Amazon has updated its returns policy to exclude items like tablets, laptops, PCs, cameras, accessories and a few other items from refunds. If a user receives one of the aforementioned products in a damaged or defective state, the user will only be eligible for a free replacement rather than a full refund. These limitations only apply to Amazon fulfilled products and other sellers are free to deal with the situation as they see fit.
Amazon’s returns page says the following now, “Mobile phones, Tablets, Laptops, Desktops, Monitors, Cameras and Camera lenses that are fulfilled by Amazon are not eligible for refund and have a replacement only policy. In case you have received a defective or a damaged mobile phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, monitor, camera or camera lens that is fulfilled by Amazon, you will be eligible for a free replacement by the seller as per the product replacement policies provided on Amazon.in.” Any issues with these products will need to be brought up within 10 days of delivery to be eligible for a replacement product.
It was only recently that Amazon updated its returns policy to say that damaged and/or defective mobile phones would only be replaced rather than refunded.
No official reason has been given for putting the policy in place, but unnamed sources inside Amazon tell us that the policy is there to protect sellers from shoppers who are taking advantage of Amazon’s no-questions asked returns policy. Also, Amazon isn’t the only one with a policy of this type as Flipkart has also implemented a similar returns policy for some time now.