[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

There ends the good bit. I was sent an email asking for a screenshot of the MRP sticker, which I sent. Just received a response from a different rep. providing me a price+tax+blah blah break-up of my 'cost price' and insisting there's no discrepancy and discounts vary by deal/seller/time of the month blah blah.

The 'nice lady' would have been an Amazon representative, and the 'trying to sell nonsense guy' from the seller! Verify this.

Happened to me when I had to return a Moto G flip cover. I had ordered and paid for original Motorola merchandise, whereas what was in the package was a cheap duplicate. Flipkart was ready to refund the money immediately, but the seller tried his best to feed me some non sense n make me keep the duplicate flip cover!! I was adamant on a refund and it happened.

There is no tax an e commerce retailer can charge over the printed MRP as far as my knowledge goes. Fight for the refund, however miniscule the amount might be. Or demand a return n refund.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Reported it to Amazon via Phone Support and the nice lady promised a refund of the difference amount by means of a gift card.

There ends the good bit........

Edit: A strongly worded email clarifying my position (again!) has made them see sense and refund me the difference amount. I hope they take the seller to task too.


P.S. Mods, this is posted as an update to my previous post but outside the edit window. Please merge if appropriate.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Edit: A strongly worded email clarifying my position (again!) has made them see sense and refund me the difference amount. I hope they take the seller to task too.


P.S. Mods, this is posted as an update to my previous post but outside the edit window. Please merge if appropriate.

all you have to do in such cases is make a sarcastic tweet, get a couple of friends to retweet it, maybe mention flipkart and THEY will call you to refund the difference and will beg you to take down the post!

[5hadow]

Hi Everyone,

I need your advice on an issue I have with an item bought online.

I bought a hamper from Haldirams.com as a Raksha Bandhan gift for a relative but it never reached. On emailing support, I was told that it has been delivered. I asked for a Proof of Delivery(POD). Now, this package was meant for an address in Goa. What I got after 2 days through email was a POD for an address in Bangalore.

I have written them a couple of more times but now they are not answering. What is my recourse?

[RaguHolla]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Just got delivery of an Strontium microSD from Amazon (order fulfilled by Amazon), the MRP on the package is lower than the price I paid. Malpractice I need to report or is this usual?

This even after I compliant to Jeff! See my earlier post on same subject in post 3416. Can you write to Jeff Bezos in his mail id jeff_ at _ amazon dot com please? This practice of quoting unrealistic price with huge discount for a product which is way less than discounted price should be stopped. In my observation cloud retail which a Amazon own company in India is involved in jacking up prices when actual MRP is way less.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by RaguHolla

........Can you write to Jeff Bezos in his mail id jeff_ at _ amazon dot com please? This practice of quoting unrealistic price with huge discount for a product which is way less than discounted price should be stopped. In my observation cloud retail which a Amazon own company in India is involved in jacking up prices when actual MRP is way less.

It's apparent from their reviews section (check out the negative reviews header) that these aren't one-offs. I've written to Jeff, and also responded to a note I got from the seller (Cloudtail) asking me to clarify my negative seller feedback.

Will wait and watch what, if anything, happens as a result.

[adhiraj]

Can anyone tell me the payment process of Aliexpress and how the conversion rate is calculated?

[S_U_N]

Originally Posted by adhiraj

Can anyone tell me the payment process of Aliexpress and how the conversion rate is calculated?

Payment is via credit card for us in India (generally speaking).
Expect to lose around 4.5% for forex conversion compared to rates on xe.com.

[binand]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

a note I got from the seller (Cloudtail) ...

Cloudtail is to Amazon as WS Retail is to (used to be to) Flipkart. Cloudtail is a JV floated by Amazon and NRRM.

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by Zappo

Be careful of ShopClues.com They are still living 5 years behind the eCommerce scene across the country.

Bottomline though is that we need to be cautious of such fly by night organizations which have no real onus for the listings on their sites. They keep a product listed and when the payment is made they inform you that it is out of the stock! Howzzat?!! Also, the best part is that the product is still available on their site for ordering. So that more people can fall into the same trap!

Here is an update to my previous post. Today suddenly ShopClues.com cancelled my order unilaterally and jacked up the price of the pump on their site. Essentially they agreed to sell me at a listed price and then suddenly decided that they should have sold it for more than that. However, they reneged on their existing contract by cancelling a confirmed order for which they received the full amount some 10 days back.

