Friday, 09 Jul 2021

PETALING JAYA: As more Malaysians rely on e-commerce websites to purchase items during the movement control order, the number of complaints on such purchases has also risen.

When the MCO was first imposed in March last year, many complaints on related products like face masks and sanitisers were lodged, according to National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC) senior manager Baskaran Sithamparam.

“Many consumers relied on purchasing their daily needs from e-commerce sites.

“Rogue sellers (scammers) took advantage of the situation and started offering their products on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others.

“Many buyers were scammed and until today, we still receive complaints from consumers scammed by these sellers on social media,” he said when contacted yesterday.

The NCCC comes under the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca).

Baskaran said for legitimate e-commerce platforms, the type of complaints received mostly touched on their refund and return policy which were said to be tedious and time-consuming.

“Besides that, the vendors were also defended by the (online) selling platforms when consumers receive substandard products.

“There were also complaints on misleading information, defective products and products that were not as advertised,” he added.

However, he noted that recently, some issues regarding refunds and return policies from legitimate e-commerce platforms have improved slightly.

“Some consumers also face issues pertaining to e-wallet withdrawals,” he said, adding that consumers should be allowed to withdraw their own cash within a short time period.

On sellers on social media platforms, Baskaran said many scammers posed as sellers.

“Most consumers were scammed of electric and electronic goods such as power banks, mobile phones, tablets and pre-owned laptops.

“Many were also sold fake branded goods from shoes to handbags and clothes,” he said.

Baskaran advised consumers to buy from legitimate online shopping platforms as there are proper channels to seek redress.

He also advised Malaysians to check the account numbers of the sellers against https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my/ to see if the seller’s account has been blacklisted.

Baskaran said for purchases made on social media, consumers should highlight their complaints to the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

They can also file a complaint to KPDNHEP at https://eaduan.kpdnhep.gov.my/kepenggunaan or file a claim for a refund/replacement with the Consumer Claims Tribunal Malaysia.

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/07/09/rogue-sellers-prey-on-peoples-reliance-on-e-shopping