Flipkart sends user iPhone SE instead of iPhone 12; another unfortunate customer gets bars of soap

Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart's promotional event Big Billion Day offered hefty discounts on many high-end smartphones. The iPhone 12, in particular, got a massive price cut. It was available for Rs 49,999 (US$665), which is Rs 30,000 (US$399) lower than its asking price of Rs 79,999 (US$1,064). As expected, only a limited number of iPhone 12 units were up for grabs, and they flew off the shelves within seconds. However, not everyone who managed to avail of the killer discount got an actual iPhone 12.

Twitter user Rajat Jaindal was dismayed to find out that Flipkart had shipped him an iPhone SE 2020 instead of a shiny new iPhone 12. Interestingly enough, the IMEI number on the invoice was identical to the one on the packaging, indicating that the seller could have been involved in some way. Rajat states that he has lodged a complaint with Flipkart support but is yet to hear back from the company.

Another Twitter user Simranpal Singh (via TheGoAndroid), had it much worse. Unlike Rajat, who received an Apple smartphone at the very least, Simranpal got two bars of soap without any signs of an iPhone box. The 'soap instead of a smartphone' scam is one of the oldest ones in the book, particularly in India. Simranpal was cognizant of this and asked for an 'open box delivery', in which the delivery associate unboxes the product before marking it as delivered. Thankfully, he received a full refund for the mishap, although it did involve a little back and forth with Flipkart support.

Unfortunately, Rajat and Simranpal aren't the only users who got the short end of the stick on Flipkart. Over the years, several users have fallen prey to scams on the e-commerce platform. While Flipkart can't be held responsible for the actions of a few scummy sellers, it needs to do better to keep shady elements away.

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