My asawa ordered a number of items from Shopee and received about 8 in one delivery - she did not check them until back in the house. She discovered that a computer table (cost about 400 pesos) had been substituted with a bag/pouch 'thing' (value about 15 pesos). The seller was not interested even to reply to her complaint. Shopee told my asawa she first had to return the wrong item at her cost (no return label offered) before they would consider a refund. The return cost was 199 pesos (Shopee insisted it was via LBC) ... for a 15 pesos 'thing'!

Then Shopee returned the original 400 pesos. So who lost? The seller? NO - she got her 'thing' sent back for free. Shopee? Maybe a little in admin costs - but it is THEIR business and that is part of it. My asawa? YES - she was 199 pesos out of pocket for zero benefit.

So, I agree, Shopee is far from perfect and their return system is hopeless. If that was Amazon they would have paid to get the item returned.

From then on every item from Shopee was checked at the gate and returned to the courier immediately if incorrect or damaged. It was essential to do this. My asawa just updated me that she was told by a courier Shopee no longer allows this and the buyer must be the one to return it via a courier service.

I told her I think this now makes Shopee nonviable for online ordering. They are penalising the customer but not the sellers.

 

This is all very interesting to me as lately I have been buying a lot from Shopee as the carriage costs are way below that of Lazada, I am in Valencia and one item I bought from Lazada I was charged P450 delivery cost, but someone told me the cost is nothing like that if delivered to Dumaguete and low and behold he was right when I did a dummy run on a DGTE address the fee was only P147, however I did return one faulty item from Lazada Via LBC and the transaction was very smooth and just maybe it is worth paying a little extra all things considered?

 

Sounds like your asawa's experiences were pre-MLhuiller days. I got the distinct impression that they are new to it. Maybe a newly awarded contract. As far as I know the return (if you can achieve it) is free. My successful one certainly was.

 

my experiences with shopee; the short version.

i prepaid for a shopee item thru LBC because there was no COD available for an item i just had to have. (never again)

i never received a purchase confirmation email or a tracking number from shopee. when i checked the shopee site on the long overdue delivery of the item, i learned that it had been delivered. i emailed shopee and they replied that they would refund my money only thru the shopee cell fone app even tho i paid for it at LBC. they, also, wouldn't tell me who received it or what carrier delivered it.

i wasted my time arguing for a cash refund and threw in the towel. makes me wonder though, the Ninja and LBC guys all knew me...

Lazada, on the other hand, is only a few notches behind Amazon.

 

Interesting. One other thing I've noticed when returning an item to Shopee, they try very hard to get you to open Shopee Wallet, so they will automatically transfer the refund there and therefore the money refunded has to be spent with them again. I've never opened one of these, so they have to transfer to our linked bank account, even for a COD purchase. But they do try VERY hard to get you to think you need to open a Shopee Wallet account.

 

Thanks for the heads up.
The internet mail order joints are not the only ones.
I had a very similar experience with HandyMan here in Dumaguete over 3 pesos. HandyMan hassled me for 35 minutes over 3 pesos. I wanted to EXCHANGE a 6 peso part for the correct 9 peso part. Simple right? Wrong, After 35 minutes I threw the 6 peso part as far as I could in the direction of the manager's office. Slammed a 10 peso coin on the counter and walked out. The security guard did not bother to wish me a "Have a good day". Once these retailers get your money you can expect a big storm if you want a refund. It was not the amount that pissed me off it was the principle involved. I no longer shop at HandyMan with out spending a hole day looking all over town first. I can assure you that HandyMan lost hundreds of thousands of pesos in business from me over the past 9 years. I had another run in with the same HandyMan store about 4 or 5 years back. This time I ask the guard if he had a cell phone, he did. I then ask if he had the number for the Dumaguete PNP. He said yes and wanted to why. I said he needed to call then because I was about to turn every thing in this store "Up side down!" When the manager was refunding my money, I ask her if I had embarrassed her with my very loud ranting. She said yes. I said look around, all your employees looking at you. I hope that makes you feel like a fool. She says she was just flowing store policy. I says well your store policy just made you out a fool. You should not have kept my receipt, my money, my purchases and sent my wife out in tears. Doing that to my wife is asking me to destroy your store. Your are luck that did not happen because I was ready to go to jail for the pleasure of doing just that. I went down to the supper market and got the same purchase for less. HandyMan can kiss my .

Rant over

 

Nice! I had a couple of rants yesterday too in MLhuiller joints. Only I should point out to you that HandyMan upstairs in Robinson Mall is in fact a Robinson store, so you still spent the money at the same retailer (assuming that's where you were). It does make you feel better after though.

 

Unless I'm missing something I really don't understand your point. Why didn't you just pay the 3 pesos, especially as the new part was 3 pesos more than the part you were exchanging and it is, after all, just 3 pesos. Just imagine if you did that. You would have:

1) Saved 35 mins (or more) of your time. Surely that is worth more than 3 pesos?
2) Saved yourself a whole lot of stress, anger, and increased blood pressure.
3) Saved your wife a ton of embarrassment.
4) Avoided some employees (who, after all, are just doing their job and following instructions), and your wife, from "losing face", which I'm sure you know is a big part of local culture here.
5) Saved yourself the hassle and time of spending a whole day looking around time for future needs, rather than just going to Handyman.
6) Avoided providing further fuel to the belief amongst some Filipino that foreigners are rude, demanding, and confrontational.

 

Nothing like an adrenaline rush. Almost as good as mainlining vodka.