On the Walmart website, third parties can sell products, in order to expand the size of the stock and to offer more options to customers. But buyers have started complaining that their money was appropriated, and they were denied the right to a refund. On social media like Facebook or Twitter, angry shoppers complained that they didn’t know that these third-party sellers may have different policies than Walmart, regarding the refund and return of products.
A Twitter user, identified as Guyleigh Johnson, told that she placed an order in early December, and that she can’t regret it anymore. “There’s no update in terms of where this item is, I’ve called and they keep trying to contact me with the seller. I just want my money back at this point. Sad to say, it was a gift,” she twitted.
Complaints About Walmart Return Policies Multiply
“With a big million-dollar corporation like Walmart, it doesn’t make any sense to have these third party sellers, and then to have this hard of a time with a return!,” Johnson added. Another social media user added that “ordering from Walmart is risky now because of third-party sellers,” and highly recommended no to buy an item that is not sold directly by Walmart.
A furious Reddit user described the third-party return policy as “scam territory,” and other added that it is like a minefield. Serena Mosley-Day, an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission told NBC5 that third-party sellers often “mimic or mirror” the main site policies, but sometimes have their own, and costumers can’t easily tell the difference.
Walmart.com has a page dedicated to marketplace sales, saying customers should contact the seller directly. That’s what driving shoppers crazy and angry, because these sellers may want to evade to fulfill the return policies as Walmart does. She explained that Walmart’s website has “minimum return policies” that third-party sellers must adhere, but they are actually lax, compared to the retailer’s own policies.
What to Check When Ordering From Walmart
When ordering via Walmart’s website, check if the product you are purchasing is sold directly by Walmart or by another company just using with tool. “Please Target, don’t be a marketplace with third party sellers too. I stopped shopping Walmart online and exclusive shop target online to avoid third parties and their counterfeit products,” an angry costumer stated on Twitter.
And the problems are not a few, but a lot: “Never ordering from #Walmart online delivery again… Waited 4 hours Driver, never showed up, when I messaged him he claimed to be Pizza Hut. #walmart refused to accept responsibility and said it was a third party problem,” said another angry guy.