Flipkart’s response after customer orders laptop, receives Ghadi detergent

A Delhi man has claimed he received detergent bars after ordering a laptop from Flipkart (Image credit: LinkedIn)

A Delhi man who ordered a laptop during Flipkart’s Big Billion Days Sale has claimed the online retailer sent him packets of Ghadi detergent instead.

In a LinkedIn post that has gone viral online, Yashaswi Sharma said he purchased a laptop for his father from Flipkart’s Big Billion Days Sale but received detergent bars instead. Flipkart acknowledged the lapse and has issued a refund for the order, while also initiating "action against the errant party."

Many e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart have an ‘open-box’ delivery system in place for expensive items like mobile phones and laptops. Under this system, customers first open the package in front of the delivery agent to inspect the item and share an OTP only after confirming that the delivered product is damage-free.

Sharma says his father was not aware of the open-box delivery system, nor was he informed of it by the delivery partner. “He assumed OTP was to be given upon receiving the package - as is usual for prepaid deliveries - so he gave it when the box was delivered,” the IIM graduate wrote in his LinkedIn post.

When the elder Mr Sharma opened the Flipkart package, he was shocked to see it full of Ghadi detergent bars. “I have CCTV proof of delivery boy coming and going without box being inspected. And subsequently the unboxing revealed no laptop inside,” wrote Sharma. He also shared a photograph of the box with detergent bars inside.

Despite this, Flipkart’s customer care service initially told him a refund would not be possible as his father had shared the OTP without checking the laptop.

Sharma’s relative later filed a police complaint even as he himself vowed to approach the consumer forum if Flipkart did not resolve the issue. The Delhi man said he had been in touch with the delivery agent, who claimed that himself did not know of the open-box delivery system.

"Flipkart as a customer-focused organisation observes a zero-tolerance policy on all incidents that impact customer trust. It is of utmost importance to us to ensure the best possible online shopping experience for our customers," the e-commerce platform said in a statement.

"In this specific case that offered an Open Box Delivery option, the customer shared the OTP with the delivery executive without opening the package. Once the details of the incident were verified, our customer service team initiated a refund that will be credited within 3-4working days. We have identified the issue and have also initiated action against the errant party," the company added.

In an update posted yesterday, Sharma said that Flipkart had contacted him and issued a refund for the laptop. “The Flipkart team contacted me to inform that a refund has been processed, although I haven't received it yet,” he wrote.

His post has divided opinion on LinkedIn. While many placed the blame squarely on Flipkart, others were of the opinion that customers shared the blame for not checking the product at the time of delivery.

“People are bashing Flipkart. What is their fault here? They have introduced the concept of open box delivery to prevent these frauds,” wrote one person.

Instances of such online scams are not uncommon. Recently in Bihar, a man reportedly ordered a drone camera from an online retailer but received a bag of potatoes instead.