Has the seller been treated unfairly in this situation?
Being an online seller is not easy. You have to deal with fussy customers and the constant fear of your product reaching safely. The biggest relief is when your product arrives at your customer’s doorstep on time and in perfect condition so you can get the much-coveted five stars rating.
Bryan Lee is a Shopee seller who sells hedgehog running wheels and he took to his Facebook to share how his product was mishandled by J&T Express Malaysia. He said that his customer’s product was stuck in the J&T warehouse for four to five days thus she went to collect her parcel personally. When she arrived there, the J&T staff told her that her parcel was severely damaged. Thus, they were afraid to deliver the package to her.
In the video, the J&T staff could be seen helping to inspect the items inside. The wheel was damaged with a lot of cracks despite adequate packaging with bubble wraps. Bryan alleged that the packaging was abused by the staff despite the packaging and fragile sticker. The buyer proceeded with a return and a full refund in Shopee as advised.
“As a seller, I disputed it because I have sufficient evidences of the condition of the item, the internal & external packaging before shipping out.”
After an investigation by Shopee and J&T, both parties made the decision of accepting the buyer’s return and refund request. This meant that Bryan has to bear the full cost of the product. He said this is ridiculous as he has packed everything properly with two types of bubble wraps, labelling the box with fragile tape and even a reminder on the box.
“No matter how many bubble wraps we use, if you guys were to sit on the box or stand on it, how can the item inside be safe?!”
Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, Bryan said that J&T alleged that there was no styrofoam in the box which he feels is their way to divert the whole situation. In regards to further action, Bryan has lodged a complaint to MCMC and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs. He also plans to lodge a police complaint as well because he feels that there are many sellers out there who have been in a similar situation as him. He also added that the courier company is trying to protect itself from the damage it caused.
“Everyone talks about consumer rights but who is fighting for the seller’s rights? We have proof and I can see how badly damaged the box is.”
As of now, Bryan still hasn’t accepted the refund request and he plans to dispute it following the latest updates.
WORLD OF BUZZ has since reached out to J&T for a statement but have yet to hear back from them.
Also read: “Who’s gonna pay for our loss?” M’sian Shares How Courier Delivered Damaged Monitor