Across the world, Black Friday is probably one of the most awaited days considering that almost everything goes on sale and most products are available at bargain prices. Pakistan also caught up on the trend of Black Friday and though we cannot settle on a single name for this day, many retail brands have gone on sale and are offering great prices to their consumers.
Following the success of last year, Daraz.pk decided to bring back a bigger and better sale for the Pakistanis. The entire website is currently on sale.
Daraz.pk is the leader in online retail in Pakistan, offering e-commerce services for apparel, accessories, shoes, beauty products, electronics and general merchandise. The online shopping platform has a portfolio of over 1,800 local and international brands and is part of the Asia Pacific Internet Group (APACIG). It also has an online shopping app for Android and iOS phones to enhance the user experience and provide a user-friendly and easily accessible platform for customer’s on-the-go.
The company followed an extensive marketing strategy and had created a hype for its Big Friday sale long before it was to commence. Many people were excited about the sale as it would give them an opportunity to buy stuff at bargain prices.
NOT SO ‘BIG’ AFTER ALL!
However, the sale has disappointed many. Scores of people have come forward claiming that Daraz had increased the prices of the products and then put them on sale which then brings down the price to the retail price.
Speaking exclusively to Pakistan Today, a buyer Shahmir Hasan said that he had been tracking a jacket on Daraz which was for Rs 2,000 and at the time of the sale, the website showed the actual price to be Rs 4,000 and the sale price to be Rs 1,999. He said that he was very disappointed with Daraz as he really had his heart on the jacket.
In a ladies forum on Facebook, several ladies complained that they had been tracking items such as electronic heaters and televisions on Daraz and the sale price was the same as the original price because the website increased the prices before putting the products on sale. They warned others not to fall for this “scam” by Daraz.
Many users also took to Twitter to express their distress.
Big Sale On Daraz.pk ?#BlackFriday2017 #DarazBlackFriday17 pic.twitter.com/RRGrxr8p8d
— Omer Choudhary (@Omerchoudhary2) November 24, 2017
Yeh @darazpk waly b chutiya bnany mai mastermind hai product ki price zyda likh kr us per 10 to 20 percent off ker daty hai. Ohhh asi khooty aa? #DarazBigFriday17 #DarazBlackFriday17
— Zeeshan Asif (@ZeeSaying) November 23, 2017
And the scam continues#DarazBlackFriday17 pic.twitter.com/nwThVrQPcD
— Ayesh (@ayeshmuneeb) November 23, 2017
#Orient 4K UHD 55 inch #SMART #LED TV.
Last I checked this LED could not be more than 75k – 78k.#DARAZ powered sale describes at as PKR 134,000. After discount PKR 72500. Who can confirm the price of this LED from open market ??#DarazBlackFriday17 pic.twitter.com/xRR5hhWZb6— Zeeshan Chohan (@ZeeshChohan) November 23, 2017
Update on last tweet:
The same #Orient #LED model is available for PKR 65,900 from #AlFatah.Anyone in my list who has any connection at #Daraz, please tell them to up their game. #DarazBlackFriday17 #BlackFriday2017 #Pakistan #Lahore
— Zeeshan Chohan (@ZeeshChohan) November 23, 2017
Trust me we don’t want fake and 50% discount after 160% increase of price.#DarazHomeOfFakeProducts#DarazBlackFriday17
— Anas Ur Rahman (@lafaanga) November 22, 2017
Shame on you @darazpk … value of your coupon ! Your website should be boycotted #DarazBigFriday17 pic.twitter.com/kwcd21uoty
— RabiaMalik. (@RabiaaPTI) November 23, 2017
#DarazBigFriday17 or Big Fraud ? pic.twitter.com/STwJLjDPl4
— Zenub Babur Butt (@QararaRasha) November 24, 2017
Daraz was unavailable for comment. However, in case of an update, Pakistan Today will update its readers.
Previously Khaadi has also been accused of resorting to such tactics to make extra profits during the sales.