Indiaplaza.com review

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This was the book I wanted, after hearing a lot about it on internet forums and from friends. I quickly opened two new tabs in my browser - Flipkart.com and Infibeam.com, and typed in the name of the book in their respective search bars. Rs 221, after a discount of 25%, both sites displayed. I had almost clicked the "Add to cart" button on Infibeam, until I decided to check Google once for some offers or special discounts. The first search result showed Indiaplaza.com, offering the 400-page book for Rs 177, at a discount of 40% off its MRP of Rs 295. Should I go for it? After my previous terrible experience with Indiaplaza, I had vowed never to use that site again. However, I heard they recently had a makeover and improved their customer service. I consulted one of my friends who is a regular buyer of books. He said Indiaplaza works just fine. I decided to give them another chance.

Few months ago, in around September 2011, I had used Indiaplaza to shop for products worth over Rs 1000, ranging from teddy bears to pen drives. I was quite amazed by their low prices and heavy discounts. However, they had failed terribly. After not receiving a single delivery for over 7 days, when I tried to reach their customer service through email, no reply came. Surprising, as I had tried to reach them once before my purchase, and they replied within minutes. When I tried calling them up on their 24-hour phone line, it kept me waiting for at least 10 minutes, until I gave up. I tried a few times again. Everytime I called them, I was always the "caller number 6", so for a moment I wondered if they even exist. I tried reaching out to them via phone and email for the next 2-3 days, without any success. Regretting my decision to try this site out, I decided to write about my experience on Mouthshut.com. As I published my review on Mouthshut, I immediately got a message from Indiaplaza asking for my order numbers. As I gave it to them, I received a call from them within minutes. A female voice assured me that they are treating my order as high priority and will dispatch my order within 2 days. The delay was due to stockouts and delays by their vendors. When I told her about how I was unable to reach out to them, she told me that I can call on the number she was calling from, which was a land-line number of Bangalore. I got an update from them after 2 days indeed, saying most of my ordered items have been couriered to me via FirstFlight couriers. One of the items, a soft toy, couldn't be delivered as their vendor is unable to supply to them and my money would be refunded soon. I received the items as expected and my money soon after.

So, after that, I was pretty skeptical of their services. I stuck to eBay, Flipkart and Infibeam for my next online purchases, until recently, when I ordered the book "The Hunger Games" from them. The transaction was smooth. They shipped the book just after 2 days of ordering via FirstFlight. I received the book soon after, packed nicely in cardboard and in perfect condition. The customer service number on their website has changed and mentions time on which to call. It looks like they have indeed improved their services. The interface is new and a variety of items has been added, with good, but not-so-ridiculous discounts. Overall a smooth experience, but I would like to stick with Infibeam and Flipkart for my next few purchases, unless I am getting a big price difference.