In Bangladesh, e-commerce has grown significantly, which has naturally resulted in e-commerce sites increasing significantly in number. Even though there are far too many online shopping sites, only a select number have gained the public's trust and confidence.
It is very typical in our nation to be tricked when purchasing online. It is thus regrettable that the e-commerce industry has not yet been subject to any regulatory bodies. Consequently, many victims of online buying do not receive justice.
In this regard, a relatively limited number of persons complain to "Bhokta Odhikar Shongrokkhon Odhidoptor." The time-consuming nature of the complaint process, its complexity, and the fact that many individuals are unaware of it do not help its cause.
Terrible experience with online shopping
I have my own negative online purchasing experience in Bangladesh. On December 24, 2023, I placed an online prepayment order for a mobile phone from one of the top platforms. The product arrived on January 1, 2024.
That day, I came home from the office at night and opened the mobile box. The phone did not work when I turned it on. As soon as the situation continued, I called and messaged the customer support department of the relevant online buying site to let them know.
They requested that I provide them some documents, and I did so. They assured me that I would hear from them shortly. They called me once, but I was unable to answer. They said I would hear from them again soon when I phoned them back, but I never heard from them.
They advised me to return the item via courier service at my own expense after I called multiple times over the course of a few days, which I did on January 11, 2024. That day, I also provided them with the delivery receipt.
I gave them a lot more calls after that. The typical response they gave when they got the call was, "We apologize for any inconvenience” and “Your issue will be resolved shortly.” I also sent them multiple messages and emails, but I never heard back from them about the problem.
To my surprise, every time I called the customer support centre, I was greeted by rude, unprofessional staff who didn't care about providing customer service.
I finally decided to voice my displeasure to "Bhokta Odhikar Shongrokkhon Odhidoptor." But all of a sudden, I came across a user of this internet marketplace who assisted me in resolving my issue. I received a call from them about the problem, and on March 24, 2024, I sent the phone by courier. In addition, they reimbursed my courier fees for returning the phone to them.
The dispute was resolved after nearly three months. This is not the first time I've had issues when shopping online. Like me, a lot of individuals get duped by the online marketplace.
What must be done
To maintain good governance, it is therefore imperative that the government establish a regulatory body for Bangladesh's e-commerce industry. All online shopping platforms in Bangladesh will operate in accordance with the laws and regulations of the e-commerce policy, which must be created by the regulating body.
People can file a complaint with the e-commerce regulatory body if they are duped by any online purchasing site.
The regulatory body would take appropriate action against the accused online shopping sites based on the evidence gathered from the investigation.
This is the way to not only gain the people’s trust, but in turn also help the e-commerce industry flourish.
Sanjay Bhattacharjee is a Senior Officer at BASIC Bank Limited.