Amazon.In: Tablets, Laptops, Electronics No Longer Eligible for Refunds

Spacescreamer

Spacescreamer

ex-Mod
Bought a tablet, laptop, desktop PC, monitor, camera, or camera lens on Amazon recently? If you bought it after May 11, then your product is not eligible for a refund; Amazon recently updated its returns policy on these products, and if you're planning to make a purchase on the e-commerce site, you should know that your product will not be eligible for a refund, only a replacement.

A statement on Amazon's website reads: "All tablets, laptops, desktops, monitors, cameras, and camera lenses that are fulfilled by Amazon and purchased on or after 11th May 2016 are eligible for a replacement only policy and will no longer be eligible for refunds. In case you have received a defective or a damaged product, you will be eligible for a free replacement."

Other product categories still allow you to return items for a refund, even if you no longer need the item - for example, if you buy multiple products and decide to keep only one. However, in the case of certain electronic products - mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, monitors, cameras, and camera lenses - the window to return a defective or damaged product is only ten days, and you can't return items you no longer require; all you can get now is a replacement. This is also the case with furniture.

Amazon had enacted this return policy in February, but only for mobile phones.

We checked the return policies for the other major e-commerce sites in India to see what their policies are for mobile phones and other electronics such as laptops and desktops. On Snapdeal's returns page, we saw that you can still return electronics for a refund if the item is damaged, or varies from the description, or is missing parts or accessories, to list a few reasons for return; you can't return the product if you're dissatisfied with the item though.

On Snapdeal, for electronics, you need a document from the brand's service centre confirming that the item is defective, and all original packaging and accessories need to be included in the return.

In the case of Flipkart, according to the help page, refunds are if the seller can not provide a replacement, so this sounds like the experience would be similar to that of shopping on Amazon. Also, Flipkart's help page notes that in the case of defective/ damaged products that are covered under the manufacturer's warranty, it does not provide returns.
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Online shops are nowadays better for checking rates & reviews only. Local dealers are offering better deals and many of them are selling online too !

Other than deals & difficult to find items ; there's no specific reason to chose online services over local. Heavily discounted prices during deals was part of the strategy, and online marketplaces are now out to consolidate the profits.

Seems like Indian online shopping bubble has bursted much sooner than expected...
 
had placed order for a laptop on 12th may. cancelled it within few mins by contacting the customer care. turned out it wasn't cancelled. again contacted and got it cancelled. still, no use. finally it was tried to be delivered, but had told at home not to accept it. the refund was issued then.
 
This is wrong though. If a person has genuinely received a defective product, then they should have the option to get a refund. Many a times, especially in case of laptops and mobiles, a person might need the product quickly and can't wait for the replacement to arrive. Is he supposed to keep waiting despite not being at fault.
 
Other than scamsters returning fake products in lieu of original products ; most of misuse of use and return policy is not unique to India alone. I often see people using high end stuff for home theater systems worth 2 lakh plus and returning for refund internationally. You cannot differentiate genuine buyer easily.

BTW What's the accounting for the amount paid to them? Assuming upfront payment, average delivery taking 3 days, return being picked up in a week time, they'd refund in 5 working days - 15ds. They'll gain in terms of turnover.
 
Abroad if they find you return too much stuff they just ban you.

Key point is percentage spend over returns. Buy more than return.
 
I am quite sure that with Amazon's experience on CRM, people who aren't into returns just for the heck of it will not face problems
I have had very few instances where I needed to return something to Amazon (less than 1% I guess) and each time I got a refund processed notification within an hour of the item being picked up

On the other hand, I have heard stories of how long it takes them to process refunds or how it required repeated mails/phone calls to get it done
 
superczar said:
I am quite sure that with Amazon's experience on CRM, people who aren't into returns just for the heck of it will not face problems
I have had very few instances where I needed to return something to Amazon (less than 1% I guess) and each time I got a refund processed notification within an hour of the item being picked up

On the other hand, I have heard stories of how long it takes them to process refunds or how it required repeated mails/phone calls to get it done
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Yeah that's been my experience with Amazon also, similarly with Myntra - Flipkart ; Never had any issues with returning items for refund.
Your account purchase history has lot of weight I think, online marketplaces aren't as democratic as we think.
 
drkrack said:
Online shops are nowadays better for checking rates & reviews only. Local dealers are offering better deals and many of them are selling online too !
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True. I was really shocked when I first found out about it. Its been a while since i last bought electronics locally so I assumed that online offered the best prices. Many of my friends have also stopped buying online altogether because of the unreliability and the time it takes to settle a dispute. Good for them I guess.
 
blr_p said:
Abroad if they find you return too much stuff they just ban you.

