CASE STUDY (CONSUMER PROTECTION)

Shane is a young professional. She is an employee of a prestigious company in the

Philippines, she is fond of her work, she enjoys every little thing she do. Aside from being an
employee, Shane is a shopaholic, unfortunately her being shopalic has become minimal due to
pandemic. But, as digital technology arises, online shopping made a way. Shane installed all
online shopping applications, and of course she bought some stuff such as household utensils,
organizers, clothes, etc. As we all know, our personal information showed in every transaction
we made via online shop, Shane is confident that her personal information kept confidential by
various sellers.
One day, Shane is having a lunch with her colleague, they talked some workpapers and
even personal life. Shane is about to finish her food, until her phone rang by an unknown
number, she is hesitant first to answer, but she has an instinct to answer the call. She was
shocked, as her parcel delivered into another person, she was informed by the customer that her
parcel delivered to the wrong customer.
Shane was frustrated because she was confidently sure that her personal information is
kept confidential yet her parcel delivered to the wrong person. She suddenly contacted the seller,
informing the incident happened, unfortunately, the seller claimed that she doesn't have any
obligation to the parcel being delivered to the wrong person, it's the courier's fault.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:

1. What appropriate actions should Shane do to be able to retrieve the parcel she ordered?
2. Is the seller's claims right? Explain.
3. What is the best way to avoid the sharing of personal information?

COURSE/S OF ACTION:

1. Shane being the legal owner of the parcel should ask for retrieval of her parcel from the
seller or she may ask for a refund since she did not literally received her parcel. She has a
right for the parcel she paid for.

Shane must contact the seller on what are the terms and conditions she should do in order
to retrieve her parcel, otherwise, if the seller doesn’t agree with the retrieval of her parcel
or even for a refund, she may contact the customer service hotline of the online shop she
used in order to report her claims, so that a right action must take and this kind of
incident might not happen again for the next time around.

2. Seller’s claim is not right considering the parcel is not delivered to the rightful owner, the
seller must ensure that his product was delivered to the right owner to avoid.

In order to ensure that the parcel will be delivered to the rightful owner, the seller must
check everyday the tracking number of parcel that it was on the right destination to avoid
loss of parcel and sharing of personal information because this may harm a person, which
can be a threat or can be used for unnecessary action by others.
 3. Shane being a buyer should check the legitimacy of the sellers by looking to the reviews,
rates, and feedback of previous customers on the seller, this is absolutely helpful and an
efficient survey to evaluate if the seller is trusted by many customers, for that reason,
once she shared her personal information, it will be safe and kept confidential. While, on
the seller’s side, he/she must communicate well to the customer, especially when there is
a possible conflict might happen in the transaction. She must really ensure that the parcel
is being delivered to the rightful owner.

Moreover, the buyer and the seller must have a clear agreement regarding the transaction
to avoid conflict and of course to be responsible for a possible damage/s might happen,
therefore a certain fine or obligation might render one of the parties.

SOLUTION AND RECOMMENDATION:

1. Shane must contact first the seller regarding her parcel, however if the seller doesn’t
compromise to the terms that Shane wants to happen, she may contact the customer
service hotline of the online shop to inform them about the incident and to get an idea on
what Shane. If these two actions, do not make a way for the retrieval of her parcel, Shane
must contact the person who received her parcel, so that they will have an agreement to
send her parcel into her location, so that it would not be a burden to the both of them.
Also, Shane must seek further to the seller for a refund because this is her right and it is
also for the good reputation of the seller.

2. Online shopping is very fond nowadays, it is therefore a must to implement rules

regarding online shopping especially on the sellers so that the customer might not have
any struggle on online shopping and to reduce the dilemma that their personal
information will be shared to the public. Each online shopping application, must have
rules such as, a certain fine and suspension might give to the seller who has been proved
to be of negligent for such unnecessary actions happened to the buyer whom in effect
have damage the reputation of the buyer and have dilemma for such instances.

3. Buying stuff online often bring harm and threat to someone as his personal information
shared to the seller or worse shared to the public. It is certainly a must to ensure that the
personal information of the buyer is kept safe and confidential since it is somehow
sensitive to others, that is why, the government itself should implement a rules regarding
this matter, that is a legal action may take whenever the personal information is shared to
the public, this is to ensure that the seller will monitor the parcel when it is on the
shipping process, it is the seller’s right and obligation to check the tracking number of
the parcel, so that it will deliver to the rightful owner and no possible conflict might
happen. On that way, buyers will keep safe on buying online despite of dilemma of
sharing personal information the public.