Times have changed. Preferences have changed as well.
There was a time when people used to travel a long way to buy their favorite wristwatches, shoes, and clothes, etc.
With the advent of e-commerce, we can now easily access online stores – in just a few minutes – via our smartphones to find out the same wristwatch and other products.
Online shopping helps us save our precious time. Thanks to e-commerce for all the convenience that we have now. But there are some important problems that online shoppers still tend to face. The question is: Does everyone get the same experience while shopping online?
The answer is NO. Online shopping has never been easy for people. Sometimes they get what they didn’t order for. This is why, appearances are deceptive.
In this article, we will highlight some of the major online shopping problems people often face. Let’s go.
Online shopping problem #1: Product quality
There is a huge variety of products available on an online store. As mentioned above, most people don’t get what they had ordered. The product sellers often refuse to refund the money and even replace the defective product leaving the consumers in a disarray. This is because the product sellers use fake images to entice customers. This is a common problem that online customers face, especially during online sales.
If a consumer had had this experience, he will not attempt to make any purchase from the same website in the future.
Online shopping problem #2: Hidden costs
The e-commerce markets often impose additional, hidden charges. Most of the websites don’t provide information about the shipping costs, and delivery charges until the purchase has been made by the consumers. Most of the time, websites offer the customer to purchase a specific product for a specific amount, telling them the additional charges will be waived off. This practice in turn, compels the consumer to make additional purchases, and spend more than the actual payment.
Online shopping problem #3: Safety issues
Online shoppers are the most vulnerable against the cybercriminals. They use new and innovative ways to breach the privacy of an individual customer.
Many of the consumers do provide personal details on these e-commerce websites including name, address, phone numbers, and most importantly bank details. If a website is hacked by these fraudsters, then the details can be put to the wrong use.
Online shopping problem #4: Delivery issues
Another considerable online problem relates to the delivery of the products. The question is:
Does it really help to track your order all the way from placement to receiving the package?
Firstly, the date mentioned for your order delivery is doubtful, because the package never arrives on time. Secondly, these websites don’t take the responsibility of packaging, and delivering the products safely to your address. Most of the time, people get broken pieces, if the product was fragile.
Online shopping problem #5: Issues in digital transaction
The e-commerce websites offer several payment options to their customers. But sometimes, due of the internet glitch or bad connection, payment gets deducted from your account, but it does not get transferred to the seller’s account – when you make your purchase and use your card for payment.
You can ask for a refund (if the website policies allow you to do so), explaining everything to the customer support, and get your money back. It may take 7-10 working days so you have to be patient.
Before you make online purchases, do ensure to get all the required information about the product, payment methods, and most importantly refund policies to avoid any complications. If possible, take reviews and recommendations before you opt to buy a product online.