Lazada Philippines' Product Return and Replacement Process Needs Improvement

Yesterday - October 30, 2017, I personally experienced what some of my friends and readers describe as the primary weakness of Lazada Philippines' after-sales support system.

But before I talk about that, let me say that like thousands of Filipinos, I am also a Lazada supporter and buyer. I personally believe in the company's business model and I think that online shopping is the way to go in the future.

In fact, just last week, I bought ten items for photography and video recording from the website.

Lazada's smooth and convenient smooth purchase process, wide payment options, and fast delivery service are truly laudable -- but their system - I would say - has one glaring flaw that needs to be addressed for the benefit of Pinoy consumers.

Here's what happened.

A few hours ago, after checking the parts of one of the microphones that I purchased through Lazada, I noticed that one of the prongs at the bottom is broken.

I got a defective product.

There was no way for me to check this upon delivery since the heavily-wrapped package was delivered to my residence early in the morning and I was still asleep.

Anyway, I immediately opened the website and went to the customer support section to request for a replacement. Lazada has a chat support team, which is good.

I felt relieved that the other party was very responsive to my inquiries -- even if his answers were all canned or generic.

This is a small part of our lengthy conversation:

As you may have guessed, the last line is what totally irked me.

"Upon checking your item, it's not qualified for picking up since it's less than 20 kilos. Alternatively, you may return it to the nearest LBC branch to your location."

Now, come on!

Isn't it enough that I got a bad, unusable product and now, you want me to spend more money, burn previous time, and go out of my way just to have it replaced -- just because it weighs less than 20 kilos?

Is that fair? For me, it's clearly not. In fact, it's a double whammy.

And this follow-up email from Lazada merely adds insult to injury.

One of the reasons why I'm still blogging after all these years is that I want to keep using this platform to amplify the voice of Filipino consumers so that their concerns can be better addressed.

I recognize that this "Lazada Situation" is one instance where I can use my clout to start a conversation that will help change the system for the better.

If Mr. Inanc Balci - Lazada Philippines' CEO - is sincere in his message, then I hope that he would listen to my suggestion:

I suggest that Lazada Philippines should show the same enthusiasm in picking up products for return or replacement as they do when delivering the items. It has to be door-to-door and for free -- regardless of the size and value of the item.

Filipino consumers who purchase items from the Lazada online store in good faith - even without seeing the products in the flesh and meticulously checking their condition - deserve this high-level of customer service.

We Filipinos work very hard for every peso we earn -- and if only for that, I believe that we all deserve the best treatment from any business we choose to support.