Here’s how Jumia duped client with fake Nokia Phone,'returns policy' questioned

By Our Reporter

On 28th January, a Jumia client placed an online order for a Nokia C10 under order number: 301827785 ,and the total value of the product including shipping costs at their Bweyogerere pick station was Ugx257,600, and the payment mode was cash on delivery.

Nokia Phone Jumia Uganda advertised but later delivered a fake one to a client in Bweyogerere Wakiso district

Speaking to Red Pepper; the disappointed client (identity hidden) said he picked the package on 31st January, but to his dismay, the phone was fake and unauthentic as opposed to the online details of the phone.

He explained that the deal breaker with the phone was the poor 3G-enabled network. It should be remembered that most smart phones nowadays run on 4G networks, and plans are underway to roll out 5G in the near future, and developed countries already have 5G networks in place.

With the roll-out of the 4G network in the country, any mobile device that is 3G-network enabled is rendered useless as the network speed cannot go beyond 800 bytes per second making internet connectivity very hard.

The unhappy client would on the 4th of February 2023 request for a refund as per Jumia’s return policy which states that a package excluding apparel can be returned within 7 days of pick up if it did not meet the customer’s expectation or had a fault.

Jumia’s return policy

It states that; “You can initiate a return within 7 days from your delivery date and 15 days for official store products if you receive a wrong, damaged, defective or counterfeit item. Otherwise the package will be null and void, it won’t be accepted for return.When returning an item, ensure all seals, tags and accessories are left intact and the item is in its original packaging. We recommend that you keep the original carton and packaging material for a smooth and easy return. If you have created a password on the device you wish to return, please ensure it is removed, otherwise, your return will be invalid.”

The following items are not eligible for return, hygiene and security reasons: swimwear, underwear, lingerie, earrings, cosmetics, fragrances, groceries, food supplements, software, tickets, and adult products.

To the dismay of the client when he made his request, it was rejected on grounds that the issue reported doesn’t exist, and the money cannot be refunded.

The package was brought back to the Bweyogerere pick station, and the client was told that he can pick it up within 30 days adding that: “In case, you do not agree with our assessment of your return request, please accept the rejected item and contact us. If you do not accept the item(s) back, we will be forced to keep them without refunding you.

The client was left crestfallen and forced to pick up the package on Monday 13th February at his loss, since on open market value, the phone cannot be sold and money recovered because of the 3G-network system.

There are many similar tales of customers filing for return, and they are rejected, forced to pick-up their package at their loss.

The client also told us that when he went to pick up his rejected return, there was another customer complaining about the service of the online shopping company.

“I ordered for a product, and they delivered a totally different one, and now they are telling me to add more money to get the one I had originally ordered for. How they treat their customers like this, why are you making a fool out of me,” the client cursed as he left the pick-up station on Monday.

One only wonders how many such complaints are registered, and how many are resolved to the customer’s satisfaction or the review reason is always in favour of the seller (Jumia)?