Online Shopping

Nazim Humayun

E-Commerce has grown immensely in past few years and it is expected to grow further in a very fast manner given the fact it has grown more than 30 per cent from 2012 to $12.6 billion in 2013.

Some days ago, I saw a post on Facebook that instead of an Iphone a ‘Stone’, Yes!  A stone was delivered to a customer by E-Commerce giant. All of us must have heard and also encountered personally some of these mistakes by the companies. Some months ago a soap bar was delivered in place of a cell phone by another company, and this time it was taken up by the media. These mistakes by the companies may be deliberate or unintentional. But the latest one about the Iphone is a mischievous and a deliberate attempt to exploit the customer.

The question arises here, should an individual trust these companies and continue with online shopping or not. The answer in today’s modern E-era is a yes, but one needs to take care of the following things before shopping.

• First of all the demand for a product gives rise to shopping it. The products include electronics, clothes, kitchen ware, shoes, student stuff, and cars as well as bikes.
• Second, a platform is to be approached to buy a particular thing and it is provided by many companies. There are up to 50 E-commerce companies, big and small operating in India so before shopping on a particular one, a person needs to choose that one which has met the expectations of people around him. This can be done by asking friends, relatives etc. Please do not rely on internet/TV here as all the companies boast of good products and delivery as well but many of them do not meet the expectations.
• After choosing the company with which the deal is to be done, the customer has to pay for the item which he wants to buy. This is the most crucial part where a customer should think a bit before making a purchase. If an electronic item is purchased, better is to pay on delivery. If the product is an ‘apparel’ a person can pay before, using a debit/credit card as the amount involved is less. In case of Pay on Delivery, the customer must make sure the product he has received is up to the mark or not before paying. Many people also gets trapped but here a customer must remain vigilant and check the product in case of a costly electronic.
• The product received should be accompanied by a proper invoice/Bill which should clearly mention the products price.

Last but not the least if a customer feels he has been cheated by a company he should contact them on the proper telephone numbers or email and wait for some time for the resolution of the same. If the problem is resolved well and good, if not, the customer should not hesitate to visit a Consumer Court and get his problem redressed.

The author can be mailed at nazimm123@gmail.com

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