54 per cent of online shoppers denied warranty at least once: survey

New Delhi: Next time while purchasing a product online, make sure you enquire about its warranty and service eligibility. According to a survey by MySmartPrice, a price comparison platform, among the people who claimed warranty on products bought online, a whopping 54 per cent of them said that were denied warranty at least once.

As per the study, 55 per cent of the respondents said warranty claim process took more than a month to complete whereas 45 per cent of the respondents stated that the process of claiming warranty for a product online is usually completed within a week or two. MySmartPrice said that denying warranty and delay is due to the "conflict between service centres and respective brands, or because of lack of service centres in the complainant's location."

Commenting on the survey findings, MySmartPrice Co-Founder Sitakanta Ray said: "While it is heartening to see several brands take an online only approach, it is also disappointing to see some brands turning away customers who bought their product online for service." He further said: "To the few who do find the product defective, it is also important that both stores and brands work together to solve their issues."

The study draws insights from over 20,000 consumers who shopped through the MySmartPrice platform. It gauged shoppers concerns related to denial of warranty; need to claim warranty, and duration taken to claim the warranty. Some of the reasons for denying warranty included lack of a bill from retailer or a stamp of the retailer on the warranty book.