Every now and again I get sick of shopping malls, especially here in the KOK, where it seems a new one pops up each month. I love chilling at a mall coffee shop, I must admit, but shopping weekend in, weekend out, does my nut in after a while.
Traipsing up and down escalators, navigating through the maze of skin clinics and spa shops, heavily discounted clothes shops that aren't really discounted (they just mark things up massively) and over zealous shop clerks who jump to attention and stand right in your face, as if to say,
“I'll only disappear when you buy something and, if you walk out now, you'll lose face because you can't afford to buy anything, can you”!
Jokes aside; I know they mean well, and for some reason bosses tell them that it's good customer service to hover over customers like a fly around poop, but me, I'm from the “If I need something, I'll ask”, school of thought. Though to be asked politely, once, is of course fine.
So, to escape the perils of malls, I had a thought; what about online shopping in Thailand?
I'd never done it before, but I'll try anything once, and who else to try first but Thailand's very own wannabe version of Amazon, Lazada!
So for all those like me, who'd prefer weekends were freed up for far more fun things than shopping, and for those who perhaps live a fair way from a major mall and would prefer to shop from the comfort of their couch, here's my experience shopping online with Lazada…
What the Hell is Lazada?
Lazada is a relatively new addition to the world of e-commerce and online shopping, and made its first appearance in 2012. Being primarily focussed on the SE Asian market, most outside of the region haven't heard of it.
Lazada, however, is growing at a rapid pace. Its well-planned business structure gained a fair amount of investor interest and today the company has the financial backing of global firms such as JP Morgan, Kinnevik, Summit Partners, Tengelmann, and more recently, Tesco PLC.
This privately owned business is currently operating in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam, and gaining in popularity as online shopping establishes itself as a contender to the high street.
What Do They Sell & is it Any Good?
The variety of products found on Lazada is massive, and comparable to Amazon in many ways. From jeans to headphones to aftershave, there's little you won't find here.
Appliances, fragrances, technology, home décor, fashion, baby products, travel, health and beauty are a handful of the staple categories found on the site, not to mention the subheadings that branch off these main categories.
Famous product brands include Microsoft, Apple, Philips, Maybelline, L’Oréal, Samsung, Converse, Levi’s, Rolex and tons more. I stopped counting at 30 of the top names scattered around the homepage. as it quickly becomes apparent that ‘if it’s out there, it’s on Lazada!’
In addition, like Amazon, along with the big brand names, there’s cheaper, lesser known name versions of most products too.
How Does Lazada Stack up Against the High Street?
Like all online shopping websites, the sellers’ overheads and expenses are dramatically reduced. This means less money spent on shop rental, staff members and everyday maintenance and upkeep of the shop premises. All this amounts to a massive reductions in prices.
I ran a few tests on foot, comparing for example a pair of Sennheiser headphones on Lazada to those in a local mall shop. The price saving was near on 1,000 Baht! Of course, this won't be the case on every product, but you will definitely save on brand name goods.
Not only do you save on the product itself, but you also cut down on travel costs, and the time spent going to buy what you want.
Here's my latest parcel of baby's swimming nappies. Delivered in one day, and I saved $100 on the Mothercare price and didn't have to go to the mall!
Is the Website Easy to Use or a Pain in the Backside?
I won't beat around the bush; most Thai websites are very poor; too many images, lots of late nineties-style animated icons and the most un-user friendly (non-mobile optimized) experience you can have. Many use flash too, which, if you use an iPad, or Safari on a Mac, always gives you problems.
The Lazada homepage is a tad overwhelming at first, due to the vast amount of products and information being thrown at you from the get-go. Where to go? What to click? Where do I search? What specials are running? But this is the point. They want to tickle your fancy and get you in shopping mode.
But in fairness the Lazada website is pretty good. It's easy to figure out, and if you’re looking for something specific, simply use the search bar at the top of the page to get all the options quickly. If you feel like doing a bit of window shopping (or cyber shopping in this case), use the category selector on the left-hand side.
