A loyal customer for many years, Gringo Guerrero recently ordered several items from Lazada but was surprised when his smartphone was replaced with a rock! Whoa.
Ka Bino Guerrero, his brother, shared the unfortunate experience on social media to call out the online store and advise them to strictly screen employees and sellers so this won’t happen again in the future.
According to Bino, his brother had always been a loyal customer of the online store and that the latter’s first purchase from Lazada even predated his. But the brothers would soon discover that not because the purchase is from Lazada, everything would already be legit.
During Lazada’s Birthday Festival promo, Gringo purchased a flat-screen TV, digital level tool, and an Asus Zenphone on a cash-on-delivery (COD) basis.
As with most orders from Lazada, this one was packaged and sent separately. The smartphone arrived first. Gringo immediately went to the LBC outlet at their hometown in Bais City, Negros Oriental to pay for the item and claim it.
He was about to leave the LBC office when he realized that the package weighed more than what one might expect for a smartphone box; thus, he went back to the counter and told the staff his suspicions.
Then, in front of the staff, he opened the sealed box. Much to their surprise, the box contained a large rock instead of the smartphone he paid for!
The brothers filed a blotter at the police station, as suggested by the LBC staff.
According to Bino, they commend Lazada for refunding his brother’s payment. It seems that they remain loyal to the store despite the experience, knowing that this was most likely the handiwork of an unscrupulous affiliated seller instead of a directly employed Lazada staff.
Netizens argue, however, that it was impossible for the smartphone to be replaced with a rock when the order was processed because LBC is strict in accepting parcels and double checks whether the items you declare are actually the ones inside the package to be shipped – but perhaps bulk shipments like those from trusted stores such as Lazada are no longer subject to such intense scrutiny?
Gringo’s experience has certainly happened in the past to other customers who also went the social media route to share the situation. Let’s hope, though, that Lazada would take stricter steps to ensure this won’t happen again!
