A cross-section of online shoppers in Abuja have expressed dissatisfaction with the poor quality of goods delivered, which they say are often at variance with what they ordered.

In separate interviews on Sunday, the online customers said they are often disappointed that the goods they ordered are far better in quality than what was brought to them.

Faith Balogun, a resident of Asokoro and businesswoman, said most people take risks in online shopping because they don’t have to leave their homes to get the goods.

Ms Balogun said the biggest problem with online shopping was the lack of guarantee on the quality of products.

“The goods are not always of high quality. What you see online might not actually be what will be brought to you, as fraudulent sellers also intentionally mislead customers,” she said.

Anita Samson, a civil servant, said she had been following the thrift shop online for a long time and wanted to patronise them.

Ms Samson said she ordered for wears but got entirely different things from what she ordered.

”None of the things I ordered were in what they brought, and they refused to refund my money,” she said.

She said some online operators would give tough conditions to return goods. They usually say, “if one does not return the goods within 72 hours, they will not accept them, thereby forcing the product on the buyer.”

Another shopper, Mfon Ekong, said internet shopping is increasingly becoming popular in Nigeria due to its convenience and the reasonable prices of goods and services.

Ms Ekong said visiting stores could be quite stressful, especially in cities like Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Abuja, Calabar, Ibadan, Kaduna and Kano, with the high traffic gridlock.

She said with the introduction of online retail stores, shopping has become a viable option for Nigerians even though they also have their challenges.

Ms Ekong said the advantages are more, considering the problems associated with an open market. 

(NAN)