SCAMMED

My laptop bag was showing signs of aging so I decided to replace it with a premium one from an international company. I used one of the largest e-commerce platform in India to facilitate my requirement.

In a couple of days a delivery person was at my gate to deliver the package I had ordered. I gave him the OTP and no sooner he verified the delivery he was off. I had been eagerly waiting for the package so I opened it excitedly. When I pulled the bag out of the packing, my face fell. I was looking at an old ragged laptop bag, which was crudely stitched up to keep it from falling apart. My instant reaction was to rush out and find the delivery person. He was long gone.

Upon realising I was scammed, I could feel a surge of temper jilt from my head to toe. Little did I know this was only the beginning of my stress.

I online searched for the e-commerce platform’s customer care numbers in order to report the matter. This proved to be another herculean task. I was greeted by an A.I. each time with standard responses. I was desperate to speak to a human who would give me a compassionate hearing and resolution. That was not to be.

I turned to social media. Even there I encountered A.I.’s stonewall. I was asked to explain my case a number of times which I did enumerating the fact that it’s a case of fraud/scam. However, A.I.’s perfunctory communications relentlessly avoided the use of the terms “Fraud or Scam”.

I was directed to go through a return process. Even the return process didn’t have the option of reporting the case as fraud/scam. Nevertheless, I followed the instructions and closed the loop.

When I received the package in another couple of days as a result of undertaking the return process, I made the delivery person open it in front of me. It was the right product this time. I gave him the old ragged bag which I had received to accept the new package. He examined the old bag and refused to hand me the package.

“I have a different replacement in my record,” he said.

“This is what I have received so I this what I will return back. It is not a simple case of wrong product, it is a case of scam,” I argued.

“If that is the case you should have video recorded yourself when you were opening the package,” he asserted.

“Who video records oneself while opening the package in anticipation of a scam?” I retorted.

He was dumb silent for a few seconds and said, “Sir I can’t accept this old bag.”

“Then what is the solution?” I asked.

“You will have to speak to my superiors,” he said.

“What about the package?” I pleadingly asked.

“I’m going to take it back,” he said.

“Why don’t you put me through to your superior and I’ll explain the case to him or her,” I tried to reason.

“I’m afraid to do so you will have to go through the process online,” he said and left.

I was burning with rage from inside, but also understood that arguing with him is a waste of time.

I undertook the ordeal to speak to a human once again. Stonewalling by A.I. continued. So I took to social media and lambasted the e-commerce company. I was prepared to take the fight to the very top and drag the issue to the consumer court. This finally prompted a response in the right direction. I was shared with a link, which facilitated the course of speaking to a living and breathing person.

“How may I help you?” The customer care person asked.

I regurgitated my frustration, "I have been scammed. I ordered a laptop bag (Order#). When I opened the package I realised there was an old ragged laptop bag inside the package instead of what I ordered. I raised a complaint. I was advised to go through the return process. The return process doesn't have fraud/scam redressal system. Still I comprehensible documented my grievance. Yet when I received the return package (Order#), the delivery person demanded that I should return the defected bag by the same company which prompted me to return it. I argued that it's a case of fraud/scam, but he said he was not authorised to address my issue. It is important that I should give him some kind of proof that it is a fraud/scam like a recorded video while opening the package, which I did not have. In conclusion, I haven't received what I ordered and paid for in advance. Over and above that I have been subject to intense mental harassment. I must have shared this story a number of times yet I don't have a resolution. I'm afraid I will be forced to escalate the matter on social media and with the consumer court. And I'm going to tag everybody who matters. It's not a question of Rs. 4000 anymore, it's about ethics."

“Calm down sir. I have transferred your case to an apex committee. You will receive a call from them in the next 6-12 hours,” he said.

“So am I going to receive my bag,” I exasperatedly asked.

“Yes sir you will,” he assured me.

I never received any call from an apex or non-apex committee. Over and above that I received an email that my order has been cancelled. I immediately went to the website to check the status. It said the order is cancelled because the customer (That is me) refused to accept the product, which is not true.

I’m shocked that such a prestigious e-commerce company doesn’t have a fraud/scam redressal process. None of the AI generated responses I received from them clearly acknowledged and addressed the issue for what it was. They kept skirting around in an uptight corporate fashion.

It was a draining experience and I wanted a closure. So I decided to make peace with it.

I believe in technology. It is just a matter of time when technology will define every aspect of our lives. However, when I was constantly encountering A.I. with its standard responses, I have never felt more helpless. A.I. is already capable of imitating humans remarkably well, but in the end of the day it is just an imitation. It does not match the emotional dynamics of a sentient being. Therefore, a system driven solely by A.I. is a scary possibility, however smart it becomes.

I have been promised a refund, but I’m still disappointed because we haven’t addressed the elephant in the room.?