advertises misleadingly with Google user ratings – instead of the actual very low overall result (1.3 out of 5 possible stars at the time of reporting) with a significantly better result. The Federation of German Consumer Organizations issued Cleverbuy with a warning for misleading advertising.

At the beginning of October, the Federation of German Consumer Organizations warned against being ripped off by the website online-wohngeld.de. The website claims to forward applications to the relevant authorities, but this is not the case. According to this, the offer costs money, which is hardly recognizable, and an effective or at least timely application is nevertheless not submitted.

(dmk)