Key point is percentage spend over returns. Buy more than return.
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They could've done the same thing (banning) in India too, but they choose to change the return policy instead.
Honeymoon period of online shopping is almost over I think.

Locally, my home theater person changed two brand new projectors at my request without an additional cost ; his routine words "Pasand aaya to pay kariye" ; I'd not buy costlier goods online anyway.

Local retailers have become pretty buyer friendly nowadays, on prebooking & buying S7 edge, I was given free screen guard and premium case free, no such offer had I bought it on Flipkart. This disciplining of local retailers' attitudes is the biggest achievement of online marketplaces IMHO.
 
rdst_1 said:
This is wrong though. If a person has genuinely received a defective product, then they should have the option to get a refund.
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This policy even though it hurts the genuine buyers it makes total sense for Amazon. Put the blame on the scammers and other Indians abusing the policy for their youtube unboxing videos and temporary bragging rights on social media.
Many a times, especially in case of laptops and mobiles, a person might need the product quickly and can't wait for the replacement to arrive. Is he supposed to keep waiting despite not being at fault.
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Yes I fear so. My worry here is what if I ever receive another tampered order or a fake or even a rock? How would I go from there? Another problem is services in tier 2/3 towns are not as good as tier 1 cities, not even close. Will they entertain them?
 
drkrack said:
They could've done the same thing (banning) in India too, but they choose to change the return policy instead.
Honeymoon period of online shopping is almost over I think.
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They're not big enough to ban anybody yet. Amazon is far more established in other countries. They will get established here too with time. The convenince factor and selection guarantees it. And once that happens the banning will start. Course the sellers will have to swallow losses if they want exposure. right now they have the upper hand. They are in damage control mode, this perception that it is not profitable to sell on amazon has to be dealt with in the short term if they are to grow further.

The credit card industry goes through billions of losses each year. But the profitable business exceeds it by a factor of a hundred so these losses are not a probem.

Locally, my home theater person changed two brand new projectors at my request without an additional cost ; his routine words "Pasand aaya to pay kariye" ; I'd not buy costlier goods online anyway.
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Same

if they are going to show me the real thing, let me play with it i don't mind paying a little more. Much better than looking at photos on a website. The seller is in my town, i can see them in person and not interact with some guy on the other end of the country.

Local retailers have become pretty buyer friendly nowadays, on prebooking & buying S7 edge, I was given free screen guard and premium case free, no such offer had I bought it on Flipkart. This disciplining of local retailers' attitudes is the biggest achievement of online marketplaces IMHO.
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It works both ways.
 
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drkrack said:
Online shops are nowadays better for checking rates & reviews only. Local dealers are offering better deals and many of them are selling online too !
.
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I second that. I'm getting 100-200rs cheaper offline or for the same prices. You have to find the proper shop!
 
My Story last month during some laptop deal ordered MacBook pro retina 256gig model for 1.25 while offline it was for 1.4.
Ended up getting a broken used open Mac. Thanks to Amazon cc and my buying pattern picked up my return next day morning.
Thankfully I made videos and took pics.
But they took full 15-20days to process refund as same model was not available.
Then bought it offline . Yes this shld be the case only if item is not available refund should be there. (No longer needed obviously can be misused.)

It's absolutely correct decision from Amazon.
 
Hmm... Some folks seem to have taken this decision in their stride.

I'm unhappy though. I believe in this age of online exclusives, one needs to have a 'try before you buy' type of policy. How else is one supposed to get the look & feel of any device that is exclusively sold online?

Also, it's now difficult to convince those that are sitting on the fence to try buying online at least once. In fact, ever since amazon changed their policy on mobile phones, I've been warning any potential buyers I come across about the change.

I took a chance with the OPO, in the first place, because I knew I could return the phone, should there be any trouble. I wouldn't have otherwise tried it as there was already much discussion about its flaws. The refund policy gave me the confidence to try out the product.

Now there's nothing that distinguishes amazon from other e-tailers, tbh. Guess I'll just stick to buying books online....
 
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