Internet Shopping !! My Experience ..

Submitted by aash_89 on Fri, 07/04/2008 - 13:43.

My First Internet Shopping Lesson!!

Internet Shopping!! Fascinating.. isnt it?Ofcourse it is, you have a

Wide range of products to choose From !
Which is also backed up by the ability to search reviews of the product on the net
A wide range of prices!
And one of the most important advantages being, buying products from all over the world,

when there is such a huge store to buy from, the choices you get to choose from are vast!

These Features make Internet shopping efficient, convenient and economical way to shop!

Yes, this is why i became a part of a huge category of people who shop online. My first few purchases went smoothly, i was very satisfied and enjoyed the experience of just sitting at home and getting what i want at a cheaper price compared to hunting for shops that offer good discounts on the same product.My first online purchase, a sony cybershot, was very hesitant to buy, as sellers expect the Payment to be made First, Then comes delivery.! I made up my mind and went through the transaction, it went perfectly and i was thoroughly delighted to have got it at a cheaper price than the market price!! My confidence in the system grew, If You GET Products At Low Prices, Its Obviously that you will tend to buy more! So my second purchase came shortly after my first one, this time it was a SE P910i, I had got an excellent deal on this one, considering my previous experience i did not hesitate to go thru with the transaction, it went perfectly, I received it a day after my pay! this made me comfortable with shopping on the Internet. Days went by, I was generally browsing through searching for good offers on mobile phones, there was this amazing offer i saw, the Nokia N73 me was being sold at 14000rs where as the market price was 23000rs, it was unbelievable, the seller had posted his telephone number on the site, I contacted him to check for the authenticity of the deal, he responded saying, its on the offer, pay half the price now, the rest on delivery, Could i have ask for more?!I was over excited to get the phone, I bought it immediately, paid half the price, by transferring to his bank account, he said the phone should be reaching you within four working days!! I could not wait to get my new phone, four days went by, i did not receive one, i called him with regard to it.There was a strike going on at that interval, he responded saying, cuz of the strike the delivery is delayed, and asked for an extension, Four more days for delivery, taking his word and not being in a position to give up the irresistible deal, i was like, sure, thats ok..! 'Four more days' went by, no phone at hand, I gave him another call, he responded saying, he is having a problem with the cash on delivery process, deposit the rest, and he will send it by normal courier process..!This is where i shud have realized that i am getting fooled, but no i didnt! the low priced deal had shut my mind from thinking anything related to dropping the deal, also my past experience with the site made me feel, only authentic sellers were posting products. So i paid the rest and now again went on the waiting tab. After 'four more days', NO product in hand, gave him another call, he said he is having problems with the commercial tax on the product as it had been imported, and assured me that, its normal, hes been in the business for a long time, and its just a matter of a small bribe, And i shud have the phone in about a weeks time, the week went by, no product, now when i tried to call him, the phone was not reachable, he sent a message saying he is on an international trip, and will give the phone when back, at this time, he had stopped receiving my calls and only sent messages... after a few days, when he said he was back, and the phone is on its way, i was relieved.! Hmm.. days went by, no phone, i filed a complaint with ebay( which was the site i was using to shop online) , there response, which i thought will be such that i will get my phone or the money, was nothing of that sort, they only contacted me with mails (NO way to contact the customer care via phone) and NO action was taken.. He was now an UNREGISTERED user on ebay! I was under the impression that i have been cheated! That i had lost the money for the phone, After repeated calls and messages, the seller apologized for all the inconvenience and got back my trust by explaining the cause for the delay and that, 'now its for you to decide if you want the phone or to get the refund'. The cheap deal made my mind go in his favour, I said.. okay i shall wait for another week, if not i want the refund. he was lik.. yeah sure. After a week, NO phone, i Contacted him repeatedly, no answer, finally after two days he responds, i was very annoyed by this time, and demanded for my refund, he said ok.. if you want to loose the cheap deal, he has no problem in refunding the money. I had made up my mind (realizing its a scam) and said, i dont care, i want my money back. Gave him my bank account number, he said the money has been sent, check your account in 4 days, if else you can contact me..!Four days went by, I had not received money nor my phone.. when i contacted him, he had TERMINATED his connection, he was unregistered on ebay, and there was no way i could get a hold of him! All this happened over a period of 2 months....! and there was no way of tracing him...! I received No help from ebay(India). And was left with this worst feeling of, having lost money, Trust in the system, and having fallen for a deal that was too good to be true!After A continued search for the seller on the net, I found out that he had posted an advertisement for a loan on some website!Such People find ways for cheating! It is important for us to Beware Of such people and use systems that are Fool proof!Well what i want to advice everyone is that,