In 2017, the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Vietnam Competition Authority received a large number of complaint letters related to the quality of goods and services of Lazada, while DeAura has made its name by swindling thousands of customers into debt.
According to the Vietnam Competition Authority (VCA)’s annual report released on its website, the authority processed about 1,000 requirements and feedbacks from customers in 2017 received via its hotline, email, its website, and post. Some of the businesses hit by the most complaints are Recess Co., Ltd. (lazada.vn), Cat Hung Thinh Trading Co., Ltd., and DeAura Vietnam Co., Ltd.
Accordingly, VCA has received a large number of complaint letters on the quality of products and services at lazada.vn, as well as delays in delivery, goods being different from the advertisements, delivering used/old items or the wrong articles, repudiating liability, cancelling orders, fake promotions and wrong prices, selling goods not in inventory, and abandoning customers. By the number of complaints, lazada.vn has made customers very angry this year.
VCA has been working with Recess and asked the company to resolve complaints and explain its business process. The firm has resolved the complaints satisfactorily since then. However, VCA will also inspect and supervise lazada.vn in the time coming.
A week ago, a lazada.vn customer claimed that it delivered a laptop with a damaged battery and keyboard, and then delayed a refund or exchange for over a month, although the website promises to “Return or exchange items easily within 14 days, even if you simply do not like the product.”
Only after vir.com.vn reported this incident was this customer allowed to return the damaged laptop and got his money back.
In addition to Recess, numerous customers complained about purchasing jewellery worth more than VND1 million ($44) after watching an advertisement of Cat Hung Thinh on television. The item was very bad, stained, and crude.
After feedbacks from customers, the company has taken back the jewellery for warranty, but the new goods were even worse than the ones before. Customers contacted Cat Hung Thinh but the calls were not received.
Numerous customers also complained about free promotional skin care services at DeAura spas in Hanoi, where they were solicited into buying a set of cosmetics worth VND43 million ($1,900) payable in instalments via Vietnam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank (VP Bank) or FE Credit. They have faced many troubles with the quality of these cosmetics and the unclear credit terms.
By: Nguyen Huong (VIR)
