We often see insane deals by many of the popular e-commerce websites. Some of them are so insane that they’re too good to be true. I was unfortunately at the receiving end of such a deal. This is the dark side of the ‘deals’ that the e-commerce websites nowadays offer customers.
I purchased an Apple laptop from Snapdeal a month ago. It was the craziest deal online. Almost INR 5, 000 less than the next cheapest deal on Amazon. Naturally, I purchased it and I was very happy that I got the best deal. That was the end of the happiness.
They shipped the delivery with some unknown shipper company called ecomm express, which has the rudest customer care executives, and provided absolutely no way to track the package. I had no clue where it originated from or where it was moving around. After an anxious 4 days, I received the delivery.
I was very happy that I finally had my first laptop, but the happiness was short-lived. When I opened the laptop, I noticed a very tiny dent on the surface of the laptop. At first I thought it was a stain, but upon a very close inspection, I realized that it was a clear physical damage. I called SD and explained them the problem. The customer care guys were quick enough to tell me that they’d take the laptop back and replace it with a new one ‘asap’. I confirmed thrice, if what I would be getting was a brand new, sealed laptop and I was given a positive affirmation by all the three SD people I spoke to.
The next day some courier guy came to pick up the laptop, handed a receipt and left. While packing the laptop back inside the box, I noticed a heavy impact on the package box, which had created the dent on the laptop.
Till now I was moderately happy with the way SD had handled this issue. The next day however, changed everything. I get an sms on my phone saying ‘Your replacement request has been cancelled and your money will be refunded’. I was surprised. I never asked anyone for a refund but suddenly here is the refund for the laptop I desperately wanted for my work.
I called their cust care and asked what the issue is and why am I getting a refund when I was promised a replacement. The lady said ‘Sir, the price of the laptop has gone up. So we can’t replace it. You have to buy again’. This really pissed me off. First they cause the damage, and then ask me to pay the extra money for a replacement. I asked her to forward the call to her higher authority. These guys changed their answers. They started saying ‘The seller has run out of stock and we cannot replace the laptop’. So without bothering to intimate me, they went ahead and processed a refund, which quite surprisingly, is according to their shitty ‘policy’.
This was my first purchase from Snapdeal. I always had my reservations with this company, because Flipkart and Amazon never failed to disappoint me, and it was a terrible decision. So here’s the deal with their deals: If you are see something being sold at an insanely low price, it means:
The product might be a damaged product.
You will NOT get a replacement because the price might go up again, which according to SD’s policy, will automatically qualify you a refund if anything goes wrong with the product.
No ownership of the fault will be borne by the excellent chaps at Snapdeal.
tl;dr – Buying anything at a great deal at Snapdeal is a big risk that does not carry any replacement guarantee(unless the price drops further, in which case SD makes more money).
Bottom line: It’s okay if you pay a little extra at Amazon or Flipkart, they at least have a good shipping and respect a customer’s opinion and concerns. Do not buy anything from Snapdeal, just because they offered a crazy deal. It’s a cunning ploy. Heh, dil ki deal it seems. My arse.
P.S: I am not endorsing any brand. Just sharing my personal opinions on the current e-commerce market scenario.