Online shopping gone wrong? Refunds, returns and complaints

A phone arrives with a cracked screen. A kurta looks nothing like the photo. A refund has been "processing" for five weeks. Online shopping is easy until something goes wrong, and then it feels like arguing with a machine. This guide tells you what the law requires of the platform and the seller, and the exact steps to get your money back.

Who protects you when you buy online

You are a consumer whether you buy at a shop or on an app. The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 expressly covers buying online and through teleshopping. It protects you against defective goods, deficient service, unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements. If a defective product injures you or damages your property, you can also claim compensation from the manufacturer, seller or platform under the Act's product liability chapter.

Two sets of rules made under the Act apply specially to online shopping: the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 and the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, issued by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA).

What the platform and seller must do

The E-Commerce Rules apply to marketplaces (apps that host many sellers) and inventory platforms (which sell their own stock). In plain terms:

• Show who the seller is. The seller's business name, address and customer-care number must be displayed. After you buy, the platform must give you the seller's contact details on written request.
• Show the full price and terms. The total price with a breakup of all charges, the country of origin, and the return, refund, exchange, warranty and delivery terms, including who pays for return shipping.
• Name a grievance officer. The officer's name, designation and contact must be on the site. Every complaint gets a ticket number. The officer must acknowledge your complaint within 48 hours and redress it within one month Rule 4(5).
• No one-sided cancellation charges. You cannot be charged for cancelling a confirmed order unless the platform bears similar charges when it cancels on its own.
• Refund within a reasonable time once a refund is accepted, as RBI and other rules require.
• No refusal to take back bad goods. A seller cannot refuse a return or refund if goods are defective, deficient, spurious (fake), not as advertised, or delivered late beyond the stated date, except for genuine force majeure (events beyond anyone's control) Rule 6(3). Inventory platforms have the same duty.
• No fake reviews posted as if by customers, and no misleading descriptions.

The Act itself also treats refusing to take back defective goods, or to refund within the period stated on the bill (or within 30 days if none is stated), as an unfair trade practice Sec 2(47) CPA.

Dark patterns: tricks you can report

Dark patterns are design tricks that push you into choices you did not intend. The 2023 Guidelines list thirteen, including:

• False urgency: "Only 1 left!" or a fake countdown timer.
• Basket sneaking: an insurance, donation or "protection plan" added to your cart without asking.
• Drip pricing: platform, convenience or handling fees revealed only at the final step.
• Subscription traps: easy to join, very hard to cancel.
• Confirm-shaming: "No thanks, I don't care about my family's safety."

Using a dark pattern is an unfair trade practice. Report it on 1915 with screenshots; the CCPA can act against the platform.

Step by step: getting your money back

1. Record everything. Screenshot the product page, price and return policy before you pay. Record a short unboxing video. Keep the order ID and invoice.
2. Raise a return or refund in the app within the return window. Note the ticket number. If chat support closes it without solving it, do not start again from scratch.
3. Write to the grievance officer. Email the officer named on the site: order ID, what went wrong, what you want (refund, replacement), and that the Rules require acknowledgement in 48 hours and redress in one month. Write to the seller's grievance officer too; sellers must have one.
4. Complain to the National Consumer Helpline. Call 1915, use the NCH app or WhatsApp, or file on consumerhelpline.gov.in. NCH forwards it to the company; many large platforms are "convergence partners" and respond quickly. It costs nothing.
5. Ask your bank about a chargeback if you paid by card and nothing arrived. Banks set short time limits, so act within weeks.
6. File a consumer complaint if you still have no refund. File online on e-Jagriti, the Consumer Commissions' portal (it replaced e-Daakhil), or on paper at your District Commission. You can file where you live. Name both the seller on the invoice and the platform.

Which Commission: the District Commission hears cases where the price paid is up to ₹50 lakh, the State Commission above ₹50 lakh up to ₹2 crore, and the National Commission above that. There is no fee up to ₹5 lakh, and you do not need a lawyer.