FirstCry.com is a well-known online portal for shopping of baby products, the portal claims to be "Asia's Largest Online Shopping Store for kids & baby products" but their practices are something one would expect from a cheap, second-class eCommerce website. The internet is filled with complaints and horror-stories of doing business with them and after discovering the "cheap coupon tactic" used by them I am pretty much sure their policies and intentions are not honest, do keep reading below their trick is exciting.
While every other eCommerce portals in India is offering discounts, free-shipping, cash-on-delivery and free return pickup to lure maximum customers aiming to create a long-term relationship, FirstCry has taken a completely different approach where they do false advertising marketing coupon-codes offering discounts but adds or increases shipping-charges magically as soon as one applies them (discount-codes) as shown below. I am not sure what to call this malpractice, but this "coupon fraud" wastes users time where they are surprised by shipping-charges at the last moment of checkout as soon as they use the discount-code which was used to lure them into shopping. As shown in the example below the shipping charges for same cart magically increases as soon as a discount coupon-code is applied.
In the second example below, the consumer is first lured into buying more (minimum value) to get FREE shipping but is slapped shipping-charges when a coupon-code is used.
Another such example of "pseudo-marketing" is used by ShopClues.Com, while the eBay style market-place is not only filled by super-cheap quality products but counterfeit copies of reputed brands like Sony are also illegally sold without fear (For example the linked Sony XBA-4SL sold here for roughly $6 while the original costs $262.00 at Amazon). They are also luring customers with cheap advertised price but with shipping-charges 5x the item cost
We would love to hear your comments on this practice, pls. share them below.
Comments
china scam sites
Dealt with few online store that has similar and very familiar scam as above. Once ago I decide to buy modification part for some consumer electronics, first time shopping online I found a shop where you can buy in bulk this parts with discount promised after a certain amount just pay pennies and "offer" free shipping if qualified. I ended up paying over head for knockoff parts that were poorly constructed with cheap components and a 3 to 4 months wait for my "low price" shipping since I did not qualify since I live in the US state. Years later found an online store from the UK where parts where cheap, I didn't fully question it didn't think to but turns out both store were from a Chinese wholesale and come to find out they are selling stuff on eBay and amazon. The thing is China is best known for counterfeit product. From what a friend has told me living aboard for 4 years in china they prefer there knock off, even though they make Sony products and Apple product they take schematics and reproduce it. For them it is a good trend. The bad news is how easily they can scam people online. The overhead for shipping happened to me once but I see countless online store from china wholesale luring people in with cheap price product. They of course leave out shipping cost and though they do offer you coupon it again goes back to shipping, it always seems like the discount goes to the product and comes out from the shipping. I always say when shopping online on eBay or just at an online store "If it to good to be true then it is" that being typed down if the product you want cost so much ($$$) and you find it online for a lot less ($) then you are expecting way to much and are subject to getting ripped off simple as that.
Fraud Network
On Tue, Jun 2, 2015 at 10:03 AM, John Vick wrote:
Are you guys going to deliver my product or not???
On Mon, Jun 1, 2015 at 11:40 AM, John Vick wrote:
Hi,
You told me to wait 24-48 hours and now and still the same situation is here. Could you please tell me at what date my product is gonna deliver. I have a function on 3rd of this month.
When I tracked my order, it says the order is "Handover to Courier" on 26-5-2015 11:38 PM. Now it has been 6 days I am seeing the same tracking information. My order is is 2237265OKN207E989. The funny thing is that one of my products from the order is delivered the next day.
Whenever I ask you for help, I am getting messages like wait 24-48 hours. And after this time frame is over, again you tell me to wait the same. How long will it take to deliver this small package? 1 month..2 months.
Hey guys, is this your marketing strategy to deliver parts of the order and keeping the costly items to take away our money. You should see this as well:
http://www.mouthshut.com/product-reviews/Firstcry-com-reviews-925615315
http://www.complaintboard.in/complaints-reviews/firstcry-com-l163215.html
http://www.babypregnancycare.com/why-i-will-never-buy-from-first-cry-comfirstcry-com-review/
This is what I get from the first search page of Google when I searched about firstcry.com. I am very concerned about your bad services and unethical responses. Also we are planning to create a social media circle against these online fraud networks so that no other people will get into this fraud panels.
I will wait for one more day, and then will see what all things can normal peoples do to stop getting looted.
On Sat, May 30, 2015 at 4:38 PM, Vaibhav Salunke/CC/HQC/EXE/ vaibhav.salunke@xpressbees.com wrote:
Dear Mr Ramiz,
Greetings from Xpressbees!!! Thank you for taking time to communicate and sharing your queries with us. We have every desire to address your needs and provide the best solution available. We ask you for 24-48 hours in order to sort out this issue and get delivered the shipment at your provided address.As if now your shipment is in transit.I will be in touch with you and provide each and every details regarding delivery of your shipment. Please accept our sincere apology for all trouble or inconvenience unduly caused to you. Thanking and assuring you our Best Services at all times. In case you have any queries, please feel free to call Xpressbees:0206-680-6900 or you may write us at customercare@xpressbees.com for any further assistance related to delivery.
Thanks & Regards,
Vaibhav Salunke
Xpressbees Logistics
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Delivery Delay
> Date: Fri, 29 May 2015 02:05:18 -0700 (PDT)
> From: customercare@firstcry.com
> To: customercare@xpressbees.com
>
>
> Hi Team,
>
> Please check the customer has not received the delivery yet.
>
>
> Thanks
> Abrar
>
>
> Hi,
>
> This is the first time I am using firstcry.com and you had made a bad impression by making the delivery delayed. It was estimated to be delivered yesterday and is still pending. How disgusting is this to make such inappropriate moves on customers.
>
> My order number is
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> Order Number:2237265OKN207E989
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> I was about to recommend this site to all my friends and colleagues. Now I think babyoye and mommy&me is far better than your portal.
> Is this the way to treat customers. I didn't expect such large networks are gonna treat customers like this. Feeling very irritated for selecting this fraud network. I am sure I wont repeat this again.
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