Guys, just a warning for your purchases, especially with sales that are bound to come. Turns out that Flipkart has removed their returns policy for a lot electronics and other items, along with shortening even the replacement period. So if you buy anything that has a design flaw or doesn't work as intended, you can't return it. Deal with the manufacturer. Contrast this with consumer protection laws in US, Canada, UK, Australia and Europe, where you can return items for upto a month in most of them.
Beware of Flipkart
- Thread starter Marakk
- Start date
rajiv_kulkarni
Active Member
To add to the above when a user has a bad experience and you write a genuine negative review, they don't publish it and ask you to modify the review to favour them, it's pathetic, I discontinued flipkart and removed my user account.
Does amazon has return policy on all products and all sellers? I think Alibaba, amazon, etc. and all online websites dont have return policy on all products or sellers. They only assign refund/return to sellers who they had an agreement with.
Thx and regards.
Thx and regards.
After having a lot of bad experience with Flipkart I stopped supporting them with my money for last 3 years. I do most of my online shopping with Amazon only. What ever be the e-com platform, we need to check return/refund window and mode of refund. I never had any issue with Amazon since they are in India. I have done return/refund multiple times with a simple incoming phone-call from call center.
To add to this, contrast my experience with Amazon. I ordered a pen drive, and jn the description, they hadn't mentioned whether it's 2.0 or 3.0, and since I had specifically searched for 3.0, and it had shown up, I ordered it without confirming. When I did get it, I saw its USB 2.0. I contacted Amazon, and even though they had no return policy on pen drives, they took it back.
I have not had any bad experiences with Flipkart (touchwood), but regardless i tend to favor amazon more due to their customer support availability, delivery timeline committment and return/replacement policies ( have returned an AVR purchased with no questions asked). Especially if you are living in metros , Amazon does a good job of getting deliveries much earlier than promised
I have also had few bad experiences three years ago and have switched to amazon since then.
I must say amazon has exceeded my own expectations.
Not only their prices are lower than flipkart and.local dealers their return policies on all my orders have been good so far.
Genuine buyers should not worry about short return time as most of the time it will be size and quality for clothes and any apparent damage to electronic item.
Last month I replaced Crown xls 2502 within couple of days as sparks were coming from inside and replacement was not working. It was returned immediately. All that happened due to their excellent return policy.
A day when they tell me to deal directly with manufacturer I will buy from local store.
I must say amazon has exceeded my own expectations.
Not only their prices are lower than flipkart and.local dealers their return policies on all my orders have been good so far.
Genuine buyers should not worry about short return time as most of the time it will be size and quality for clothes and any apparent damage to electronic item.
Last month I replaced Crown xls 2502 within couple of days as sparks were coming from inside and replacement was not working. It was returned immediately. All that happened due to their excellent return policy.
A day when they tell me to deal directly with manufacturer I will buy from local store.
I stick to Amazon for lower prices, more variety of products. Flipkart may have an edge over apparels though but I hardly buy such items online. Coming to return policy, it is combination of company policy towards customer service and also what kind of customers one is dealing with. There are rising cases of Return Fraud where a faulty item is getting returned to Ecom sites than the one actually purchased and refunds are getting claimed. See this link as one such example
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
I have previously known that in the US, several segment of buyers used to exploit return policy of Walmart by buying something and using it and returning it back within the stipulated time to claim full refund. People have done this for dresses, furniture, mattresses and what not. So retail chains introduced restocking fee which is still trivial amount being deducted from refund and that also did not put a check to it. Such things end up eventually in impacting return policies and responsible customers end up suffering.
Flipkart tightens returns policy on rising frauds - Times of India
India Business News: Consumers buying winter fashion and lifestyle products on Flipkart will get less time to return products as the Walmart-owned e-tailer is tightening i
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
I have previously known that in the US, several segment of buyers used to exploit return policy of Walmart by buying something and using it and returning it back within the stipulated time to claim full refund. People have done this for dresses, furniture, mattresses and what not. So retail chains introduced restocking fee which is still trivial amount being deducted from refund and that also did not put a check to it. Such things end up eventually in impacting return policies and responsible customers end up suffering.
