There has been a surge in online marketplaces as of late, as more and more people want to buy and sell online. One online marketplace that has been growing continuously is Fruugo. You’ve probably never heard of this company before, which is why you’re intrigued by what it is and how it works. Fortunately, this Fruugo review contains everything you need to know.
What Is Fruugo?
Fruugo is an online marketplace that’s still relatively new in the industry. Even though the company is based in Finland, Fruugo is able to cater to people from across the globe. Fruugo actually had a pretty rough start, but the company was able to surpass that its initial troubles. Now, the company continues to grow and thrive and has been doing so for several years now.
Fruugo actually doesn’t consider itself as an online retailer, instead, it prefers to be called a marketplace. It functions very much like a middleman like Amazon’s marketplace, but only without the logistics involved. Basically, Fruugo is responsible for advertising the products, doing transactions, along with a bit of customer service in case of any questions. However, it doesn’t hold any of the stock or even dispatch it.
How Does the Site Handle Orders?
As mentioned, Fruugo doesn’t dispatch any of the orders made on the site—a third party is responsible for this. Since Fruugo is a marketplace, this means there are sellers or merchants on the site posting their merchandise and wares. This means if you buy from the Fruugo website, you’re not buying from Fruugo itself but from the merchant.
That being said, there’s a catch: you don’t know who the merchant is when you buy from the site. All the processing involved will be handled by an unknown entity, and you just have to trust that they’re trustworthy enough.
Customer Service
At the moment, you can only chat with Fruugo’s customer service team. However, this conversation isn’t real-time, and you may have to wait for a response. But you don’t get connected with Fruugo’s team at the beginning. At first, you’ll converse with the merchant if you have any questions or concerns about your order. If you’re running around in circles and you no longer want to chat with the third party, you have an option to escalate the issue to Fruugo. If you do this, you’ll be able to chat with a customer service agent from Fruugo itself.
Cancellation Policy
Since Fruugo is merely a marketplace, this means the merchant you buy from is technically the retailer. Similar to the previous point, you’ll have to request a cancellation with the third-party seller and not Fruugo, as Fruugo has nothing to do with the stocks or products. That being said, this isn’t the end all be all.
In the eyes of the law, Fruugo is the retailer in the picture, and you can point out your rights as a customer if Fruugo doesn’t agree to the order cancellation. After all, you made the transaction on Fruugo’s website.
Return & Refund Policies
Again, you won’t be returning your order to Fruugo but to the third-party merchant. However, it’s unlikely that you won’t be shouldering the shipping expenses, as you’ll probably find the return fee deducted from any refund you receive. According to the Fruugo website, you should request a refund “within 14 days from receipt of your order.” Once confirmed, you need to send the items back right away and “no later than 14 days from registering your return.”
Pros
- Good quality items
- Easy and straightforward transactions
- Affordable prices
Cons
- Slow delivery in some cases
- The third-party merchant is a mystery
- Getting a refund isn’t that easy
Conclusion—Is Fruugo Legit?
Fruugo is definitely a legit company, but some customers may be put off by the fact that they have to deal with a third-party seller whose identity isn’t revealed. But it can’t be denied that Fruugo has some of the best and most competitive prices out there, so if you don’t mind the slow delivery or if the order isn’t urgent, it’s definitely worth checking out.
