Customer Orders iPhone 12 Worth Rs 53,000, Gets Soap Bars Instead

Simranpal Singh, the customer, has also shared a video of the same on YouTube.

A customer received bars of soap instead of iPhone 12.

(Photo Courtesy: YouTube screengrab)

Online shopping can be tricky, however, one particular customer experienced this quite literally when he ordered an iPhone 12 from Flipkart worth Rs 53,000, and ended up getting only a Rs 5 bar of soap instead.

The e-commerce giant had its Big Billion Days sale going on, and so, Simranpal Singh, a customer, placed the order thinking it was a great deal. But when the package arrived, he was shocked to find two bars of Nirma soap in it instead of his phone. A recording of the same has been uploaded on YouTube.

It took him several attempts to get customer service to admit their mistake, but they finally initiated a refund and gave Simranpal his money back. At first, they denied that the product had been delivered since it showed 'Out for delivery' in their system. "However, the behaviour of the logistics team troubled me more, as they called me again to get the OTP or Mobile Number after 'failed' delivery. It raised alarm and suspicion, which further led to 2-3 hours full of stress," he wrote in the video's description.

It was only after repeated persuasion that Simranpal could make them understand the situation.

Soon after the incident came to light, the videos of the soap bars have gone viral on social media. Flipkart has also issued a statement regarding the same. It reads:

"Flipkart observes a zero tolerance policy on incidents that impact customer trust. Our priority is to ensure the best online shopping experience for every customer. When the incident was brought to our attention by the customer at the time of the open box delivery, our Support Team reached out immediately to verify the details and a full refund was initiated. Our team has been in touch with the customer since day 1 of the incident and we are currently investigating the matter internally."

Explaining the Open Box Delivery process, the spokesperson further said, "As part of the Open Box Delivery process, the Flipkart wishmaster (delivery partner) opens the product at the time of delivery, in front of the customer. Customers need to accept the delivery only when their orders are present in an intact state. This prevents any financial liability on part of the customer. This is an extension of the various initiatives that we have undertaken to improve the overall customer experience and build a superior supply chain."

(With inputs from Gizmochina).