Got potatoes or soap from an e-commerce website instead of a phone? Here’s how to deal with them – Technology News, Firstpost

FP staff29 Sep 2022 16:42:05 IST

As convenient as online shopping can be, especially during the holiday sales season, people can unfortunately be misled. recently, a person ordered a laptop from Flipkart but received several bars of soap in the package.

In another incident, a businessman from Bihar ordered a drone e-commerce platform Meeshobut got some potatoes instead.

Naturally, whenever something like this happens, we become a little devastated. We also fear that we have been defrauded of a lot of money that, at least at the time, seems impossible to recover. You can also call the platform’s customer support and listen to them. Realistically, it wouldn’t be helpful. But there are other things you can do.

Believe it or not, it is actually possible to make a proper case and get your money back or the product you paid for. However, it’s important to note that let your cool attitude win, take a deep breath and take it one step at a time.

Before we discuss this, here are some practices you should follow when accepting any package you may receive from an e-commerce platform:

Document everything
First of all, start recording the video of the package when you receive it. Platforms like Flipkart claim to have processes like Open Box Delivery where the delivery person opens the box in front of you while delivering it. The reality is that this is a practice that only exists on paper. Rarely will you see a delivery person waiting for you to unpack it in front of them.

Please wait before sharing your delivery OTP
Most e-commerce platforms now require the user to share a one-time shipping password with the delivery person. The purpose of this one-time password is usually to ensure that the package is delivered to the right person, and more importantly, that the package received was in good condition and not tampered with. Open the package in the presence of the delivery person and ensure that the unpacking or opening of the package is recorded. Only after that submit the delivery OTP.

Now, no matter how hard you try, there will be times when you won’t be able to open and inspect your package in front of the delivery person.

Here’s what you need to do when you receive a package from an e-commerce platform like Flipkart, Meesho or even Amazon that doesn’t contain your product but some other stuff.

Make a video of the unboxing and take a picture
First of all, make an unboxing video while you open the package. You should do this especially if you suspect that your package has been tampered with or if you have purchased a valuable item such as a phone or laptop, etc. If you didn’t take a video, take a ton of pictures, especially of the box and contents you received. Take pictures of any damage that may have been on the box.

Gather all the information and evidence you may need
Collect every bit of information and keep it close at hand. From the date you placed your order to the day and time you received it. It would also be great if you had the name of the delivery person who delivered your package. Also make sure you have your transaction ID in case you have already paid for your order.

Contact the customer service center
When you have all your videos, photos and other evidence ready, just call the customer service center. They may ask you to share a few videos and photos, as well as some other information, so share everything they ask for, except your bank details. This would also be a good time to ask the support representative for your complaint number or ticket number. That way, you’ll be able to refer to that call when something needs to be pushed. Now, if your customer support representative can fix your problem on the spot, then good. If they ask you for a couple of days, ask them to put it in writing and send you an email about it.

Send the company an email
In the event that your support representative was unable to resolve the issue, or if they said they would email you about the issue you raised but didn’t, email customer service with all your photos and videos and mention the complaint number or the ticket number you received. You should receive a response within one to two business days.

Tag them on social media, especially Twitter
If you don’t get a response even after sending an email, take to social media. We have seen that Twitter performs better compared to Instagram or Facebook. First, just tweet the campaign, mention your problem, share photos and videos and make sure you use the right hashtags, especially if the e-commerce platform is running the campaign. There’s a good chance you’ll get a response, but in case you don’t tweet a few influencers that the e-commerce platform has worked with before. You can also try replying to a few tweets from an influencer. This increases your chance of getting a response from the e-commerce platform. It’s also a chance for your story to go viral on social media, in which case you’re sure to get a response.

File a complaint with your local consumer forum
Now, even after doing all this and trying everything, if you still don’t get a satisfactory and reasonable answer, don’t be afraid to approach your local consumer forum and file a complaint with the consumer courts. People assume that it will be an expensive affair, but most of the time it is not. Moreover, if you have a lot of money on your hands, don’t hesitate to contact your local consumer forum. People think that going to a consumer forum is a long and tedious process, and most platforms actually hope that customers will simply give up and not go to the consumer forums when things go south.