Myntra is slapping a convenience fee on some customers but no-one knows how they are chosen
Myntra is a big name in the Indian fashion business, and they make a ton of deliveries every day. Sometimes, customers return their items if they're not happy with them. But did you know that Myntra can actually charge you if you return too many things?
What
- Believe it or not, if you are anything like me, who likes to shop a lot, you must have seen something called the convenience fee on Myntra. Myntra describes the convenience fee as a 'platform fee' that the company charges from everyone including Myntra insiders.
- This charge also differs from product to product but is generally above Rs 10, which might not seem too much for you, at that point but imagine the sales they make with thousands of orders placed every day. For some context, Zomato has a platform fee of Rs 2-3.
But no, we are not talking about that fee. You will be charged this particular convenience fee if you have made too many returns!
Why now?
This whole 'return business' with Myntra, where they are charging money for returning too many products actually comes as good news, as previously the company used to charge a whopping Rs 200 to 300 for each product that you returned.
@myntra first you sell me counterfeit @Nike shoes and then when I return it back you would refund me subtracting the convenience fee that too in 7-10 days. How low are you guys going to stoop?? This should attract @jagograhakjago. I thought Myntra was legit until this time. pic.twitter.com/I6Sm9Zsg5i
— Headless Horseman (@Bhaadmeinjaao) August 8, 2023
@myntra charging inconvenience fee for returns is absurd. If you don't have the sizes available then customers have no choice but to return the products. If you can't remove inconvenience fee then I'm not gonna use myntra anymore. pic.twitter.com/z6jRyK6b33
— sabarinathpnair (@sabarinathpnair) August 7, 2023
Hahahaha 😂😂😂
— Soumodeep Ghosh (@soumo_dg) September 12, 2023
₹100 discount but ₹99 convenience fee. 😂😂@myntra
Thanks for the ₹1 discount btw. 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/9uoIT54FU8
But you're in the safe if you don't have too many returns.
What's new?
The experiment is being introduced as "return-as-a-service". This initiative comes a few months after Myntra implemented a flat "convenience fee" ranging from Rs 199 to Rs 299 on every order placed by customers who had a high rate of product returns.
This has now been reduced to Rs 15-30.
Consumers who were already annoyed by the convenience fee the platform was charging, are angrier after figuring out that they have to pay a certain amount for returning items on Myntra.
Hey @myntra, why convenience fee? I think seller is already paying 25-30 percent commision, as well shipping cost? pic.twitter.com/wIiuWQYmp9
— rashid jorvee | راشد جوروی 🏳️ (@RashidJorvee) September 16, 2023
@myntra @MyntraSupport can someone ple let me know ehy convenience fee is getting increased day by day, earlier it was 10 , now it is 20, hope soon it will be 20 to 100. @BandBajaateRaho @jagograhakjago pic.twitter.com/RXqNFU0eeW
— Culdeep Singh (@CuldeepSingh) September 20, 2023
But how to know if you are 'returning too many items"?
DailyO spoke to a Myntra customer care who handles returns, and they told us:
-
There isn't any 'specific information' available regarding the criteria for selecting consumers who make excessive returns.
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They have only mentioned that if you return more than what is considered "normal", you will incur a charge of Rs 50. So, what is considered 'normal'? Myntra has no clue.
Myntra has a consumer base of 5 crore, and around 5-10% of people are charged with this 'convenience fee' that is applicable on returns. That means a consumer base of 25 lakh to 50 lakh people who are charged with this convenience fee.
Why? According to Myntra, the company is implementing this measure to offset the high volume of returns they process.