Flipkart, Amazon Ordered To Issue Refunds Within 14 Days – New Ecommerce Guidelines By Govt.

Ministry of Consumer Affairs has issued draft guidelines for the new ecommerce sector in India, and there are some pretty interesting suggestions which can soon become the rule for Amazon, Flipkart and every other major ecommerce company in India.

One of the biggest and most crucial rules can be: Ecommerce firms will be required to issue refunds for returned products, within 14 days.

And this, can be pretty beneficial for the customers.

New Ecommerce Guidelines: Refunds, Customer Data & More

The new ecommerce guidelines suggested by the Govt. focuses extensively on consumer rights, and being fair to the customers.

The matter of refunds, hence, has hold prominence.

If the guidelines are accepted, then every ecommerce firm in India will be mandated to issue the refund money within 14 days of the return. 

Often the refunds are credited back after waiting for weeks, and this poses problems for the customers. Ministry of Consumer Affairs has understood the problem and drafted the new rule accordingly.

Another big change which has been suggested is that, ecommerce companies should fall under the preview of Information Technology (Intermediaries guidelines) Rules, 2011.

And this can change everything.

Ecommerce Will Be Part of IT Rules, 2011

As per the new guidelines issued, ecommerce will be soon part of the Information Technology (Intermediaries guidelines) Rules, 2011, and this has been done to safeguard customer’s privacy.

As per Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008, all IT companies are required to protect the name and contact details of the customers, and soon, this will be mandated for the ecommerce firms as well.

Besides, the ecommerce portals need to showcase and highlight the name, address and contact details of every supplier and vendor, if they are a marketplace.

The draft stated, “E-comm firms have to provide details about the sellers supplying the goods and services, including how they can be contacted by customers shall be displayed on the website,”

In case there is any criminal report against the founders/promoters of the ecommerce company, then it will be punishable by 5 years of prison. 

Fake reviews, incorrect advertisements, and the monopoly of a market have also been prohibited for ecommerce firms.

You can find the complete draft of the ecommerce guidelines for ecommerce firms here.