A number of online shopping websites as well as social media pages and groups operating in the country pretending to be genuine online sellers were exploiting the customers through providing them sub-standard stuff including dresses, shoes and other accessories.
The online shopping websites and social media pages have undoubtedly made the life of citizens quite easier by providing stuff at their doorsteps especially during the COVID-19 days but reliability of many of these online retailers is still an issue.
A number of fake websites created in the names of famous brands are making the buyers fool by showing the original branded pictures of dresses and other items with high charges but delivering substandard stuff, replicas and copied items.
“Those fake websites are even using exact names and logos of the famous brands that anyone can hardly feel the difference between original and the fake ones”, Hina Naz, a regular online buyer said.
Talking to APP, she said, “I placed the order of two dresses on a popular brand website after fulfilling all the requirements. Within two days, a man from the TCS courier service company delivered a packet to my house, received payment from me and left.”
“When I opened that packet, both of the dresses were totally different to what I ordered and the poor quality of fabric, design and embroidery reflected that these were taken from some flee market. Even the phone number mentioned on the TCS packet was also fake one”, she said.
“Then I thought it is better to visit the branded stores for shopping instead of relying on the online shopping websites. I cannot understand why these brands do not take any action against the fake websites using their names and logos and spoiling their image”, she observed.
Murad Ali, another buyer said, “I liked a jacket through an online shopping website (local) and I got crazy to buy that urgently. Payment through credit card was the only option to purchase that jacket so I paid the amount”.
“It has been two months now since I placed the order and the jacket never arrived. But I think it was my mistake that I blindly trusted on an online shopping website without checking the facts”, he said.
The tempting sale offers on the fake online shopping sites are attracting the buyers like me and the relevant authorities must take action these website owners who are looting the customers, he insisted.
Noman Khan, an IT expert said, “Checking the credibility of online shopping websites is not an easy task for a common citizen especially those who are not well educated and have very little knowledge of internet usage”.
He said, the buyers must check before placing order on website of any brand that either it is official one or fake.
About local websites, he said the buyers must go through the reviews about the shopping websites and try to avoid shopping from those websites which require initial payment through credit cards, except one or two very reliable websites.
While the reliability of social media pages and groups offering different items cannot be checked unless we buy something from them, he added.
Since the online shopping has been witnessing the boom across the country after the COVID-19, there must be some mechanism to register complaint against the fake websites to save the users from exploitation, he said
Fahad is an entrepreneur and a marketing enthusiast who loves to write on trending topics. He loves travelling & playing tennis is what he does in his leisure time. He tweets @fahad164.
Email:- fahad164@gmail.com , fahad@themediaparadigm.com
