BENGALURU : Delayed deliveries, limited options and lack of immediate grievance handling... consumers shopping on e-commerce websites are a dissatisfied bunch. Their biggest problem? The dip in consistency and quality of services provided after the pandemic outbreak. Post the lockdown, Avinash Kumar began ordering groceries online on Big Basket. “What surprised me was that a friend who already had a monthly subscription was catered to on time, without disruptions, whereas I had to check for 2-3 days for the availability of a delivery slot,” says Kumar.
Bengalureans cites various issues they are facing while shopping on e-commerce sites. For instance, graphic designer Arham Javed, whose Amazon order saw a delay in delivery due to the restrictions and limited delivery partners, recalls, “I received a notification about my order being delivered but I hadn’t picked it up and no details of the individual who picked it up was mentioned. I called the helpline but it took a long while to get in touch with them but more importantly, they did not share the delivery executives number before making the delivery.
Finally, the delivery partner got back and told me he dropped it off in the building’s security room. Without informing me or the guard!.” Mansi Mishra, on the other hand, had issues with the e-retailer at the point of browsing on the website itself. The designer was unable to purchase a smartphone although it was in stock. “Once I got through to the option of buying it, the site showed that it wasn’t delivering to my area due to a reason they weren’t sure about,” says Mishra, who faced issues with other e-retailers as well. Sachin Banandur, a city-based musician, faced a similar issue while trying to purchase a mattress online via Wakefit.co. Unsure of the delivery period, he eventually decided to not go ahead with his order.
When CE reached out to them, Amazon, Flipkart and Big Basket declined to comment. Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, co-founder and director at Wakefit.co, however, asserted that while the company’s manufacturing operations were affected during the lockdown, the customer service was available to address grievances. “Deliveries have been affected in red zones and pin codes that one has to pass through red zones to get to. But the transparency in communication has assuaged a lot of customer complaints,” he told CE, admitting that there might have been a small rise in customer grievances.
“The number of calls received during this period was the same as that received by us during Deepavali, which is peak sale time. This shows that there are more queries, due to delays in delivery,” says Ramalingegowda, adding that while orders have come back to 80 per cent of pre-COVID era, the number of flawless orders – where customer do not need to contact the company – have reduced. “During pre-COVID times, 95 per cent of the orders were flawless. But now, it has come down by 10 per cent,” he says.