applehater
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I would like to share a recent experience about an unfair return policy practised by a local online shopping company, SINGSALE, that will potentially leave the customer paying for nothing.
Buying clothes from online stores comes in various size options and such sizes may differ across different brands and do not necessarily fit you properly. Poor fitting can also arise from the cutting and the different standard of measurement used by the various manufacturers. The only fool proof method to determine if the clothes fits you is to physically try the garment on. However this is not possible with online shopping and online stores clothing tries to assure you of the risk by offering a return policy.
The SINGSALE website states that they will accept returns without much hassle and will offer a refund minus shipping costs which I thought was fair. However, when I tried to return an item I bought, the refund was in the form of cash vouchers with a caveat, in very fine print, that these vouchers are only valid for 6 months. Consequently, if the buyer does not redeem the vouchers within the stipulated period, the vouchers end up being forfeited.
Most major local and international online retailers offer full cash refunds or refunds in the same method as the original payment for returned items. The vouchers offered by SINGSALE forces you to purchase items from their online store and what happens if the customer is unable to find any suitable items to purchase within the stipulated period?
I found myself in this very situation whereby $301 was forfeited because I did not manage to buy any suitable items using the vouchers within the stipulated period. When I tried to contact them to extend the validity period of the vouchers, the customer service merely sent out standard template replies and did not address my concerns. Despite several attempts to contact SINGSALE to resolve this, they did not reply to me.
Refunding in cash vouchers minus shipping for returned items is already advantageous to the seller, but to impose a 6-month validity with the risk of forfeiting your money thereafter is unfair sales practice. In short, you are basically forced to use “cash” you have already spent within the stipulated period or risk paying the seller for nothing.
I am prepared to lose the money for this invaluable lesson learnt and will never shop at SINGSALE again. However, I would like warn all of such unfair return policies practised by some of the online shopping stores such as SINGSALE.
Buying clothes from online stores comes in various size options and such sizes may differ across different brands and do not necessarily fit you properly. Poor fitting can also arise from the cutting and the different standard of measurement used by the various manufacturers. The only fool proof method to determine if the clothes fits you is to physically try the garment on. However this is not possible with online shopping and online stores clothing tries to assure you of the risk by offering a return policy.
The SINGSALE website states that they will accept returns without much hassle and will offer a refund minus shipping costs which I thought was fair. However, when I tried to return an item I bought, the refund was in the form of cash vouchers with a caveat, in very fine print, that these vouchers are only valid for 6 months. Consequently, if the buyer does not redeem the vouchers within the stipulated period, the vouchers end up being forfeited.
Most major local and international online retailers offer full cash refunds or refunds in the same method as the original payment for returned items. The vouchers offered by SINGSALE forces you to purchase items from their online store and what happens if the customer is unable to find any suitable items to purchase within the stipulated period?
I found myself in this very situation whereby $301 was forfeited because I did not manage to buy any suitable items using the vouchers within the stipulated period. When I tried to contact them to extend the validity period of the vouchers, the customer service merely sent out standard template replies and did not address my concerns. Despite several attempts to contact SINGSALE to resolve this, they did not reply to me.
Refunding in cash vouchers minus shipping for returned items is already advantageous to the seller, but to impose a 6-month validity with the risk of forfeiting your money thereafter is unfair sales practice. In short, you are basically forced to use “cash” you have already spent within the stipulated period or risk paying the seller for nothing.
I am prepared to lose the money for this invaluable lesson learnt and will never shop at SINGSALE again. However, I would like warn all of such unfair return policies practised by some of the online shopping stores such as SINGSALE.
