Online shopping gives us a convenient way of purchasing products without stepping out of the comfort of our homes. There are also various offers and deals that make online shopping a preferred choice for many buyers. However, it also comes with the risk of receiving a defective/damaged product or something completely different. This is precisely what happened with a college student who ordered a MacBook M1 from Flipkart but received a cheap boAt speaker.
Flipkart Initially Denied a Refund for the Laptop
Atharva Khandelwal (@atharva_1913) has shared his ordeal and nightmare shopping experience with Flipkart on X. The buyer revealed he booked a MacBook M1 worth Rs 76,000 via Flipkart. He eagerly awaited the delivery, which was supposed to happen on August 13 but got delayed.
Khandelwal says the delivery agent avoided his phone calls for two days, i.e. until August 15. He was eventually asked to visit the Flipkart delivery hub to receive the product due to consistent delays. Everything looked normal to the buyer, but things took an unexpected turn once he reached the hub.
To start off, the buyer says he was asked to share the OTP even before opening and checking the in-box contents. Flipkart offers Open Box Delivery to let buyers check they received the same product they ordered and that it is in expected condition. It shares an OTP with the buyers once the product is out for delivery. It needs to be shared with the delivery agent only when everything is found to be satisfactory.
Khandelwal says the delivery agent asked for OTP beforehand, claiming it was a protocol. The product box is said to have been opened by the agent himself. This is when they saw there was no laptop inside the box, and instead, there was a boAt speaker said to be worth Rs 3,000.
The good thing is the buyer video-recorded all the crucial events, including the unboxing of the product. One of the videos shows Flipkart delivery hub folks accepting the buyer has received the wrong product. While one must think the victim would be helped by the company as there are all the proofs, this is not exactly true.
Khandelwal says he is only a college student and comes from a family that cannot afford another laptop. He reveals Flipkart initially denied a refund to him, citing the ‘No Returns’ policy. The buyer also shared his experience on Reddit, where he revealed Flipkart has finally reached out to him. He says the online retailer is finally ready to issue the refund and has asked to wait until August 28.
We hope the issue gets resolved as soon as possible and without any further delays. We would also like to alert our readers not to share your OTP for open-box delivery until you are satisfied with the in-box contents. It is also recommended to make a video of the whole unboxing process.
