How not to be a victim of online shopping traps

BANGALORE, INDIA: Upon the setting up and subsequent mushrooming of e-commerce portals, the impulsive shopper found all needs on a single screen. Needless to say, the new mode of purchasing products online was considered manna from heaven by shopaholics. Why not, when it saved many a heavy step to the store?

It would take some time before one realized that these sites brought along their own share of woes as much as winsome deals. One gets confounded by complicated booking procedures that might more often mislead one than guiding through, another doesn't exactly get delivered the same product that was ordered, and then, there are differences between quoted prices and the actual tags.

Add to it security of payment gateways, delivery delay and shipping issues, the list is never-ending.

There are also other related issues. In a recent interaction with CIOL, Venu Somineni, the chief executive officer of MyDeals247, a personalized e-commerce platform, said, "There is no e-commerce site that connects buyers and sellers real time. Most websites have prices that are static and they are like fish market, as they put up everything — from soaps to super cars."

During the discussion, he pointed out that many sites don't have a transparent payment mechanism and procedures to enable the online shopper to be clearly informed about the steps. Many e-commerce portals, including MyDeals247, don't adopt the cash-on-delivery model, which also leads to some issues. Somineni feels that as people's emotions keep changing all the time, they don't employ the model, "but demand their commission, only after delivery."

Look at any online consumer forum, and you can see complaints on payment gateways not being efficient and transparent, and courier agencies not delivering products promptly and in good shape. The threat of credit or debit card information being stolen or misused can also not be ruled out completely.

A Bangalore resident recently placed an order for a high-end phone. Can you hazard a wild guess what she ended up getting delivered at her doorstep? Two stones. Both measuring up to the actual weight of the missing handset.

It's not only common masses that are subjected to these fraudulent measures. Kamal Sharma, group chief information officer of Mindlance India, says that he had similar experiences on several occasions. "I have faced delay in delivery on online purchases. Once, even the color of the product I placed the order for was not the same. In yet another instance, after my payment was processed, the website crashed, after which there was no official confirmation of my payment."

After a good week's time, he got the issue sorted out.

Government online booking portals, like that of the IRCTC, pose certain issues, including technical ones, but mainly due to the kind of traffic they get, says Prasenjit Mukherjee, general manager — IT, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited, New Delhi. "Other sites, by and large, don't have much problems."

Chief innovation officer of Microland, Rangaraj M.S., says that he never faced any issues while making online purchases and that the service had always been good, even as he agrees that some might be put through hardships during such transactions.

On how to safeguard oneself against such issues and risks, Sharma suggests that it's better to book products on trustworthy websites and through secure platforms. "I rely on more tech-savvy colleagues of mine to get information on such reliable portals," he hints at a more fool-proof way, which others can follow.

To which, Satya Prabhakar, president and CEO of Sulekha.com, a famous online directory and digital marketplace, adds that the kind of authentication on the payment gateway would be a give-away on how secure it is. "The quality of service generally depends on the reputation of such sites. Since we are not yet familiar with online shopping procedures, it might seem there are more issues than in reality," he concludes.

Have you been through any such harrowing online shopping experiences? If so, share with us.