Shoppe shopping Review : Order Delivered but not Recieved

We are fans of online Shopping.

Since the pandemic, the main way for us to shop is online. Not only is it more convenient, but the prices are also more affordable than the stores. With inflation rearing its ugly head, every dollar saved is a dollar earned.

We had tried several platforms, from Lazada to Aliexpress to Shopee. So far, it has been a positive experience. The bulk of our purchases is usually from Lazada, though we pick up an item or two from Shopee if the price is right. There were some hiccups, such as wrong items being delivered, but the returns and refunds ran smoothly.... until this incident.

Order Delivered but not received. 

The nightmare of online shoppers is to receive a notification that the order has been delivered, but upon checking, it was not received. This happens if delivery is done at odd hours and just leave the package at the door or when the buyer is not home. Usually, one will raise a dispute in this case, and the platform should check with the courier for proof. A quick search shows that it is becoming a common experience.

Screenshot: Google

Courier would usually take a photo as proof. With that, it can check if the order was delivered or delivered to the right address. It's a simple check, but it's effective... until you meet sellers who do not want to help to check and Shopee staff who released funds to sellers even when buyers raised a dispute.

We had finally encountered a similar situation. While we did get our package, it was only after numerous calls, emails and evidence that Shopee was convinced that it was not delivered. We did not get a refund; rather, the product was eventually 'found' with the courier. Learning from our experience, we thought it will be good to share what you should do in a similar position.

Our nightmare with Shoppee

Recently, we decided to get 2 carpets from XYZ carpets ( not the real name lah) from Shoppee. The shop we are getting from has a large, established retail storefront. So it was a no-brainer to get from Shopee, with prices about 20% cheaper than the retail store.

We ordered a small and a larger carpet. We received the smaller one but not the large one. It was a  sizeable carpet  (2.4m x 3.3m) that could not be easily missed or removed from the premises. Unfortunately, only 1 had arrived. As we were away when it came and had someone to accept the item, I could not check it till later.

When we realised the error, our immediate action was to chat with the seller. But unfortunately, it was a Friday evening, and they were closed till Monday. So we decided to request a refund via the app.

Then the nightmare began.

Source; Shopee

We were unaware that there were procedures for refunds. Since this was our first missing case from Shopee, we reckoned to submit a claim on the app was good enough. Additionally to the submission, we attached a CCTV screenshot showing that only 1 item was delivered and indicated on the refund that we have the full video if needed. This is beyond what was needed. Per the website, submitting non-delivered items would not require proof (see above).

Unfortunately, we were supposed to provide 'evidence' of non-delivery within a deadline not specified by Shopee (see photo). We only knew it was 48 hours after it was closed. It was an error on Shopee part to fail to notify us of the timeline. Additionally, we were assured by the seller that another parcel was still in transit on the dateline day. As such, we decided it is best to wait for Shopee to investigate before taking any action

17 Oct screenshot with seller

The horror came the following day after the deadline when we received an email stating that the case was closed and funds had been sent to the seller because of a lack of buyer's evidence. After that, it was a tedious affair of speaking to 3 representatives, going through 2 online chats and sending out multiple emails before it was resolved after a tiresome week. As this is a big ticket item, we have no choice but to waste hours on resolution, creating stress and wasted time on our part.

What should you do when there is no delivery?

As a result, this is what we learn that we are supposed to do.

The first thing NOT to do is to click on order received. Once you do that, you will NOT be able to get a refund via the app or website. You would have to liaise with the seller via Shopee Chat or reach out to Shopee if there is no response after 48 hours

For non-delivery 

1) Check with family members or neighbours

Per the website, Shopee advised us to check with neighbours or family members to see if the item was received. 

2) Contact the seller or courier service

Contact the seller via chat or check with the specific logistic partner stated on the delivery notice

3) Raised a refund request

To do so,  the order has to be within Shopee Guaranteed period. The guaranteed period was supposed to be 3 days upon delivery, as per the website. However, you are allowed a one-time 3-day extension if sellers have yet to ship items.

