UPDATE
This is an update to the review that I had written on Dec 3rd. Post my conversation with the supervisor and my review, Flipkart called me on Dec 3rd and arranged for a refund. The refund was posted to my credit card account yesterday(Dec 7th). Given the relatively fast turnaround, I have changed my rating of Flipkart to 3 stars. Will I buy from Flipkart? I dont know.
The 3 stars are because of the following reasons.
Delivery was fast
Pick up facility exists(I am based out of Bangalore)
Post my original review, the turnaround time for the refund exceeded my expectations
ORIGINAL REVIEW
I have had a terrible experience buying from Flipkart and will never buy another product from them again.
I have bought products online and do not think twice when it comes to buying from reputed websites(like ebay for instance). I came across flipkart and was getting a good price on an asus tablet and decided to buy it. This turned out to be an unpleasant experience.
I bought an Asus tablet(eeepad transformer) for Rs 30K through EMI payments. The order had been placed on Sep 25th, 2011. The product was defective. There were two problems with it:
a) Touching the surface of the tablet when it was being charged resulted in minor electrical shocks(which is quite ridiculous, I have not come across any product that tries to kill you while being charged:) and
b) The tablet refused to turn on unless it was being charged. This was inspite of the fact that the battery was fully charged. This was a dealbreaker for me as the "portability" aspect was lost.
I returned the tablet within a week and was sent a new one on Oct 7th. The new one had the exact same problems. Also, these problems were faced by a few other customers as well, which I found out only after being sent the second tablet. There were individuals who bought tablets manufactured during certain timeframes that had these problems.
I decided that I did not want anything to do with an asus tablet anymore and returned the product. I was promised a refund. To send the replacement product back to Flipkart, I called up atleast 3 times to arrange for a pickup at home. Flipkart finally arranged to pick up the product at my place on Oct 21st, 2011. It took around~3 emails and~ 3 calls to have the pickup arranged. It got worse from this point.
I was promised a refund within 5-7 business days.
It is Dec 3rd, 2011 and I do not have a refund yet. I have called atleast 6 times in the last 6+ weeks and emailed them multiple times. Every time I call them, the call goes as follows:
0) Myself: This is the xth time I am calling you, this is about my refund for a defective product that I was sent.
1) Agent: Sir, please verify your details, your email address etc etc(this takes 2 minutes)
2) Agent: Sir, the system says we sent you a replacement product on Oct 7th.
3) Myself: Yes, but I returned that on Oct 21st. Someone from Flipkart collected the item(another 3-4 minutes spent explaining the issue)
4) Agent: Sir, I will put you on hold(this takes 5 minutes)
5) After 5 mins, Agent: Sir, I have contacted my team and will provide you an update within 24 hours.
6) Nothing happens within / after 24 hours.
Each and every time this repeats. I have called flipkart~ 6 times and the conversations are exactly the same. The service is pathetic and incompetence high; they do not log the gist of past customer calls. Each and every time, the same issue and the same sequence of events is explained to them, which in itself takes 4-5 minutes.
Also, I have never ever received a call from Flipkart proactively from their end about the refund.
Today I called Flipkart for the 7th time and asked for someone senior to speak with. I was put on hold for 10 mins, I disconnected the call. I called again(for the 8th time) and asked for a supervisor. A supervisor was called and he took the same details from me(that I returned the product on Oct 21st and that in the last 6 weeks I did not get a refund, etc). I was put on hold. While I am on hold, I decided to write this review. I have been put on hold for 25 minutes so far and it has taken me so long to complete this review. To continue:
Every time I send an email to customer support, this is the reply that I get(the words change, but what remains same is a) the message(matter to be resolved or an update given within 24 hours) and b) flipkart’s incompetence(no communication within / after 24 hours)
Greetings from Flipkart!
Order ID: OD1XXXXXXX
Item: Asus TF101(Free ASUS Branded Keyboard Docking Station, )
We sincerely apologize for the delay in having this resolved. There has been an unexpected delay for which we are very sorry. Please give us 24 hours and we will revert back with an update.
We understand this hasn’t been your best shopping experience due to the delay for which we sincerely apologise and we will ensure such delays do not recur in your future orders.
For further assistance, you can call us on 1800 102 3547 or write to us.
Thanks & regards,
xxxxx
Flipkart Customer Support
https://flipkart.com
The online Megastore
No call from Flipkart.
Another automated email:
Greetings from Flipkart.com!
Order ID: ODXXXXXXXX
Item:"Asus TF101(Free ASUS Branded Keyboard Docking Station)"
We are in receipt of your complaint regarding the "Refund towards your Order ID: ODXXXXXXXXX"
Kindly allow us for 24-48 hours to get back to you with a reliable update on the same.
We request your kind cooperation in this regard.
Have a nice day!
Please write back to us or call us on 1800-102-3547 should you have any other questions or need further assistance.
Thanks & regards,
XXXXXX
Flipkart Customer Support
https://flipkart.com
The Online Mega Store
No communication from the agent.
As I complete this review, I am still on hold. It has been 30 minutes and the supervisor does not realize that he needs to request me to hold for a little longer, essentially he has assumed that I will be on hold for 30 mins.
This is in a nutshell, my flipkart experience. Flipkart will send you the product once you pay for it. If the product does not work and you need to return it: Be prepared to spend significant amount of time with the customer service team.
(Please note": All "XXXX" above are the names / numbers that I have removed for maintaining online privacy)