Misleading claims about the return and replacement policies of E-commerce websites viral - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 20, 2024
A video has been making the rounds on social media platforms, claiming that the return and replacement policy of E-commerce platforms like Flipkart and Amazon has changed. According to the video, electronic devices like mobile phones, laptops, headphones, and earphones cannot be returned or replaced directly from the website. Instead, the claim suggests customers must direct their complaints to the nearest service centre of the electronics brands of which purchased the products. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Return and replacement of electronic devices can no longer be done directly from the websites of E-commerce companies.
Fact: According to the policies of E-commerce platforms like Flipkart and Amazon, electronic items can be returned and replaced directly from the website, except for certain brands. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
To verify the claim, we checked the return and replacement policies of the e-commerce platforms Flipkart and Amazon.
According to Flipkart’s policy, customers can find out if a particular product can be replaced or returned on the product page.
Most electronic items can be replaced except for a few specific brands, such as Apple, Google, JBL, etc. For these brands, the customer should reach out to the brand-authorised service centre. In some cases, if the seller can’t provide the replacement, a refund will be issued.
However, it’s worth noting that certain electronic items cannot be returned at all.
Similar to Flipkart, Amazon’s return policy states that only products marked returnable on the product page can be returned within the return window.
They have a replacement policy on Electronics such as Mobiles, Computers, and TVs with a window period. But to return a product from Apple (Apple iPhone, AirPods, iPads, etc.), the customer should contact Apple customer service.
It’s also crucial to note that both platforms have an ‘Open Box Inspection/Delivery’ policy (here and here), wherein a refund is provided in case of a damaged or incorrect product.
To sum up, contrary to the claim made in the video, the return and replacement of electronic devices can be done directly from both Flipkart and Amazon’s websites, with a few brand-specific exceptions.