Refund Process

 You just simply select Return/Refund on the Order Details page > Select I didn't receive my items> Select product(s) not received> Select Next> Select Reason > Select Parcel not delivered > Select Confirm > Select Submit

Source: Shopee

As per Shopee's requirement, you do not need to submit evidence for a non-receipt case.

For incomplete delivery / wRong  or damaged item / faulty  / Counterfeit Product

It will be a similar process with the non-delivery. Click Return/Refund to stop payment from being released to the seller. IN ADDITION, you must provide evidence in the return/refund section.

These are the supporting documents you need to submit as evidence for refund/return request as listed on the Shopee website

1 Damaged product

Source: Shopee

• Photos showing physical damage  or photos showing the condition of the internal and external packaging

2 Faulty Product

• Photos or videos showing why the item does not work as intended

3 Incomplete/missing product

• Photo or video of the parcel received and what it contains
• Photo of Air Waybill (AWD) attached to the parcel to show the content/weight of the parcel you should receive
• Image showing all products in the parcel on a weighing scale 

4) Wrong Product

Source: Shopee

• Photo or video of the parcel received and its contents
• Screenshot of the actual project on the app.
• Photo of the product measured if it results from the wrong size.

5 Counterfeit product

• Photo or video of the parcel, product and package
• Photo of AWB on the parcel
• Screenshot to show features of authentic product

What we did 

The long Story (Can skip lah)

As a family member had received part of the package, we were sure that the other item was not delivered together. Moreover, there was even CCTV proof of the delivery.

As the delivery was on Friday evening, the seller was unavailable until Monday; it will be too late for us to contact them, given the timeline had expired on Monday. As for the courier service, we tried calling Shopee, but the wait time was ridiculously long, and we were unsuccessful on the morning of the supposed dateline after 3 attempts lasting more than 15 mins. 

We managed to reach a representative on the same day at 350pm. During the conversation, we were assured that we did not need to do anything and that Shopee would take care of everything. In hindsight, we could have asked to check the courier, but the operator did not advise. At the same time, the operator failed to inform us of outstanding evidence required in this case despite our asking multiple times during the conversation if anything else was needed. 

The next day, we received an email stating that the funds were released to the seller. However, there was no evidence provided that the package was delivered to us. We had 2 different online chats to raise a ticket to investigate further. We also send an email attaching all necessary 'evidence' as required. At the same time, we checked in with the seller to request proof of delivery.

Upon consolidating the evidence ( including a CCTV and the seller's response), we realised there were discrepancies in the delivery.

• The seller had earlier claimed that one parcel was still in transit. However, instead of helping and highlighting to Shopee that only 1 AWB was attached for multiple parcels, they decided that Shopee closing the case without proof of delivery was justified. 
•  On a side note, the seller was unwilling to assist and kept telling us to refer to Shopee. So they are definitely not getting a 5-star from us for this. 
• The AWB stated a net weight of 2kg when the missing item (the large carpet ) was as heavy as more than 10 kg. This red flag was highlighted to both seller and Shopee, who chose to ignore this despite a request for AWB from the latter.

We decide to write in with this new evidence and our deduction. The following day, we decided to call the hotline to confirm receipt of our evidence. Unfortunately, it was a frustrating call as the representative was dismissive of our request for proof of delivery. In fact, she was defensive and even took us to 'do anything we want' when we told her we needed that for a police report. 

Ho hum. So much for customer service. 

To sum up, this was what we did.

•  Attached a CCTV screenshot  of the delivery ( it was not needed)
• Called the representative twice to confirm and follow up
• Send multiple emails with evidence, highlighting discrepancies and requesting proof of evidence. We also told them of our intention to submit a police report should proof not be provided and a refund not be processed.