The registration process is quick and offers sign up options through your Facebook account or Google Plus Page. The site is fully available in English too. I have come across a few product descriptions unavailable in my preferred language, but I have to say those instances were minimal.
Go Mobile for the Best Deals
Aside from shopping on your desktop or laptop via the website, I recommend the Lazada app for mobile, which you can download free to your phone or Tablet. This not only gives you shop on-the-go mobility, but also access to instant updates on specials and promotions, which sometimes don't last long.
Much of my “want list” comes to me on the fly, and I'm forever whipping out my mobile to Google prices and search where I can get my latest must-have gadget. So since I've been shopping on Lazada, I've installed the app on my Samsung phone. Click on the image below to download the app.
Does Lazada Do Flash Deals & Special Offers?
In short, Lazada is all about the ‘Specials’ There's hundreds of deals, promotions, special offers and discounts strewn across the website on any given day, and if you've got the app, you'll never miss a flash deal. So if like me you never pay full price and would rather hold out a tad longer to get a special deal, Lazada will be your new home.
What's the Deal with Payment & is it Safe?
One thing that really impressed me about Lazada was the ‘Cash on Delivery’ payment option. This shows that Lazada is in tune with the market, as Thailand is not a place where credit cards are readily available for everyone. In Thailand cash is king and many products sold on Lazada will happily collect the cash from you when the product is delivered.
Apart from the ‘Cash on Delivery’ option, you obviously have the everyday options such as Credit Card payment via Visa or Mastercard, and payment via PayPal. The site offers a fully secure payment gateway, as certified by Norton security and PCI DSS.
How Long Will it Take to Deliver My Order & Can I Track It?
Deliveries take place from Monday to Saturday (no Sunday delivery) and delivery time will vary depending on your location. My headphones arrived within 48 hours, which was impressive.
The specific timeframe for delivery is clearly stated before you buy; and the system uses your postcode to determine the delivery date once you have checked out. If there's a delay, you will be informed either via sms, email or both.
Delivery is free if your total purchase amount exceeds the minimum required for your order, Again, this minimum total amount depends on your location and is very clearly stated while purchasing or exploring each product. At the moment the minimum required amount for free delivery within Bangkok is around 500 Baht, while areas in the province are looking at about 2,000 Baht .
Tracking is a breeze too. Simply login, as your would with Aamzon, and you'll see your delivery progress tracked by Lazada’s online tracking system, and if you require urgent assistance, the ‘Customer Care’ section of the website is easily accessible.
That Sounds Good, But How Easy is it to Return & Refund?
It's as easy as any other big online shopping site, in that if a product is faulty or damaged when it arrives Lazada offers an exchange or a refund. In some cases they will even consider exchanging items which don't fit, such as clothes or shoes.
Sellers and the products sold by them are assessed by Lazada before being listed, which protects you from counterfeits and makes for a higher quality shopping experience.
In Summary
Lazada is coming on leaps and bounds. I'll certainly be using it regularly from now on, and if you're thinking about online shopping in Thailand I'd highly recommend it.
It isn't without its criticism though – see the comments below for reference. One customer complained about a lengthy refund process, and another about a defective product.
But let's face it: with thousands of transactions each day, there's bound to be a few unhappy customers. I for one have had my ups and downs with Amazon back home, but by and large, over the years it has been a positive experience. Moreover, it isn't like we don't occasionally run into problems with retail shopping too.
For example, I bought an 10k Baht chair from SB Furniture in Thailand and within 6 months the material was peeling off all over the floor and covering my clothes. I was refused a refund, even though it had a year's refund!
Head office ignored my emails, and the store staff would not help me in my quest to talk to a senior manager. I was absolutely helpless with no one to turn to. But sometimes in life, stuff like this happens. I re-covered the chair and gave it to someone in need – turning a negative into a positive.
For those based out in rural areas with poor access to malls and local shops, Lazada will come as a blessing, and for those like me who'd like to spend less time in malls, Lazada takes the *sigh* out of the shopping process.
