Issues Faced by NRIs While Sending Gifts to India
An important fact in the world of today is there are millions of Indians who are living, working and studying elsewhere in the world. With more and more Indians migrating abroad, there are increasing discussions on the continuous efforts they make to stay in touch with friends and family back in their cities and villages in India.
While adjusting with foreign culture, a part of them tries to create social circumstances where they do not lose their familiar and comfortable traditions, religious customs and the much awaited joyous festivals! It is during such festive occasions such as Holi, Diwali, Baisakhi, Onam and Rakhi that they desperately miss the excitement and noisy gatherings of family and relatives from back home. It is impossible for them to attend each and every occasion in India. They miss their brothers, sisters, parents, cousins, and friends and try to search out ways to be a part of such occasions with people back home in India.
At such times, they choose a gift to communicate their emotions, thoughts and love. The very thought of selecting a gift associates them with happiness. Careful selection goes into the gift — the person’s age, his or her relation, the intention behind the gift and the smile it will bring person’s face!
Sadly, such honest and innocent emotions are faced with a countless roadblocks. Some of the common ones are —
High custom duties — Gifts sent from abroad are charged with high custom charges that make a huge dent in the gift sender’s hard-earned savings who then finds it difficult to send gifts for everyone back home when faced with such increasing costs. Of course, there are clever senders trying to work around the custom department by labeling the package differently. However, if the customs department unexpectedly manages to seize such a package it is rare to see them release it without greasing their palms while also charging hefty duty and penalty expenses!
Unreliability of postal deliveries — The tales of the parcels posted to India have become legendary. Packages end up being stolen, mysteriously lost in transit, delivered days behind schedule or most of the times received with the contents missing.
Promises made but not kept — To fulfill the growing needs of Indian living abroad, numerous online shopping websites have come forward to act as a link for sending gifts to India. Nevertheless, many persons recount their experiences where websites offer express on-time delivery for last-minute festival gift orders. Eager customers willingly pay up the extra cash. Yet the gifts are received days later than the required occasion.
What you see is not what you get — Websites advertise desired and glamorized versions of products which when received turn out to be of inferior quality and looking much different from what was shown and mentioned on the online shopping portal.
Not enough information — Product details are not well listed making it difficult for a site visitor to understand properly the advertised product. Inquiries and communication is often a dead-end when adequate notifications are not provided about delays nor are confirmations provided regarding the day of delivery.
For the average Indian staying abroad looking to reach out to their loved ones back in India there is an ongoing search for a dependable website that offers a solution to the above problems. Although the growing competition and demands is making online shopping portals evaluate their strategies and hence improve the services provided. The need is for a good selection of gifts with reasonable prices designed to suit all budgets, detailed product specifications, accurate vendor information and an efficient delivery process. A website which consists of dedicated and enthusiastic people committed to build a satisfactory and comfortable shopping experience for its customers.