 

The Resolution

After a day, we received a call from the manager of the dispute team. Unlike our previous encounters with rude and condescending staff, the manager, Is****, was excellent in service recovery. He was patient, listened and said the right thing. Coming from a service industry for over 20 years, we recognise quality service recovery, and we must say Shopee is lucky to have him as the last person we spoke to. However, it also proves the organisation is only as good (or bad) as the people manning the fort.

Giving credit where credit is due

The good news is that they had found the item. 

We were told that this incident happened because of an internal error by the seller who sent one AWB for 2 parcels. This led to Shopee misplacing the parcel during the sorting process due to the confusing label. In other words, the parcel was not delivered and has been in the warehouse.

 The interesting thing was that we received our package with a tag that said Order Cancel, which led us to suspect that there were more errors in between. However, other than highlighting this to the manager, we decided it is Shopee prerogative if they would like to investigate further.

Order Cancel by who?

So, in the end, while it concluded satisfactorily, the in-between process has been a draining and stressful affair. We would have to resort to the police report, CASE and stop credit card payment should the item fail to deliver. Thankfully, we stood our ground to push for investigations and finally got what we ordered.

TIPS FOR REFUND/REDELIVERY for ORDER DELIVERED BUT NOT RECIEVE

1) Prepare the right evidence 

Get the evidence request by Shopee AND any other extra (such as CCTV footage) in advance and send it during the refund process

2) For non-delivery, there is actually no need to prepare evidence. 

The courier would have taken a photo, which would be proof of delivery. To prevent disputes on lost or stolen packages, consider having a CCTV or request for contact delivery.

3) Sometimes, you need to do more to defend your case. 

For example, we had sent the required information for incomplete delivery ( photos of the airway bill and item that was sent) but were told by the hotline rep that it was not enough. Shopee would need to investigate with the seller. We only had a callback from the manager after we indicated we would be making a police report on e-commerce fraud.

4) Sellers may not be able to help

We contacted the seller, and the shop informed us that the other package was still in transit and to call Shopee directly. At one stage, we were wondering why they were unable to assist. Turns out that sellers may not have this information when they deliver straight to the Shopee office for processing.

While you may try to chat with the seller to find a solution, note that the best course of action will still be via Shopee directly.

5) Always check the app for notifications for any outstanding issues, such as providing evidence.

This was omitted from Shopee guidelines on refund/returns, so we completely missed this.

6) Prepare to go through more than one channel

Our phone and earlier email query yielded zero response from Shopee, thus the multiple calls and emails after that.

7) As for delivery proof

You have a right to ask for proof of delivery if Shopee insists it was delivered. The onus should not be on the buyer to proof delivery  since there would not be any 'evidence' for non delivery on your end

8) Make a Police Report and call the bank to cancel the transaction if the above failed

If there is no evidence provided for proof of delivery, this can be considered e-commerce fraud if the platform had promised delivery upon payment and had not done so. Make a police report, ask CASE to assist and provide evidence to your credit card bank to stop payment.

Would we shop at Shopee again?

We would be lying if we said that we would not shop at Shopee, ever. When comparing Lazada, Qoo10 and Shopee, there will always be a good deal that pops up on either of the platforms. We would not say no to a good deal. 

However, if it was a similar deal, we would prefer Lazada as their returns/refunds policies are more flexible as long as one has evidence. Not once do we need to write emails, speak to multiple officers or bang tables to get things done.

As for big-ticket items, we would not dare to try Shopee again. Brushing off the buyer without evidence despite the amount spent is a no-no for us. Furthermore, the lack of sympathy despite a big-ticket item by their tele-consultants (other than the manager) also deters us from future purchases. 

So yes, we will shop at Shopee but probably for smaller purchases only.

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Disclaimer

We received the goods ordered after almost a week of the initial delivery date. This is only possible because we were unwilling to accept Shopee's initial conclusion. As goods were delivered after our repeated dispute, Shopee has no liability. This post was created to explain the process of refund /return as well as to provide tips on how to get a successful refund. This is based on an experience we had with Shopee, your experience may differ, and we are not liable nor are we associated with Shopee.