I am a regular buyer of books from online bookshops. This review is about the quality of those websites. The websites I use regularly are:
1. sapnaonline.compros: very responsive. You get the books in 1-2 days. There is no mismatch between website stock and real stock. So, once it is there in the website, you can be sure it will reach you. Phone numbers are also there to contact them.cons: I tried from Bangalore. I don’t know how much time it will take for other cities.
2. dcbooks.com pros: Good for vernacular books. Very good people.cons: Credit card paying option has only Visa. They have a mismatch between website stock and real stock since they stock other publisher’s books also. But on the positive side they will send you any book by VPP. So more than a website, it is a good phone books shop. *
- books4u.in pros: good for competetive exam books. cons: Small collection. Moderately responsive people. Mismatch between real and website stock. So, money will go in first and they won’t respond back to you. So you won’t know where your order is. But one phone call will clear things up.4. amarchitrakatha.compros: extensive coveragecons: priced much higher than the other book stores. The same books you can get it with at least 800-1500 rupees difference
Recently, I tried ordering fromflipkart.com. They were there in the Bangalore book fair and I was looking for a particular book. A flipkart employee there told me to send them a mail asking for the book- through their support mail id. I didn’t get a reply for 3 weeks. When I sent a mail again saying there is no reply, this is the mail I got:
"...Hi, Any complaints or suggestion mail to cs@flipkart.com.Your mail does not explain any complaintsThanks & Regards, Ance http://www.flipkart.com..."
I will say it is a little curt to a prospective customer. They were not interested in knowing what my real problem is. If this is the kind of response they give to a prospective customer, think about a complaining customer. Also, there is no phone numbers to call them. My experience on web is that a company with only a mail id to contact them can ignore it easily. So I suggest not to do business with flipkart because if something goes wrong you are in a soup. But if you want to take a chance, go ahead. But if I were you, I won’t take that chance.
:::Update on Dec 4th::::The Customer Support Manager mailed me apologising. I think they have read this review. According to him, my earlier mail was missed since they are migrating from one email system to another. Also, the "inappropriate" response was because of a new hire. I was also supplied a Support no. for further queries.
So, now I am giving them a point more for service and support. I am also changing the recommendation from No to Yes. But I have lost the drive to order from them, because of the first experiences.
:::Update on Jan 24th:::: I saw many comments on my review that Flipkart does have customer support numbers. I checked and it is true. It was not listed on the home page though. So I am changing my Cons to "bad first time experience". Thanks for the input fellas..
:::Update on Feb 18th:::: This is awesome guys....! I ordered 2 books from Flipkart at lunch time yesterday. and voila...! I got it today before I was getting out of the house. Great packing (the best I have seen from online stores till now) and books were in good condition. Am starting to believe in Flipkart. So I am changing the product rating to Very Good.