I stick to Amazon for lower prices, more variety of products. Flipkart may have an edge over apparels though but I hardly buy such items online. Coming to return policy, it is combination of company policy towards customer service and also what kind of customers one is dealing with. There are rising cases of Return Fraud where a faulty item is getting returned to Ecom sites than the one actually purchased and refunds are getting claimed. See this link as one such example
Flipkart tightens returns policy on rising frauds - Times of India
India Business News: Consumers buying winter fashion and lifestyle products on Flipkart will get less time to return products as the Walmart-owned e-tailer is tightening i
I have previously known that in the US, several segment of buyers used to exploit return policy of Walmart by buying something and using it and returning it back within the stipulated time to claim full refund. People have done this for dresses, furniture, mattresses and what not. So retail chains introduced restocking fee which is still trivial amount being deducted from refund and that also did not put a check to it. Such things end up eventually in impacting return policies and responsible customers end up suffering.
This is why there are customer protection laws abroad, where return policy is something that is non-negotiable.
What surprised me was that what I had bought was Flipkart assured, and even then they have completely removed returns. Even if sparks fly out of your product, contact the manufacturer.
People abroad buy multiple electronic items to use and test and then keep one. They have been doing that for years without any of the major companies going under, have they? Here you can't return now even for faulty products. This is just exploitation of Indian consumer. We need return policy like they have abroad.
I stick to Amazon for lower prices, more variety of products. Flipkart may have an edge over apparels though but I hardly buy such items online. Coming to return policy, it is combination of company policy towards customer service and also what kind of customers one is dealing with. There are rising cases of Return Fraud where a faulty item is getting returned to Ecom sites than the one actually purchased and refunds are getting claimed. See this link as one such example
Flipkart tightens returns policy on rising frauds - Times of India
India Business News: Consumers buying winter fashion and lifestyle products on Flipkart will get less time to return products as the Walmart-owned e-tailer is tightening i
I have previously known that in the US, several segment of buyers used to exploit return policy of Walmart by buying something and using it and returning it back within the stipulated time to claim full refund. People have done this for dresses, furniture, mattresses and what not. So retail chains introduced restocking fee which is still trivial amount being deducted from refund and that also did not put a check to it. Such things end up eventually in impacting return policies and responsible customers end up suffering.
I hate to say that I had seen such exploitation by Indians in US (no racism here, it is my experience). I had seen my colleague there used to buy goods and returned before they return from there (one example is buying a GPS for car before trip and returning after every trip - next time next friend will do the same). Because of these cases return window narrowed down over the period of time.
Exactly. This kind of flexibility is offered by Amazon only. But if people start misusing this, over the period of time they will stop this. I had ordered a Subwoofer from a vendor and accessories from other vendor in another order. Due to damage when I returned my Subwoofer, I was asked to get refund since product was not in stock. So I requested Amazon to take return of accessories which I bought from other vendor to match with Subwoofer. Though these accessories are not returnable still Amazon considered my request as genuine and refunded for accessories too.
Its good to see some wide range of comments about the online shopping during this pandemic. Since this thread not related to TV in anyway, I suggest it'd be better to move this thread to "General Lounge" . So that it'll reach to broader audience. Cheers 
I sympathize in your situation, bought a mixer in Jan 2020 and it went kaput in April amidst lock down, I had to get that locally repaired even if it was under warranty. Online shopping has evolved in our country as compared to ebay / bazee days in early 2000 and so has return policies which I find is still better than pre flipkart / amazon era. It is true that such rising Return Fraud examples may be used by these companies to curb down their losses due to general return since their initial model to have more customer friendly policies is to attract buyers to build their reputation but otherwise they have started recovering from historical losses year over year only in recent times. But not supporting them any way, still keeping consumers first and we as consumers continue to look at them in spite of these issues for convenience and discounts largely and real issues like the ones you and me have faced are the risk cost of doing business in this model. Also our country keep imposing trade restrictions from time to time to protect small businesses which may not be a exact US situation for them to continue providing US like facilities here.
I see a trend here in India, that for everything, we start blaming ourselves. Lockdown failed. Oh, we should look within ourselves. Income inequality. Look at ourselves. Poverty. Look at ourselves.
