Before you splurge on Amazon Prime Day, beware of fake products and dubious sellers
Complaints pile up against Amazon India over 'fake' products. Photo: Twitter, DailyO
Are you gearing up for the Amazon Prime Day sale starting July 15? Before you spend your money, you may want to read these alarming tales of high-value purchases on the e-commerce site. A woman on Tuesday took to Twitter to complain about Amazon India's indifference after she allegedly received a fake product instead of her Apple watch order.
What
Sanaya claimed that she had ordered an Apple Watch Series 8 from Amazon's own seller Appario Retail Pvt Ltd for Rs 50,900, but received a fake "FitLife'' watch. She also claimed that despite several calls to Amazon India customer care, she had so far received no help and the issue remains unresolved.
NEVER ORDER FROM AMAZON!!! I ordered an @Apple watch series 8 from @amazon on 8th July. However, on 9th I received a fake 'FitLife' watch. Despite several calls, @AmazonHelp refuses to budge. Refer to the pictures for more details. Get this resolved ASAP.@AppleSupport pic.twitter.com/2h9FtMh3N2
— Sanaya (@Sarcaswari) July 11, 2023
She also claimed that Appario Retail is one of the most trusted sellers on Amazon India. Sanaya also pointed out that her case isn't the only one.
Many similar cases
- On June 23, Sandeep Srinivasa had also tweeted about a similar incident that happened to him. He had ordered a pair of Sony headphones for Rs 29,000, but instead received fakes in a sealed packet.
The recent one was from Sandeep who received fake headphones. (3)https://t.co/9kMYaHYczD
— Sanaya (@Sarcaswari) July 12, 2023
- He also claimed that Amazon India refused to take action.
- Another customer received quinoa seeds instead of Rs 90,000 camera lens.
Ordered a 90K INR Camera lens from Amazon, they have sent a lens box with a packet of quinoa seeds inside instead of the lens. Big scam by @amazonIN and Appario Retail. The lens box was also opened. Solve it asap. pic.twitter.com/oED7DG18mn
— Arun Kumar Meher (@arunkmeher) July 6, 2023
- Dharmesh Bohra had ordered an Apple Watch Ultra at a discounted price, but it turned out to be fake.
Bought Apple Watch Ultra as b’day gift for my son fm @amazonIN (Seller-Appario Retail) on Jun 4 (delivered on 5 Jun) as it was available at discounted price. 2day is my son’s birthday, whom I gifted at midnight. He unboxed it & to everyone’s horror, it turned out to be fake..1/6
— Dharmesh Bohra (@DharmeshBohra) June 23, 2023
- Someone ordered earpods and received fake ones. When they reached out to Amazon's customer support, they were asked to provide evidence.
Many of these complaints have been against the sellers on Amazon India, including Appario Retail. Interestingly, as Sanaya points out, Appario Retail is set to stop selling products on Amazon India soon.
This comes not in the wake of the piling complaints, but due to the company being under scanner by the Competition Commission of India. CCI found that Amazon India had two preferred sellers - Appario Retail and Cloudtail.
But how can you avoid getting conned on Amazon?
Before you buy anything on Amazon, especially high-value products, you should keep in mind that Amazon often refuses to take responsibility for the products, and you may have to end up dealing with third-party sellers.
Over 50% of Amazon's sales are made through third-party sellers and there are several dishonest sellers among them. With the complaints piling up against Appario Retail Pvt Ltd, it is also clear that sellers and products that have the Amazon Prime guarantee cannot be blindly trusted.
To avoid being scammed on Amazon, here are a few measures you can take:
Open box inspection: There are certain that are eligible for Amazon's "Open Box Inspection", where the delivery executive will open the package and show you the item.
Finally, when the package arrived on July 3rd at 10:40 pm , there was no Amazon box and just a phone box in a bag.
— Amit Bhulani (@bhulani_amit) July 8, 2023
The phone itself looked fake and old, and when I turned it on, it was clear that I'd been scammed with a counterfeit copy of the iPhone 14 plus pic.twitter.com/p5d9DrUR4K
- You can check if the order is right, undamaged, and original before accepting the delivery.
- Buy products from original sellers: In cases of high-value products like Apple watches and Sony headphones, it is better to buy them from the original websites like Apple or Sony, rather than on Amazon. Most of those too-good-to-be-true discounts end up costing you more in the end.
Check the reviews: Amazon has a huge problem with fake reviews. So, you should thoroughly check reviews to see if they sound genuine. Also, check the latest reviews to get an idea about the seller.
How widespread are fake reviews?
— Rob Freund (@RobertFreundLaw) July 4, 2023
Here's data from the FTC's notice of proposed rulemaking:
In just one year:
-TrustPilot removed 2.7M fake reviews
-Google removed 95M reviews
-TripAdvisor identified 936k fake reviews
-Amazon blocked 200M fake reviews
Familiarise yourself with the seller: Don't buy high-value products from sellers you don't know or are not as popular.
- Check what kind of other products they are selling and what the reviews are like.
- But like in the recent case of Appario Retail Pvt Ltd, even the most trusted sellers can con you.
- In case the product is shipped and sold by Amazon, then it is more likely to be an original product.
Paying for the product: While paying, if the seller redirects you to another website or portal, STOP!
- Amazon is a one-stop-shop place and doesn't allow its legitimate sellers to set up a separate payment portal.
- Additionally, it is better to choose cash-on-delivery if you are unsure about the seller and the product. Even then, you should check if you will be able to inspect the product before making the COD payment.
- It is also a no-brainer that you should not accept a product if the packaging is damaged or tampered with.
On the other hand, Amazon India needs to win the trust back of its customers by responding and resolving complaints.