A man ordered a laptop from Flipkart for his sister, a BTech student, using the Open Box Delivery option. However, upon delivery, Venkatesh Alla claims the delivery executive refused to let them power on the device, insisting they “just check the accessories”. He, as per Alla, assured that “returns are always available” should he face any issue. 

The following day, when his sister used the Dell laptop for just 30 minutes of basic Excel work, it, as per Alla, “was radiating heat like an oven”.

When Alla reached out to the Flipkart customer care, he was reportedly told to “visit a service centre that was situated 50km away” from the delivery location to get the “brand new laptop” repaired. Feeling helpless, he took to X (formerly Twitter) to “expose the mess” in a detailed thread. 

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Dell laptop ordered via Flipkart’s Open Box Delivery

“I ordered a Dell laptop for my sister from Flipkart for Rs 43,158, her very first. What should’ve been an exciting and proud moment quickly turned into an absolute nightmare,” Alla wrote in a thread on X. 

He added, “On May 8, I ordered a Dell laptop for Rs 43,158. It was delivered on May 11 via Open Box Delivery. My sister politely asked the delivery boy to wait so she could check if it powered on. He refused, saying ‘just check accessories; returns are always available’. Lies.” Alla also attached a screenshot from the order section to substantiate his claim. 

As per the screenshot, Alla purchased a Dell 15 Intel Core i5 12th Gen 1235U 3520 Thin and Light Laptop in Titan Grey from the seller PETILANTE Online via Flipkart. The screenshot also mentions that the “item was open and verified at the time of delivery”.

‘Radiating heat like an oven’

Alla then narrated the laptop horror story: “The moment we charged the laptop, it turned into a frying pan. The keyboard got so hot that my sister couldn’t even rest her palms on it. We thought maybe it’s just updates heating it up… we were wrong.”

“On May 12, she used it for basic Excel work. After just 30 minutes, the fan roared like a turbine, and heat was radiating like an oven. In 1.5 hours, the battery dropped to 30%. Once she plugged in the charger, it became untouchable. Brand new laptop, btw,” he added. 

‘Visit service centre 50 km away’: Flipkart

When Alla contacted Flipkart, he was told to visit the service centre to have a brand new laptop repaired. “When I contacted Flipkart support, they dropped the bomb: “Visit a service centre 50 km away.” Wait, what? It’s a brand new product with a return policy valid till May 18, but I’m being told to take it for repair?” the disappointed Flipkart customer wrote.

He went on to say, “Turns out Flipkart has changed its return policies without proper visibility. Even if you receive a defective laptop, you won’t get a replacement. You’ll get a ‘repair’. So basically, refurbished junk is sold as new, and you bear the cost of time & travel.”

“Just imagine a BTech student excited about her first laptop, only to get a heater in disguise. No return, no replacement. Just bureaucracy and cold apologies. This is what e-commerce looks like in India today: No accountability. No consumer protection,” Alla further wrote, stating he plans to pursue legal action against Flipkart in the consumer court.

FE impact

FinancialExpress.com came across his now-viral post on X on May 14 and contacted Flipkart for a comment. The company said that it will look into the issue to get it resolved. 

Shortly after that, Alla confirmed to FinancialExpress.com that Flipkart had reached out to him. He also shared an update on his X handle, saying that the company had “assured him that they working to resolve the matter on priority”. 

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“They assured me that the matter is being prioritised and that they’ll coordinate with the Dell team to resolve it at the earliest,” he wrote in an update on X, alongside a screenshot entailing Flipkart’s response. 

“We are sorry for the trouble caused. This is certainly not the kind of service we want you to experience but very unfortunately, things have turned out this way,” Flipkart customer support wrote, adding that they would follow up with another update within 24 hours.

In yet another update, Alla said that he received a call from the Flipkart team, who informed him that the issue has been escalated to their brand partner for further action. 

He also shared that Dell reached out to him via X and guided him through a series of diagnostic tests. “Dell also reached out to me on X (formerly Twitter) and suggested visiting the nearest brand store. Since it’s about 50 km away, I explained that it’s not feasible. They were understanding and instead guided me through some diagnostics on the laptop, happy to report that all tests passed successfully,” he wrote. 

“Today, Flipkart support followed up again and shared some encouraging news: they are now in talks with higher officials and Brand Team to explore a return/replacement options without requiring a visit to the service centre,” he further said in a post dated May 15. 

“Return Accepted. Refund Processed. Victory Secured,” Alla wrote a few minutes back on X. He added, “Received calls directly from the Head of the Region at Flipkart & DELL. They agreed to take the laptop back unconditionally and process a full refund. I was also issued a ₹1000 gift card as an apology from Flipkart,” he shared. 

Alla went on to say, “Even more important, they assured that Flipkart will review their return policy and work on introducing reasonable exceptions to prevent such issues in the future.”