March 16 - 31, 2019
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
The Better Business Bureau
(BBB) serving Mainland BC
is warning consumers about
Bikinishe, an online swimwear
retailer with a purported address
in Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada.
In February 2019, BBB
launched an investigation on
Bikinishe after receiving several
customer complaints from people
in 27 US states. While we have
not yet received complaints
from consumers in Canada, we
anticipate this will become a
problem in the next few weeks,
due to the new season and warmer
weather. The complaints primarily
surround paying for merchandise
that was never delivered, lack of
communication about the status
of the order, substandard quality
merchandise when compared to
what was advertised and difficulty
processing returns.
In one complaint, Shanelle C.
shared:
“I ordered one bathing suit
over a week ago. I paid express
BONA FIVE
Beware of Bikinishe
shipping. I only paid the extra
shipping to receive my bathing
suit in time for my vacation. I’ve
emailed three times to their so
called customer service and no
response. Nor has my package
been shipped - no tracking or
anything”.
Consumers generally visit
BBB’s website to review the
business profile for a company
they are considering to purchase
from or contract for a service.
Large numbers of inquiries to a
specific business profile is usually
an indication that consumers are
concerned about the business and
are referring to BBB to determine
if it is a company they can trust.
Bikinishe’s business profile was
created in July 2018 and has
received
significant
attention
since that time. Last year, the
business received 1838 customer
inquiries. The inquiries increased
significantly, with 4624 for the first
2 months in 2019. Since the start
of this month, BBB has already
received 2782.
The number of customer
complaints the business has
received is also concerning. In
the first 2 months of this year, the
business received 24 complaints.
Since the start of this month, they
have received 62 complaints. In our
database of over 4300 businesses,
Bikinishe also has the largest
number of complaints received
for any business in less than 4
weeks. BBB continues to receive
complaints about Bikinishe and
has notified the company about
each one. To date, they have only
responded to 2 complaints.
In Laura D.’s complaint, she
explained:
“I ordered two items from this
company and they say it takes
them 2-5 days to ship orders. It’s
been 3 weeks and I have contacted
their customer service 3 times
(they have no phone just email). I
have not gotten a response and my
order has still not been processed.
I bought from them for a trip I’m
taking and I ordered bathing suits
FROM PAGE 7
THE FIRM Pierre Martin Reyes, Esther Weigand, Jared Vicencio, Ronald
Cubero. Not in photo is Manuel Deldio
sole proprietors, small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) or large ones,
established entities or startups. The
Partners, here or abroad, believe that
all their clients are their partners, and
their success is also their success.
According to the partners, their
mission is “to partner with clients in
proactively coming up with innovative
and responsive solutions that address
their unique needs. In W&P, every
client is a partner.”
They have also taken as a
social corporate project, the NGO
eMagsasaka that deals with small
cooperatives.
It’s led by idealistic young
professionals like them and they hope
to make a big change in their farmer,
members’ lives.
“The Firm” has a growth
mindset, not only for itself but also for
its clients. In their office, I loved the
recycled wooden pallets that make
up most of their interior furnishings,
accentuated with recycled tin cans
planted with little greens. Little nooks
and crannies are decorated with these
little cans, while vines sprouting from
some corners add to the office’s
organic vibe. These little accents were
handmade by the firm’s managing
partner who finds comfort in creating
these little creations.
According to Starr, “these little
details remind us of who we are, what
we do, and what we create…”
She admits that “we may not be
much now, but with lots of courage,
hard work, dedication, and a dash of
love and care, we, just like our little
plants, can grow and thrive even in the
harshest environments. As I always
say, we are not your ordinary law firm.
We are Weigand & Partners.”
Hear, hear! (Reprinted from
Manila Bulletin)
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
11
from somewhere else now because
I know I will not get my package in
time. In my last email, I asked them
to respond or else I was going to
file a complaint. No response.”
In light of the alarming
complaint activity and lack of
response from the business,
Bikinishe has received an F-rating.
Our
investigations
also
revealed the following:
• The physical address stated
for the business is fake.
• There is no telephone
number or live chat feature on
the website to allow consumers to
speak directly with a representative
for the business.
• Customers have 15 days
to return their purchases, and are
required to contact customer service
to get access to the company’s
Return/Exchange form. Emails to
[email protected]
go unanswered, which results in
the customers being unable to get
the form within the 15 day return
period. (bbb.org)