Ordering goodies online is neat business, especially if you’re getting massive discounts. But at times, you may receive soaps in phone boxes, broken packaging, or a different product altogether. One such thing happened when a Delhi-based guy ordered an MSI laptop from Amazon but got a screenless, broken HCL one instead.
E-commerce platforms don’t have a picture-perfect delivery chain, but you can always get a replacement if the product is damaged. Thinking on similar lines, our guy initiated a return and sent Amazon pictures of the broken product. Amazon has so far initiated the refund thrice, but all three times, the pick-up was refused.
Return agent misbehaves
Image: Fossbytes 
Image: Fossbytes
The incident happened in Delhi. The guy ordered an MSI Modern 14 laptop from Amazon on 22 August. He received the order on 23 August, and you can see what he received in the pictures above. Instead of a shiny new MSI, he got a broken, screenless HCL laptop.
He initiated the replacement process and received a mail from Amazon on the same. The Amazon mail says that the company will be looking into the matter, and gave a green light for a return pickup on 25 August.
Since then, the return has been initiated thrice, first for 25 August, then 28th, and then for 29th August. Strangely, the return is also getting canceled from Amazon’s end. Finally, the pickup scheduled for the day was a success, but a refund or replacement unit is yet to arrive.
Amidst the return cancelations, the pickup agent called once and declined to pick up the package in a rude manner. The customer doesn’t get the name of the pickup agent, which is why it is a hassle to file a complaint against such behavior.
Neither the first time nor the last
This isn’t the first time someone ordered an expensive item online and received a damaged product. Even large platforms like Amazon and Flipkart are riddled with such faults and we frequently get to see such incidents.
Earlier in May, we covered a story where Flipkart delivered a damaged power bank, and the return process was stalled again and again for the same. And just a couple of days ago, a video of the Indian railways staff tossing around Flipkart and Amazon parcels went viral.
While damaged product due to manhandling is one issue, this story is dealing with straight-out fraud. It is clear from the delivered product that someone in the Amazon delivery chain swapped the real laptop for a piece of scrap and delivered it.
In a situation like this, either the customer or Amazon will bear the brunt of this. E-commerce platforms as well as customers must be aware of such issues. In the past too, we covered a similar issue where Amazon delivered a PS4 with rocks inside the console. That customer ultimately got a refund but had to go through a lot of hassle for it.
These stories ought to be covered for the sake of customer awareness. We urge you to make an unboxing video of anything you order online, as it can come in handy in a situation like this.
Note: We’ve reached out to Amazon for a quote on what should someone do in a situation like this. We’ll update this story if we hear from them.
