AZE.US
As online shopping becomes increasingly common in Azerbaijan, more consumers are encountering problems with orders that are paid for in advance but never delivered.
Banking expert Emin Karimov said the possibility of recovering the money primarily depends on whether the purchase was made through a legitimate shopping platform.
If an order is placed through an official platform, consumers can request a refund if the product is not delivered, arrives damaged or differs from what was ordered.
“If the product has not arrived or is defective, the relevant legal and technical procedures are handled through the platform,” Karimov said.
“If the platform approves the refund, the money is returned to the same card, payment method or bank account used for the original transaction.”
In such cases, payments, refunds and related disputes are handled between the parties in accordance with the platform’s terms and applicable legal procedures.
Recovering money becomes considerably more difficult when a consumer uses a fraudulent link or pays through a fake or nonexistent shopping platform.
According to Karimov, victims in such cases cannot request a refund from the platform because no legitimate company exists. The bank’s ability to reverse the transaction may also be limited, particularly when the customer personally authorized the payment to the fraudster.
Consumers are therefore advised to shop through verified websites and retain order confirmations, payment receipts and correspondence with sellers. Such records may be useful when contacting the platform, bank or law enforcement authorities.
AZE.US