After Lenovo, Chinese handset maker Gionee has cautioned its customers against purchasing devices from e-commerce platforms and online shopping sites.
The smartphone maker also said these online firms are not
their authorised resellers.
"One, these e-commerce sites are discounting prices
below what other retail stores would sell at. After that, if the customer faces
any issues post purchase, they turn them away saying it's a brand issue. This
is hurting our brand," Gionee India head Arvind R Vohra told PTI.
"While there is nothing wrong with selling phones at
competitive rates, consumers not getting good after-sales service", he
added.
When contacted, a Flipkart spokesperson said: "As
India's leading e-commerce marketplace, we pride ourselves in offering our
customers one of the largest selection of high quality and genuine products and
brands along with a world-class customer service".
"We stand behind the quality and warranty associated
with every product we list on our site. We can assure our customers that
products on Flipkart are genuine, and our customers will continue to enjoy the
warranty and services extended to all original products as always."
In February, another Chinese player Lenovo had issued a
similar advisory to its customers alleging the online portals were selling
products at "very low predatory prices". It carried a list of all
authorised stores and genuine partners on its website as part of its efforts to
inform buyers.
A Snapdeal spokesperson said: "Only authorised sellers
list their products on our platform. These authorised sellers, already selling
offline, are the ones listed on our site and are selling Gionee products online
through our platform."
"Customers can rest assured that all products,
including Gionee products which are available on Snapdeal are genuine and
eligible for warranty", she added. "Further, being an online
marketplace, pricing decision solely lies with the seller listing the
product", the spokesperson said.
Gionee, which last month claims to have sold 2.13 lakh
handsets, said it has "zero-visibility" on sales through e-commerce
sites, Vohra said. "Their (e-commerce firms) way of doing business is
hurting my business and has ramifications on the brand," he added.
Vohra clarified that Gionee does not have any direct
arrangement with any e-commerce portal in India as of now and sells only
through its e-store and registered distributors. Its products are available
across over 20,000 retail touch points.
"I would request customers to check all warranty and
service related details carefully when they buy from e-commerce websites."
In a bid to woo customers, e-commerce companies offer heavy
discounts on products, which are often below prices offered in the offline
market.
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