Overall it's a big thumbs up. There's a great selection of products, delivery is fast and the pricing is cheaper than mall shopping.
della says
I bought a battery case last month, it was guaranteed 14 days and more than 14 days after my purchase, this one no longer works and is no longer guaranteed
Apr 13, 2017 at 3:10 pm
Phil says
let me see if I have this correct, you bought an item from lazada, lazada delivered it ok I guess. the item you purchased had a 14 day warranty. the item worked ok for 14 days. after 14 days, there is some problem with the item, but as it only had 14 days warranty, you now have a dud item. hmmmm. sounds like this is how things are supposed to be. so throw it in the rubbish bin. whats the point to your post?
Apr 14, 2017 at 9:15 am
peter says
Be careful, many items esp electrical have no warranty at all. How they get away with this i’ll never know. Stuff I have bought has sometimes been disappointing but the delivery is very good.
Feb 21, 2017 at 10:11 am
Mike says
Horrible. First time i have used it and i ordered 4 separate things. The first they say was delivered but it never was. When i call the delivery people and Lazada they say will call me back that day (5 attempts so far). One week later nobody has returned a call and still no package. the second part was cancelled by them a week later. the other two are yet to show up. I understand things happen but if you can’t figure it out after a week, give me a refund. I will have to have my credit card cancel payment
Feb 19, 2017 at 1:05 pm
Jakub says
To be fair Lazada isn’t Thai very own, so it only confirms that most websites made in Thailand are very poor.
Feb 15, 2017 at 4:59 pm
Jonathan Nettleton says
I have suffered several times dealing with Lazada who claim to give you effortless shopping!
On three occasions they have claim goods have been delivered when they have not and it has taken over a month to sort out the problem this last time.
Not good enough and I will no longer deal with them.
They mean well but I have given them 3 chances!
Jan 23, 2017 at 6:20 pm
david fisher says
Yes very well packaged but kettle inside did not work ! A reshipped faulty item, and courier did not leave ANY paperwork, just the brown box. As stated all the return/ drop down boxes on lazada website are only in Thai. Only in Thai.
3 damning calculated tactics of lazada to make returning goods almost impossible for farang.
In contrast most sales information is in Thai and English.
Jan 17, 2017 at 5:44 am
David Fisher says
Today I am going into my local tesco/homepro to buy a kettle the merit of the convenience of lazada i.e, it efficiently delivers and invoices often substandard goods has been realised. But I know even in those stores in Thailand I have to make sure I don’t get an ‘open box’.
Jan 17, 2017 at 6:03 am
Phil Heron says
If you use google chrome browser when using lazada, it will translate automatically for you
Jan 17, 2017 at 9:14 am
David Fisher says
Thanks for the tip, but it still illustrates the lazada philosophy/tactic translate to sell/ ship not translate for return complaint.
Jan 18, 2017 at 5:59 am
peter says
No need Lazada is in English as well as Thai, see top right hand of page
Feb 21, 2017 at 10:13 am
Graham Watts says
I also had a bad experience. I found a 12-inch digital photo frame and ordered it for a Christmas present. I received a phone call shortly after and couldn’t understand what the man was saying, but it seemed he just wanted to confirm that I had placed an order with them. Good customer security, I thought. So I said, yes, I placed an order. It came quickly and I kept it in the box it was delivered in and wrapped it for Christmas. When it was open, it was a 7-inch screen. Who would want a 7-inch photo frame? Just use your phone. By now it was past the return date deadline, but I tried via phone and email to get them to understand (a) that because it was a Christmas present, it hadn’t been opened on arrival from them and (b) they shouldn’t have shown a 12-inch version if they didn’t have it. Three email replies simply told me the rules about returns. No compromise. I’ll never go back to Lazada. Am trying ezbuy next.
Jan 06, 2017 at 8:25 am
david fisher says
Yes I have used lazada a lot and know that many of the companies that trade under the Lazada banner use it to reship substandard and open box returned goods some of which do not work, the returns dialogue on Lazada is entirely in Thai ,unlike a lot of the presale and delivery notices that are in Thai and English.
