The Mystery Behind Missing Products

Table of Contents
What is the meaning of a missing product?
Who are the culprits?
How to report such frauds?
Points to Ponder


E-commerce boomed after 2015. Till 2017, it used to be a fair deal until frauds took place. A significant increase of 30% in crimes was more than the e-commerce sales itself. Shocking, isn’t it? Credit card robbery and ID thefts became a daily affair. Were these not enough?! Missing products also started contributing and rose all of a sudden! 22% of people suffer from this missing-product fraud. What is it? How do we tackle these frauds? Let’s check out!


What is the meaning of a missing product?

It’s a bright sunny day, a soft breeze gushes through your ears, soft grass soothes your skin, and you are waiting for your online courier. The doorbell rings, the delivery boy delivers the package, and you happily open it. After some struggle, while unpacking the order, the time has come to see what’s inside. WHAT?! All your happiness vanishes all of a sudden, replaced by anger and irritation. What do you find inside the box? Nothing!

That’s one of the cases of a missing product. Yes, you read it right! Your product is missing, a frequent routine, if you have purchased something from online shopping websites. Other missing-product cases include-

Branding – The brand comes out different from what you have ordered from the site.
Quality – The quality is not up to the mark as promised.
Quantity – The quantity/pieces vary from what you ordered.
Return Issue – The seller is not accepting the damaged product per its return policy.
Product not delivered – The product does not reach you, and you still get a delivery confirmation.


Who are the culprits?

These cases have become very popular at present. Famous online retailers like Amazon and Flipkart have become a common culprit for these missing products. The phase is still unclear (placing order, packaging, shipping, delivery), during which these malfunctions occur.

It’s also unclear who does these frauds. Is it the strategist, who deals with the orders, or the tester, who tests the products before shipping them, or is it the delivery boy?


How to report such frauds?

Step 1 – First things first, contact the respective shopping retailing website like Amazon or Flipkart.
Step 2 – If they do not respond, take the help of social media handles. Tag them reporting your issues.
Step 3 – Send a legal notice to the authorities, or file a case in the National Consumer Forum or a Consumer Court. One can consider points 3, 4 and 5 of this article https://voxya.com/stories/5-best-ways-to-resolve-makemytrip-complaints/.
Step 4 – File a case at the PG portal. Check out here on how you can do it https://voxya.com/stories/cpgrams-how-to-file-a-complaint-on-pg-portal/.
Step 5 – File a complaint at Voxya. It will raise your voice on your behalf and will assist you in every possible way it can.


Points to Ponder

Keep valid shreds of evidence to justify your claims, like call records, bills, receipts, complaint records, etc. There is a possibility that the fraud expert may turn the case on you and prove you as the culprit. You will become a victim in your own hands.
Report the case as soon as you receive the parcel. Any delay in filing the complaint may result against you.
Maintain a record of your payments and track them from time to time. Make sure to get the refund in return if the return policy says so.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Contact the legal authorities at once.
Contact your nearest police officers if the case is related to money like non-refunds, double payments, credit/debit cards theft, etc. One can take the help of the police authorities and lodge an FIR at their nearest police stations.
If the retailers don’t follow their terms and conditions, keep a screenshot or evidence of their previous policies of the time you have placed the order. Police can track their changes and assist you if you are right.
Try to maintain a calm aura. After all, everyone is doing their best to assist you.