Website refunds money on customer complaint
Man said he bought a ride-on toy car from an online site that made misleading claims
E-commerce platform Souq. com has resolved the complaint filed by a Dubai resident about a toy car he bought for his son that later on turned out to be “falsely advertised”.
Gulf News reported on Monday the dilemma of IT professional Ryan Bruss who bought a ‘Ride-On Toy Car’ his son’s first birthday in September. Since the toy car was advertised on the website as the “last unit available”, he bought it and wrapped it well ahead of his son’s birthday on September 26.
But after assembling the toy car 17 days after purchase, Bruss realised the specifications of the Dh569-toy car did not match the description on the website. He filed a complaint with Souq.com but was told that as per policy, Souq. com could only replace items if the complaint was made within three days after the item was delivered.
Return period
Abdullah Al Shehi, Director of the Consumer Protection Division, Department of Economic Development (DED), on Monday clarified that the stipulated return period of any commercial establishment does not apply if the product is found to be falsely advertised, but the burden of proof rests on the customer.
On Wednesday, an official from Souq.com contacted Bruss informing him that Souq.com had conducted an internal investigation and decided that the company would arrange for the ride-on toy car to be picked up, so he could get full credit refund on his credit card. Also, Souq.com had given Bruss Dh569 worth of store credits in his Souq account, which he could use to buy products from Souq.com or withdraw in his bank account.
“I received a call from Mr Kamel from Souq.com and he was extremely apologetic. They refunded me the value of the item that I bought. I would like to thank Gulf News for helping me and also Souq.com for resolving the issue,” Bruss said. “I consider the matter resolved.”
Nader Kamel, head of Customer Service at Souq.com, said: “As the largest e-commerce platform in the region, Souq.com is dedicated to providing the best customer experience which extends beyond just a coherent buying experience to putting customers’ satisfaction as a top priority. Customers’ complete satisfaction is our primary goal which is why we have a robust customer service team that investigates thoroughly on all concerns and complaints.”
“In line with this, we have contacted the customer concerned directly and have now resolved the issue,” he added.