In summary the first thing I bought on Lazada TH a Canon 50mm lens did not work had to send it to Canon for warranty service the last thing I have just received a a Hanabishi kettle does not work out the box and couriers left no paperwork.
Jan 11, 2017 at 3:43 pm
TheThailandLife says
Do you have the names of any of these companies? Perhaps you should forward the names to Lazada so they know about this? My experiences with Lazada have still been good to date. The stuff always comes very well packaged and the delivery drivers always call when they are downstairs rather than dropping it at reception.
Jan 11, 2017 at 4:59 pm
Tortue-ninja says
Jeez, give it a rest! Lazada sucks and everybody knows it. This weird fascination that you have for them: defending them the second someone shares their bad experience when it’s clear they are bad is annoying at best or completely crazy…
Jan 11, 2017 at 5:11 pm
TheThailandLife says
You give it a rest. I’m not defending, just stating my experience. The minute I have a bad experience, it will be posted here. I’m not trying to deny others are having bad experiences, but there are others who have posted here with positive experiences.It’s no different to eBay or Amazon. I just order some headphones on eBay and was hugely disappointed. I’ve had bad experiences with Amazon sellers too, but I still use them.
Jan 11, 2017 at 11:27 pm
Phil Heron says
and giving good reviews when they do something good helps people who might be considering using them. not giving that recognition is irresponsible, the same as when an internet troll posts shit. if you opened your eyes and mind, you’d see good and bad reviews. there wouldn’t be any good reviews if, as you put it, they were total shit
Jan 12, 2017 at 7:52 am
david fisher says
Yes very well packaged but kettle inside did not work ! A reshipped faulty item, and courier did not leave ANY paperwork, just the brown box. As stated all the return/ drop down boxes on lazada website are only in Thai. Only in Thai.
3 damning calculated tactics of lazada to make returning goods almost impossible for farang.
In contrast most sales information is in Thai and English.
Jan 17, 2017 at 5:38 am
spacebass says
Today I received two Kando kettles from Tesco via Lazada, each packed in transparent plastic boxes, one kettle had a small black hair clearly visible on its plastic body, easily brushed off but wtf a new packed product ? Out the factory? box been opened?, return ? You will never know , Lazada is just an agent for Thai companies, You trust Thai companies? Tesco packing looked like it had been done by a schoolboy.
Jan 25, 2017 at 7:33 am
TheThailandLife says
Possibly that one had been opened by a customer in store, or perhaps someone refunded it, or perhaps it was the display model and last one in stock. Thing is, Tesco works to international standards across all its stores so I wouldn’t expect this from them. I’d return the one that was open.
Jan 25, 2017 at 6:28 pm
Remy says
My experience with LAZADA in both Malaysia and Thailand in 2015 and 2016 has been very poor. Avoid them!
A user-friendly website masks hidden extras (like high delivery costs in Malaysia) and poor/deceptive “customer sales service”. Getting refunds on wrongly, unopened goods and malfunctioning items has been very stressful and time-consuming. It took me several hours of emailing time and phoning to secure eventual refunds after an average wait of 4 months, in one case with the help of the goods Supplier himself, who was never informed of the problem before I contacted him and did not receive the returned goods from Lazada.
The refund run-around actually seems like deliberate policy straight out of the ‘Rainmaker’ movie script, with online shopping companies and budget airlines relying on customer fatigue to give the out-sourced ‘customer services’ a commission on unresolved refund claims.
Sep 21, 2016 at 6:19 pm
Jay Cee says
I’ve been in Thailand for a long time but just made my first Lazada.th orders.
Chuwi HiBook 10 Pro, Netec HDD 1 TB, and a couple other IT items.
TGF did the order and pre paid at a 7/11. No CC needed ! Very convenient.
Quick delivery by motocy in Pattaya after mobile contact and articles in perfect condition.
Recently TGF had a Lazada guitar delivered while we were having lunch at a local hotel !
I’ll order more.
Jul 31, 2016 at 9:39 am
Geoffrey Logan says
I have been buying from EBay and Aliexpress for a number of years now without any major problems.