We aren't the government. To curb one unfair practice, going to the opposite extreme isn't right either. If you buy a defective product, you should have the right to return it within a stipulated period. If not a month, then a at least a couple of weeks. You shouldn't be forced to deal with the manufacturer for a newly bought item that's faulty.
Why do we have the concept of laws? To protect people. If these companies are being unfair to millions because of a few people, they have go be checked, because that's not fair.
And their losses have nothing to do with returns. It's their business strategy itself that's flawed.
Dr.Lakshay
Active Member
Try that with any offline merchant. Specially when it comes to electronics. Rarely will anyone give you a replacement or refund. You will be forced to deal with the manufacturer.
Atleast online shopping gives you a full week's window in most cases. And you can know beforehand if you have a return window and for how long.
gowmara
Member
If there is any issues with the item bought, manufacturer is the one who needs to provide replacement/service. We need to understand that lot of customers are simply buying and returning. Currently Flipkart do provide replacement after technical visit from manufacturer approves return. This is may be different from companies from other countries. You cannot simply buy and return the item saying you don't like the product. The return item needs to be sold to other person in packed seal. Consider you are buying the item offline, still dealer won't provide you refund instead he will ask you to contact manufacturer. This is my thoughts.
Amazing. It's like people don't like having rights. Oh well! I have placed my warning. No returns for a lot of Flipkart assured electronics.
And oh, if I bought something from an offline retailer that developed faults within a week, I would slam that product back in their shop and take my money back.
It's this attitude of justifying the lack of rights which is the root of so many issues in India, including poor labor laws. We justify the ones abusing their power, instead of fighting against them.
And oh, if I bought something from an offline retailer that developed faults within a week, I would slam that product back in their shop and take my money back.
It's this attitude of justifying the lack of rights which is the root of so many issues in India, including poor labor laws. We justify the ones abusing their power, instead of fighting against them.
Barun7
Well-Known Member
I had a near similar experience with Paytm last year when I and my colleague ordered two V20 mobiles from Paytm. In 2018, I purchased a mobile and a power bank and both the items were are being used by me till date. It was his first order on Paytm and the ordering was done from is account.
Both the mobiles were defective and we had a torrid time convincing their customer care. After much hassle, the items were returned and the amount was transferred back to the account. But my colleague has vowed to never make any purchase from Paytm. Ever.
Businesses are made out of trust. More so about online business. Customer, e-commerce sites and merchants are the three ends of that trust triangle.
I personally feel there should be different windows for different products. A lehenga, a sofa and an air conditioner can't be judged by the customer within the same span!
Both the mobiles were defective and we had a torrid time convincing their customer care. After much hassle, the items were returned and the amount was transferred back to the account. But my colleague has vowed to never make any purchase from Paytm. Ever.
Businesses are made out of trust. More so about online business. Customer, e-commerce sites and merchants are the three ends of that trust triangle.
I personally feel there should be different windows for different products. A lehenga, a sofa and an air conditioner can't be judged by the customer within the same span!
At least a week's window for faulty products should be there. That's the bare minimum.
I have been using Flipkart since 10 years. Purchased imported books from them as a teen. All my mobiles in the past few years have been from Flipkart. I even purchased my OLED from them, but they sent a repacked item which I returned coz can't takr that chance on OLED.
Now, I'm not buying anything from them. If Amazon does the same thing, I'll stop buying from them too.
I want to return my goods, what are my rights? - Which?
Your legal rights depend on where you purchased the item and why you want to return it. Learn about online returns, faulty goods rights and store returns policies.
30 days for faulty product, no matter what the return policy of the store says. That's consumer protection.
sound and music
Active Member
Well said.
India's flawed legal system (slow, complex, and too expensive) immensely helps companies to treat customers badly.
My experience with "offline" merchants have been different.
Most shop keepers are willing to do the "run around" for you - like warranty, replacements etc. That means they are the single window that you deal with. Some also offer immediate replacement.
There is a small breed of offliners that do make you run to the manufacturer for warranty, but thankfully is still not a majority.
Refund is something that no offline retailer offers.
The Marantz PM7000N offers big, spacious and insightful sound, class-leading clarity and a solid streaming platform in a award winning package.
Similar threads