Absolutely pathetic I say! Signs of a zero ethics organization.

[adhiraj]

Hi all,

I need a few products from Aliexpress. Now this is going to be my first purchase.

I will be ordering them one after the other.

The prices would typically be between $2 to $40 and delivery will be in Bangalore.

Now since this is my first time, I would like to know regarding few points in detail:

1. What is the safest mode of payment? If I go for Credit card, do I need to make any special arrangement to enable international transaction? Do the CC company charge anything extra to process international transactions?

2. Do customs intercept each and every product and levy duty on them? Read in a website that duty is calculated on assessed value hence reducing invoice value or marking as "gift" wont help. Any other alternative route to it? Also what other duties are levied?

3. I will go with trusted sellers/good reveiws only.Any additional checks that I have to make with the seller?

4. Incase the product is damaged (planning for cree fog lamps, car parts etc.) and I raise a dispute and refund, what happens to the duty I pay? Will the seller bear that? How is the amount credited back (forex rate)?

Please share any other pointers, experiences, reveiws as you wish.

Thanks,
Adhiraj

[jav]

Had a terrible experience with mylocalkart.com, stay away guys, here is what happened - I ordered an item which shows on website as 319 m.r.p but after getting delivery the m.r.p on the item is just 299, on sending then an email asking why?, they reply in a email stating the "manufacturer" has instructed them to sell at new price, they don't believe they have done anything unfair it seems according to them, as far as i remember the original mrp label is the final price of that item, isn't it?

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by adhiraj

Now since this is my first time, I would like to know regarding few points in detail:

Pointers inline -

1. What is the safest mode of payment? If I go for Credit card, do I need to make any special arrangement to enable international transaction? Do the CC company charge anything extra to process international transactions?

You can pay by credit card. It won't ask for the 2 step authentication. So better to disable international usage post the purchase or restrict it to a lower value. This is only for your peace of mind to avoid any misuse of your card.

HDFC provides an option to do so directly from the netbanking portal

2. Do customs intercept each and every product and levy duty on them? Read in a website that duty is calculated on assessed value hence reducing invoice value or marking as "gift" wont help. Any other alternative route to it? Also what other duties are levied?

Depends on luck more than anything else. I have ordered products worth $70-80 and have been 'lucky' mostly.

3. I will go with trusted sellers/good reveiws only.Any additional checks that I have to make with the seller?

You can also check the number of orders.

4. Incase the product is damaged (planning for cree fog lamps, car parts etc.) and I raise a dispute and refund, what happens to the duty I pay? Will the seller bear that? How is the amount credited back (forex rate)?

If the transaction is reversed, everything will be refunded back. I recently raised a dispute for a fake product and the transaction was reversed. Bank reversed the forex charges as well. It usually takes a long time though.

Initially I was negotiating with the seller but when he was reluctant to refund, I escalated to Aliexpress' mediation team. They took their own sweet time but eventually it was decided in my favor and the amount was promptly refunded.

In case, you agree to a partial refund, I am not sure if the prorated forex charges will be refunded or not.

[5hadow]

Originally Posted by 5hadow

Hi Everyone,

I need your advice on an issue ......

I have written them a couple of more times but now they are not answering. What is my recourse?

Any clues would be helpful.

[binand]

Originally Posted by Zappo

Essentially they agreed to sell me at a listed price... they reneged on their existing contract by cancelling a confirmed order for which they received the full amount some 10 days back.

Not condoning their behaviour, but the site has not agreed to anything; it is you who have agreed to buy a certain good at the listed price and indicated your good faith by putting up the entire transaction amount upfront. It is up to the site or the vendor to decide whether to let you have it at that price or not. In this case, it seems they decided not to, in this case.

This the position the e-commerce companies take. Until it is tested in court, unfortunately their view holds good and we are bound by it (we can only vote by our feet).

Originally Posted by adhiraj

2. Do customs intercept each and every product and levy duty on them? Read in a website that duty is calculated on assessed value hence reducing invoice value or marking as "gift" wont help. Any other alternative route to it? Also what other duties are levied?

It sounds to me as if you are asking how to evade duties.