As I now live in Thailand I decided to give Lazada (Thai) a go.
They have,on the bottom right hand side of their home page,the words “Subscribe to our Newsletter and receive $10 instantly” however once I had signed up I only received 10Baht.I immediately sent them an email and questioned this, but as you would expect a reply email in my favor was not received, so l personally will not risk handing over my hard earned money to an online co. such as this one.
FYI, Please compare prices with EBay and Aliexpress before you buy,as I have found from personal experience Lazada’s prices are sometimes higher on many items I viewed.You also have the option of changing to your language on both EBay and Aliexpress,again good luck
Jun 27, 2016 at 8:54 pm
warapa says
Lazada is such a lie.
1) When I purchase the product, your website does not mentioned anything that product is not located in Thailand. It is drop shipping from China. You hide this information from buyer. I specifically purchased this because I thought that the product is already in Thailand so I won’t have to deal with the tax issue. Otherwise I would definitely buy these from ebay or much cheaper than your site. It is so misleading
2) To get this package, we have to pick up the parcel at the centre post office in Chaeng Wattana. Thus adding more cost to me than just importing tax. My house is located in Sathorn and this is not a door to door delivery as your promise.
3) I have paid 40% tax of the value of the product I bought. It is quite a lot so I went on to research about the company policy and to my extreme happiness, you said that any importing tax will be responsible by lazada. Customer can pay for the tax first and then customer can just email the receipt to redeem the money back. Wow..it is just awesome right? So I took the photo of the tax receipt and email it to lazada. Then lazada agrees to credit back my tax as a store credit. Then after that a few days, i have been waited then I have received a phone call from lazada that they need a pick-up postal document that contains the tracking number. So how in the world can i have that document when I already have already gave that document to the post upon picking up the package. I feel tricked and now I cannot claim tax back because I failed to have enough evidence.
May 28, 2016 at 10:56 am
Amy says
After reading this Lazada review and the comments, what I decided to do was order some small, low-priced items first and build up to bigger stuff once I was confident in the service. I’m teaching in Khon Kaen, so a little out in the sticks compared to Bangkok, anyway, and I’m surprised how fast my orders arrive. I’ve order a USB stick, a cheap chair, some sun lotion among other bits, and all arrived boxed with printed invoice. Being Thailand, I fully expect at some point there will be a silly hiccup of sorts, but for now it’s really convenient and very competitively priced on most things when compared with mall shopping.
Mar 30, 2016 at 4:29 pm
WCasey says
I have purchased 6 items from Lazada from January 2016 to March 2016. Three of the items arived on time and worked out good. The other three items were a different story. One item (a printer) was cancelled, but they charged my credit card and did not refund the money. The other two items just never showed up and I was also charged for the items. When I try to call or email Lazada they are very unhelpful and don’t seem to be able to do anything about my problem – I lose. Lazada’s online help form does not work and so the only way to deal with them is by phone.
Lazada is very risky and you have about a 50/50 chance of getting what you paid for. Too bad.
Mar 26, 2016 at 8:43 am
TheThailandLife says
That’s really bad luck, sorry to hear that. It seems a few people are having bad experiences with Lazada. I must have gotten lucky so far: I’m on my 7th or 8th order and no problems yet – fingers crossed!
Mar 26, 2016 at 10:21 pm
SM says
So did you back your money? I am having similar problem with lazada, my order hasn’t arrived since a month.
May 18, 2016 at 2:52 pm
Nathan Smith says
Absolutely terrible. I’ve now ordered from them 3 times, twice the order was cancelled after I queried delivery and the 3rd time they delivered the wrong item. I’m told they will not replace it, instead I have to return it and order again.
Customer service is dealt with by a call centre in the Philippines and they have limited info. Emails go unanswered.
Avoid it, they won’t last long at this rate.
