Grahakjago (S.K.Virmani)©

Flipkart Internet Private Ltd. started its operation in India as e-commerce market place in October, 2007 and as per information available on its website has 80 million products across 80+ categories. It further states having 100 million registered users, 8 million shipments per month, 100 thousands sellers and 21 state-of-the-art warehouses. Despite such an infrastructure as claimed by the company, the consumer complaints specially during Corona Pandemic have been suggesting that the company has been adapting to unethical business practices. Some of the facts as revealed in the analysis are shocking indicating misappropriation of consumer's money and the question arises as whether it is a financial scam? One can find several complaints/feedback/ adverse comments about unethical business practices of M/s. Flipkart in social media like Twitter, Facebook etc. Initially three cases were picked up for study and one thing has been commonly observed in all the three cases is that Fli...

Unethical business practices by telecom service providers in life time validity plans subscribed by prepaid category of mobile subscribers        The telecom service providers had launched a scheme “life time validity” plans for mobile subscribers wherein the mobile users were being offered free incoming calls for which no recharge for its validity was required against one time charge. It was ranging from various amounts varying from company to company, the most prominent being Rs. 999/-. These plans were announced by telecom companies more than a decade back. The subscribers were required to recharge with talk time value recharge vouchers if the subscribers wish to use mobile for outgoing calls. While some companies like MTNL had a condition in the post paid category to use the connection for a minimum of Rs. 100/- in three months period and if the value of the consumption was less than Rs. 100/- in a quarter, the left over amount was being...

Why not we consider to dispense with web check-in facility till the time Airlines withdraw the fee for web check-in Indigo recently had come out with charging of fee from the passengers who use their web check in facility. This fee could be even as high as Rs. 600/- per passenger. It is understood Spice jet is following the suit and with such latest move of Indigo Airlines to charge fee for web check-in, the stage is being set by other Airlines to follow.  The web check in to a great extent is a relief onto the Airlines through which the Airlines can reduce their work load at the counters and in a good business sense, the cost reduction through such check-in should ideally be passed onto the passengers to encourage them to use web check-in facility. Instead of offering any discount to the passengers, the Indigo Airlines have imposed cost on the passengers if they check-in themselves. As such such fee being charged by the Airline become unethical business practices and ne...