"When I ordered a simple pen-drive from Flipkart, I never thought that it would take them forever to deliver it, and a simple purchase will turn into a never ending nightmare."
Flipkart have become flopkart, Snapdeal stopdeal, is this what online shopping means : fraud.
No, no one starts business to fail but what these e-commerce are doing, is ridiculous and not acceptable.
This is what happened with one of the buyer
On 24th October 2014 I placed the order but got an empty box delivered to my house. I took up the issue with Flipkart and they assured me a monetary compensation of Rs. 55 with the product. I asked for an apology letter with the product, however ever I never got one. I thought that it's only human to err, but was in for a shock when I was sent another empty box. I was not at home and my mother took the order."When I ordered a simple pen-drive from Flipkart, I never thought that it would take them forever to deliver it, and a simple purchase will turn into a never ending nightmare."
I was furious and once again I took up the matter with Flipkart. This time they didn't accept that the fault was on their part, on the contrary, they indirectly started suggesting that maybe I have kept the pen-drive and making a ruckus just for no reason. They had my money and were not ready to resend the product.
Already having spent so much time and energy on this I thought that I should rather have the product now, so I placed a fresh order. After receiving empty boxes the first two time, I thought that it will be a good idea to video record the order delivery and open it in front of them.
Is Flipkart really Responsible ?
Yup it is, so easy to say, so easy to blame flipkart, I am not saying it is not but....lets focus on mechanism
Flipkart has built its reputation on fast delivery and clean consumer-friendly service. But in the recent months its reputation has taken a beating. In 2013, the company changed into an e-commerce platform and allowed third-party sellers to sell goods through its website.
As the popularity and reach of online shopping grows, more sellers are joining the bandwagon. For these sellers, companies like Flipkart, Amazon, eBay, Indiatimes Shopping, InfiBeam, Rediff and Snapdeal etc offer an easy option to reach out to customers.
Unfortunately, many of these sellers neither act professionally nor have the resources to offer the kind of service they promise. But consumers don't realize it because when they shop they believe they are buying from Flipkart or Amazon.
Flipkart doesn't sell goods directly. But after it converted itself into a platform, it handed over the front-end operations to WS Retail to sell items to consumers. Most consumers who buy goods from WS Retail still get good and clean service. They also get a 30-day return guarantee, fast shipping and impeccable packaging that keeps the items safe during shipping.
Amazon has several safeguards in place to offer consumers best service whether they are buying an item from a third-party seller or from Amazon. "We offer a 100% purchase protection with A-to-Z Guarantee for all products bought on Amazon.in. It guarantees the condition of the item (defective, damaged or does not match the item described) and its timely delivery when you purchase from sellers on our website," said an Amazon spokesperson.
Due to the existing rules governing FDI in retail in India, Amazon here doesn't sell any items directly. Instead it uses "fulfilled by Amazon" to offer service that is better than what third-party sellers can manage. Any item that is sold under "fulfilled by Amazon" programme is shipped from an Amazon warehouse. This means timely shipping. Also chances of frauds are nil because the item is already in Amazon warehouse before it has been listed on the website.
Unfortunately, unlike in the US where amazon has many warehouses, in India sellers have to ship the products to Amazon's Mumbai warehouse before they can be a part of "fulfilled by Amazon" programme. For now there are very few items on amazon.in that are part of "fulfilled by Amazon" programme.
Tips for best online shopping experience
- On Flipkart, if possible buy only from WS Retail
- On Amazon, if possible buy only the items that are part of "fulfilled by Amazon" programme
- In any virtual marketplace, buy only from sellers that have good reputation (feedback score) and have done a few hundred transactions
- On eBay, pay through PaisaPay and get the items through courier. This creates a record of the transaction, which can be useful if you face issues with a seller. Also, eBay doesn't release PaisaPay money to a seller unless it gets a confirmation that the product has been delivered
- If you run into an issue, raise a claim with the platform owner immediately. Also, communicate with the seller on email so you have some documentary proof
- If possible, buy from only the sellers that list their contact numbers and emails IDs
- If possible, buy only the goods that come with official warranty and not "seller warranty"
I would suggest to follow only 1st, 2nd and last one.
Nothing is fully foolproof, one have to play smartly.
Personal
I never had bad time with flipkart, I always buyed from WS Retail, got things delivered on time or before expected that and once even I asked to change my earphone which was white but the phone was black(moto e), which is normal thing but flipkart got ready to so and they did that.
you are here NBI -> Life now Easy -> How To remain SAFE : Online Shopping
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