Mar 08, 2016 at 4:25 pm
Phil Heron says
Hi, I purchased an item from Lazada Thailand. Had a small problem with thailand post, but received it eventually. The item failed after using it for 2 mins, not lazadas problem. I paid COD for the item. Contacted Lazada, no problem, return it. Lazada contacted me after reviewing the returned product. Still under warranty, we’ll refund you into your bank account. Great. Got email from them on 3rd Feb saying my refund was in my bank account but it would take approx 7 days for the money to be released. Great. 10 days later, I email lazada asking why the money wasn’t in my bank account. Oh, you’ll have to provide your bank account details. WHAT!!!! how did the money get put into my bank account on 3rd Feb? been chasing lazada and keep on getting the run around. DON’T BUY FROM LAZADA. I have been buying from ebay etc for over 15 years. this is my first lazada experience. definately my last also
Feb 21, 2016 at 5:10 pm
Phil Heron says
Finally got my refund into my bank account 4 weeks after lazada said they had deposited it. If i was going to use lazada again, I’d pay by credit card and let the credit card company do the fighting for me if i had problems again. But as i said in my original post, I won’t be using them again.
Mar 30, 2016 at 7:47 pm
Phil Heron says
I have used lazada again since my problem with them. they now use a courier service, not Thailand post and I found the service to be much better, so much so that I have used them a couple of times.
Jan 11, 2017 at 5:15 pm
Lin says
I have used lazada and never have had any problems! I really like this online shop which offers many payments options.
Feb 12, 2016 at 12:05 pm
TheThailandLife says
I think it’s a great service Lin. It’s also still growing, so no doubt things will get even better as more people shop online in Thailand.
Feb 12, 2016 at 12:39 pm
Lin says
I have like you too had problem with Amazon and the length of time to receive your order is far more reduced when using lazada so much faster. I don’t like waiting lol what’s more the Amazon shippings fees are too expensive
Feb 12, 2016 at 1:38 pm
Coralie says
Lazada is a great website at first glance. I bought an expensive item with a 14 days guarantee and the item was defective before that time (lucky for me). I sent back the item and it took a few weeks for the seller to send me a text message saying “item now ok”. Thinking they fixed it I was happy to receive the item back.
After realising that the item was not fixed I contacted Lazada who told me that there has been a misunderstanding: the seller did not fix anything because they checked the item and they found nothing wrong (item was not starting when I sent it and did not start properly when I got it back). I had to spend 1 hour and 5 minutes (to be precise) on the phone with them before they finally accepted to let a manager handle the case. The guys I had one the phone did not want to let me talk to his supervisor it was crazy.
I received a message the next day saying that they will take the item back under those circumstances and reimburse me under 7 days. I happily sent the package back and asked for news after 14 days of no feedback. I was told that the seller was examining the item before the reimbursement was going to happen. Really Lazada? I told them that the seller was the problem in the first place and asked why they were waiting for their approval. No response.
The next day I received an email from them saying they were very sorry but the seller did not find anything wrong with the item and that it will be shipped back to me.
At this point I was furious and I threaten to sue them because what they were doing was clearly against the law.
After 24 hours I did not receive any answer from them so I sent another email explaining all the proof I had against them. I had a very solid case so I was not going to let it slide (the item was expensive!)
I finally received a email from Lazada saying they were sorry and were going to reimburse my item.
Never again Lazada! I will use the ridiculously small voucher you gave me to “make-up” for your incompetence but I will never buy anything from you after that.
I gave you the small version but Lazada also lied at multiple times trying to make me believe the guarantee was actually 7 days. The seller lied to them but they did not care and sided with them when I am their customer. Terrible!
You just lost a valuable customer and I will do my best to warn innocent buyers against you.
Note: I bough from Lazada.co.th, seller: GAME BOY
I think I talked to people from the headquarter in the Philippines on the phone but I am not sure. Number was 02-018-000
Feb 01, 2016 at 10:39 pm
TheThailandLife says
Hi Coralie, sorry to hear of your experience. I’ve had similar issues with sellers on Amazon back home. I guess everyone has one bad experience now and again. I’ve ordered a total of 15 products from Lazada to date and all have been delivered on time and very well packaged, and much cheaper than the high street. They always sent dispatch updates to me by text too, which is great because I live in a condo so i can look out for the man on the bike.
Feb 02, 2016 at 1:51 pm
Coralie says
Your comment looks like you are being paid by Lazada or afiliated with them. I told you my story which is completely crazy and shows how Lazada should not be trusted and yet you answer a perfectly diplomatic answer to make people who read my comment think “that’s true it’s not that bad” when it is. I know Lazada has a wide variety of products at a cheap price. If you look around and know where to look, you can find the same products with the same prices in shops. I will not miss Lazada now that I vouched never to use their service again. I am a pretty reasonnable person and good customer: I do not care if the item is late, if they make a mistake or if the item is defective. As long as it’s taken care of, it’s ok with me, I am not in a hurry. The way I was treated by Lazada is highly illegal. They do not care about you until you take extreme measures against them. For me this is not how a business should be run and I will take my time to make sure people know about them and do not get conned. You say you never had any problems, but that is normal. Problems do not come everytime you order something (thankfully). I’ve ordered 29 items and spent 49 656 baht in 3 months and yet I was treated like a dog on the street by Lazada. Well I will give my money to deserving merchants in the future and Lazada will get a lower turover. Justice is served. ✌?️
Feb 04, 2016 at 10:12 am
TheThailandLife says
I do sympathise with you, but I am simply pointing out that I am yet to have a bad experience. I am also highlighting that I have had bad experiences with Amazon when back home in the UK. In fact, this Christmas gone, I had a delivery driver mark an order “delivered” on the website but I hadn’t received it. The support was terrible and it took me ages to speak to anyone and get it sorted out. I’ve been ordering with Amazon for many years and this was tone of a few bad experiences I’d had. I will continue to use them quite simply because the good has far outweighed the bad over the years. Like you, at the time I felt mistreated and like they didn’t give a toss about me as a long term customer. But then what’s the reality? They don’t! Like pretty much every major company the loss of one customer spending a few quid here and there is a drop in the ocean. This is capitalism. It isn’t about people. It is about the board of directors, profit and growth. Also remember that Amazon, Lazada and similar marketplaces are full of third party sellers. Some of the time you are not ordering from the company warehouse but having something dispatched from a third party seller, as you experienced. I’m sorry for your experience, but occasionally someone gets a bad deal. Sometimes it’s me, sometimes it’s you. But most of the time we get what we ordered, on time and are pleased with it.
Feb 04, 2016 at 11:13 am
Coralie says
I would not have gotten angry and stop buying at Amazon if what happened to you happened to me. There is a huge difference between what Lazada did and what Amazon did to you. It was not a problem of lazy support. Lazada knowingly lied and tried to make me believe things that weren’t true. There is a huge difference between indifference and malicious intent. I’ve had tons of bad experiences with sellers but I do not care because I can value a service beyond that. I’ve ordered things that arrived stained with weird white spots, wrong items etc. but I know it’s ok because they did not do it on purpose and it is just human error and it can happen. When an entire company do everything in it’s power to insure that you are screwed it’s my responsibility to inform people. Now you’ve been warned and for the people who still wishes to use their service: good luck and when something bad happens, remember, “I told you so”.
Feb 12, 2016 at 10:29 pm
dougmulvaney@gmail.com says
I just ordered an electronic item through Lazada. I was a bit weary because my wife had told me that Lazada has gotten a lot of bad reviews. Your positive review has allayed my fears a bit. I did find the experience of using Lazada quite smooth. They even called me to confirm that I had indeed made the order. So at least they had a security check! That was reassuring.
Oct 26, 2015 at 9:04 pm
TheThailandLife says
My experience with Lazada has been as good, if not better at times, than Amazon back home, so I’m sure you’ll be fine too. The courier always calls me when he arrives at the condo block too. I’ve had some deliveries made within 36 hours on the standard delivery.
Oct 26, 2015 at 9:07 pm
Jennifer P says
Brilliant review! I’ve just ordered a bunch of stuff today and it was so easy. I can’t believe I’ve been in Thailand 2 years and never used Lazada.
Thanks, Jenny
Oct 07, 2015 at 1:48 pm